The Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center is a research, educational and professional development center for international affairs at Howard University in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

The center was founded in 1993 to serve as a resource center for students interested in pursuing careers in foreign affairs and to process subject-related inquiries from outside entities like government agencies, NGOs,

corporations A corporation is an organization—usually a group of people or a company—authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law "born out of statute"; a legal person in legal context) and r ...

, other universities and foreign embassies. The center is currently headed by former U.S. Ambassador to Botswana, Horace G. Dawson, Jr., and is an affiliate member of the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs.

Founding

Ambassador Horace Dawson with his granddaughter

The center is named for

Ralph Bunche Ralph Johnson Bunche (; August 7, 1904 – December 9, 1971) was an American political scientist, diplomat, and leading actor in the mid-20th-century decolonization process and US civil rights movement, who received the 1950 Nobel Peace Prize f ...

, a former Howard professor who became the first person of color to win the

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemi ...

. In 1963, he was the recipient of the

Presidential Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, along with the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by the president of the United States to recognize people who have made "an especially merito ...

. Howard University established the Bunche Center in 1993 with a grant from the

W.K. Kellogg Foundation The W. K. Kellogg Foundation was founded in June 1930 as the W. K. Kellogg Child Welfare Foundation by breakfast cereal pioneer Will Keith Kellogg. In 1934, Kellogg donated more than $66 million in Kellogg Company stock and other investments to ...

. It currently coordinates study abroad programs for Howard students, sponsors "Diplomats in Residence" and aims to place Howard students in US embassies worldwide.

Programs and Initiatives

The Rangel Program is a collaborative effort between Howard University and the

U.S. Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...

that seeks to attract and prepare outstanding young people for careers as diplomats in the

U.S. Foreign Service The United States Foreign Service is the primary personnel system used by the diplomatic service of the United States federal government, under the aegis of the United States Department of State. It consists of over 13,000 professionals carryi ...

. The program seeks individuals interested in helping to shape a freer, more secure and prosperous world through formulating, representing, and implementing U.S. foreign policy. The Program encourages the application of members of minority groups historically underrepresented in the Foreign Service and those with financial need. There are two major components to the Rangel Program: the

Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Fellowship The Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Fellowship Program is a fellowship program that provides funding for graduate students as they prepare academically and professionally to enter the United States Foreign Service. History Launched to help ...

, which provides support for graduate school, professional development, and entry into the U.S. Foreign Service, and a
undergraduate International Affairs Summer Enrichment Program
that provides undergraduates with the opportunity to enhance their skills, knowledge and understanding about U.S. foreign policy.

References

External links

Howard University

APSIA - Howard University's Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bunche International Affairs Center, Ralph J. Howard University 1993 establishments in Washington, D.C.