AMERICAN ACADEMY OF DIPLOMACY

Strengthening the Department of State (May 2019)
The Academy’s new report offers a set of recommendations for how to enhance the structures and processes of the State Department to help it better identify, recruit, train, support, equip, and protect its people in the Foreign and Civil Service.The report specifically focuses on issues and actions that would allow the Department to enhance its operations on its own, without the need for congressional or Executive actions.

Support for American Jobs (Volume I, March 2016 and Volume II, June 2017)
The Academy’s reports "Support for American Jobs," written under the direction of the Una Chapman Cox Foundation, address how to update State and Commerce Department support for American commerce abroad.

American Diplomacy at Risk (April 2015)
This in-depth report looks at the alarming state of American diplomacy today and makes a comprehensive set of recommendations, aiming to stimulate the changes necessary to prepare American diplomacy for the challenges of the 21st century.

Awards Program Recognizing Outstanding Contributions to American Diplomacy :
AAD annually presents the Walter & Leonore Annenberg Award for Excellence in Diplomacy, the Arthur Ross Media Awards for Distinguished Reporting and Analysis of Foreign Affairs, and the Douglas Dillon Book Award for a Book of Distinction on the Practice of American Diplomacy to individuals in recognition of their significant contributions to the field of diplomacy.

In 2018, the Academy began its collaboration with the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut through a program suggested by Hotchkiss alum and Academy member, Ambassador Robert M. Beecroft. Through this partnership, the Academy has since created the Ambassador Speaker Series, which aims to educate students about the importance of diplomacy.

Starting in 2019, the Academy is partnering with the Weiser Diplomacy Center to hold an Ambassadors Forum at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at University of Michigan. The Forum will gather Academy members, students, University and community members for a panel discussions on a current foreign affairs topic.

Each year, Texas Tech University and the American Academy of Diplomacy co-host prestigious panel discussions to enhance public understanding of critical foreign policy areas with the purpose of expanding understanding of US diplomacy. The program, which began in 2016, is held at the International Cultural Center, on the Texas Tech University campus.

The Omaha Ambassadors Forum is a yearly program to bring distinguished diplomatic practitioners to speak with students and community leaders in Omaha. Each year’s program is developed jointly by the Academy in cooperation with the University of Nebraska at Omaha and Burlington International whose funding has made these programs possible.

The Arthur Ross Foundation generously provided the American Academy of Diplomacy with a fund to create a series of discussions exploring the role of diplomacy in US foreign relations, and encouraging discussions of foreign affairs across the country. These discussions are co-hosted by the Academy together with the International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello. They feature a range of Academy's members and bring together a diverse audience of students and community members.

As Americans debate the costs and purpose of the country's participation in international affairs, it is more important than ever to understand how America's diplomats advance and defend U.S. national interest around the world. Two new podcast series - "The General and the Ambassador: A Conversation" and "American Diplomat: Real Stories Behind the News" offer listeners an inside look as to what diplomacy is and what takes place on the ground, straight from the diplomats as well as their military and other colleagues overseas that make it happen. This program is implemented in collaboration with the Una Chapman Cox Foundation.