Yale University has received a $50-million gift to start an institute of global affairs focused on preparing students for diplomatic or public-service careers, Richard C. Levin, Yale’s president, announced today.
The gift, from John W. Jackson, a 1967 graduate of Yale and former chief executive of a pharmaceutical company, and his wife, Susan G. Jackson, will establish the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs. It will contain the university’s international-relations program and have a placement office for students interested in diplomatic careers or jobs with international agencies or aid organizations.
The institute is scheduled to open in the fall of 2010, Yale said, and will have at least four fellows who work in high-level international-affairs jobs to teach and serve as mentors to students.
The size of the gift, not unusual for a wealthy Ivy League institution, may be viewed as a bright spot for fund raisers in a tough giving environment. In the last 12 months, a number of colleges seeking to raise $1-billion or more, including Yale, have seen declines in the amount of money they raised compared with the year before. —Kathryn Masterson
