USC Honored With Public Diplomacy Award
Photo/David Scavone
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice presented the award in a Washington, D.C. ceremony.
“(The Benjamin Franklin Award) is the most prestigious honor that the Department of State can bestow on American citizens who are making outstanding contributions to public diplomacy, both at home and abroad, and it reflects my conviction that the solutions to the challenges of the 21st century will come from all sectors of American society working together,” Secretary Rice said.
“We recognize USC’s Center on Public Diplomacy for having evolved into the world’s premier research facility in this field.”
Through a variety of programs and projects, USC is widely recognized for its pioneering leadership and contributions to academic scholarship and professional engagement in the field of public diplomacy. These include the USC Center on Public Diplomacy at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and the world’s first master’s degree program in public diplomacy.
The USC Center on Public Diplomacy was founded in 2003 as a partnership between the USC Annenberg School and the School of International Relations in USC College. It has since evolved into the world’s premier research center in public diplomacy, bringing together members of the diplomatic, academic, non-governmental organizations and corporate communities.
“The USC Center on Public Diplomacy leads our research into the global exchange of ideas and diplomacy,” said Adam Clayton Powell III, USC’s vice provost for globalization and a senior fellow of the center. “What is now clear is that diplomacy is not just for diplomats: It is for artists and writers, scientists and business executives, educators and students – indeed, for all of civil society.”
In 2005, USC launched a graduate-level degree program in public diplomacy, preparing students from around the world for leadership roles in international public service, business and nongovernmental organizations. The first full class of the Master of Public Diplomacy program is scheduled to graduate in May.
USC is also the only institution in the world to offer an intensive two-week training program specifically for mid-career professionals, providing an immersive environment in which to engage colleagues from across the globe in new research and methods through the Summer Institute in Advanced Public Diplomacy.
“It’s a tremendous honor for USC to be recognized as a galvanizing force in a field that has only begun to receive wider attention. A dedicated center and master’s program allows leading and emerging practitioners and scholars to advance an exciting new area of international relations,” said Geoffrey Cowan, USC University Professor, Annenberg School dean emeritus and founder of the USC Center on Public Diplomacy.
USC College Dean Howard Gillman said: “We are delighted to be the first educational organization chosen for the Franklin Award by the Secretary of State. It speaks to the important role that universities play in generating new knowledge on important questions and training the next generation of leaders.”
The State Department and USC have partnered on numerous public diplomacy-related projects. The State Department’s Public Diplomat in Residence program has been based at the USC Center on Public Diplomacy since 2006. The center also has provided the State Department with expertise about virtual worlds and the opportunities they provide for intercultural dialogue and public diplomacy.
“As new technologies make information accessible to more people, our nation needs to have a deeper understanding of the contribution that public diplomacy and soft power can make to advance America’s interests around the world,” said Ernest J. Wilson III, dean of the USC Annenberg School for Communication. “We are honored that USC’s leadership in this area is being recognized with the inaugural Benjamin Franklin Award.”
USC Annenberg School was a founding member of the Edward R. Murrow Journalism Fellows Program, announced by Secretary Rice in 2005. Participating schools host international journalists, encouraging journalistic freedom around the world and promoting deeper understanding of American practices and institutions.
In addition, Rice helped USC commemorate a landmark event in the United States’ public diplomacy efforts – the 50th anniversary of Dizzy Gillespie’s State Department-sponsored world tour in 1956.
According to the State Department, the Benjamin Franklin Award is given for a person or organization’s impact on public diplomacy-related efforts, service to the larger community, development of best practices for adoption by other organizations and long-term engagement with participants and issues.
Other winners were Search for Common Ground, an international conflict resolution organization (nonprofit), Johnson & Johnson (corporate) and musician Dave Brubeck (individual).
For more information about USC’s public diplomacy programs and activities, visit http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org
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USC in the News
for 2/8/2012 »-
The Chronicle of Higher Education mentioned USC’s $6 billion fundraising campaign. The story noted that USC had already raised $1 billion in a “quiet phase,” including the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College.
The Guardian (U.K.) highlighted two major gifts to USC in a list of the 10 biggest philanthropic benefactors in America. The list included the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College, and the $110 million gift from USC Trustee and USC Viterbi School alumnus John Mork and wife Julie to create the USC Mork Family Scholars Program.
The New York Times featured the USC U.S.-China Institute documentary “Assignment: China — The Week that Changed the World.” The documentary, part of a series, examines media coverage of the 1972 Nixon trip that reshaped U.S.-China relations after a quarter century of isolation and hostility. “People look back now and take it for granted that the outcome was preordained,” said the institute’s Mike Chinoy, who produced the documentary. Voice of America also featured the story.
Los Angeles Times featured the Oscar Senti-meter, a tool developed by the USC Annenberg School, Los Angeles Times and IBM that analyzes thousands of tweets about the Academy Awards nominees. The story noted that Mexican actor Demian Bechir received an enormous boost on Twitter the day of the nominations, with a total of 6,893 tweets mentioning him, a 47-fold increase from the day before. The story noted the tool uses language-recognition technology developed in collaboration with USC Viterbi School’s Signal Analysis and Interpretation Lab.
The Times of India (India) featured a three-day medical emergency training workshop organized in association with USC. At the workshop, held at GCS Medical College in India, 50 doctors and more than 100 paramedics learned how to improve emergency support systems. William Mallon of the Keck School of USC said that discussion topics included the use of portable ultrasonic devices to scan patients. “The ultrasound applications help physicians make accurate and timely decisions,” he noted. Daily News & Analysis (India) also featured the workshop.
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