The Academy and the State Department’s Diplomats in Residence (DIRs) present a collaborative five-part pre-recorded virtual discussion series that examines the five Foreign Service Officer (FSO) career tracks: Consular Affairs, Economic Affairs, Management Affairs, Political Affairs, and Public Diplomacy. In each session, an Academy member and a current DIR draw on their extensive Foreign Service careers to break down the important aspects of a specific career track. They explore the trajectory of the career; preview duties early, mid, and late in the career; and suggest coursework/readings for each career track. These discussions are a great resource for anyone preparing to apply for the Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT).

For more information about the FSOT please visit the State Department’s Foreign Service Officer Test Information and Selection Process page.

In collaboration with the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, the American Academy of Diplomacy began the University of Michigan Ambassadors Forum in 2019. Featuring a discussion panel of prestigious experts to enhance public understanding of critical foreign policy areas, this year’s panel discussed “Opportunities and Challenges in Latin America and the Caribbean” on September 25, 2023.

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.

We are proud to present two podcast series, projects of the American Academy of Diplomacy: The General & the Ambassador: A Conversation and American Diplomat: Real Stories Behind the News.

Joseph J. Sisco was the Chairman of the American Academy of Diplomacy from 1999-2004. When he passed away in the fall of 2004, he requested that gifts in his honor be made to the Academy. The Academy decided that the best use of the generous donations made by his friends and family was to stimulate public discussion on the foreign policy themes to which Dr. Sisco dedicated his career.

Recognizing Contributions to Diplomacy

The Academy annually grants the prestigious Annenberg Award for Excellence in Diplomacy, the Arthur Ross Award for Distinguished Reporting & Analysis of Foreign Affairs, and the Douglas Dillon Book Award to individuals for their significant contributions to the field of diplomacy. The ceremony is held each year in late fall/early winter in the Benjamin Franklin Room of the US Department of State. The 2023 Awards Luncheon was held on November 9th, 2023.

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.

The 2023 discussion addressed “Democracy in the Americas – The Monroe Doctrine and the Past and Present of US Policy in Latin America.“

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

The 12th annual discussion on “Diplomacy and Development” featured Mr. Alonzo Fulgham, Ambassadors Dawn Liberi, J. Peter Pham, and Ambassador Neumann.