How We Work
Created in the 1960s as the Concilium on International and Area Studies and renamed as The Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale in 2006, the MacMillan Center is a resource for all members of the Yale academic community. The strength of the Center relies on strong leadership and administrative support, with the majority of our activities realized through our regional councils and global programs.
Central administration
A tenured faculty member with extensive international expertise is appointed by the university provost as the MacMillan Center’s director. Additional Center leaders include a deputy director, a finance director, a senior director for engagement, and a senior director for global programs. The core team is rounded out by Business Office and IT staff as well as experts in academic appointments, communications, and programmatic support. This model allows the Center to efficiently and effectively deliver services and coordinate shared programming, visibility tactics, and fundraising. It also enables a vibrant multicultural community, with ample offerings for Yale’s students, staff, faculty, and visitors.
Academic appointments
Most of MacMillan’s ladder and instructional faculty members are appointed through or in cooperation with the Yale Faculty of Arts and Sciences, which comprises the 40+ departments and programs that, along with the School of Engineering and Applied Science, provide instruction to the students of Yale College and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The Center also has affiliated faculty members from most of Yale’s thirteen professional schools: School of Architecture, School of Art, Divinity School, David Geffen School of Drama, School of Engineering & Applied Science, School of the Environment, Jackson School of Global Affairs, Law School, School of Management, School of Medicine, School of Music, School of Nursing, School of Public Health.
“The MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies serves all of Yale. Through the work of our area studies councils, global programs, and fellowships, and through our teaching, we connect the university to the world and bring disciplinary breadth and depth to international studies at Yale. The insights we provide and the impact we make—through collaborations with engaged partners around the world—are especially critical given the environmental, social, and political challenges we face today.”
Steven Wilkinson, Henry R. Luce Director
Six undergraduate majors.
Three master’s degree programs.
Four graduate certificates.
Beyond its nine degree programs and other curricular contributions, the MacMillan Center has numerous interdisciplinary faculty councils, initiatives, and programs. These provide opportunities for scholarly research and intellectual innovation and encourage faculty and student interchange for undergraduates as well as graduate and professional students.
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Promoting understanding of the world
and in the world
Each year, the Yale MacMillan Center
hosts more than 400 events annually and more than 100 visiting scholars from around the world
graduates nearly 40 students from its undergraduate and master's programs, who join a global community of more than 2,000 MacMillan alumni
awards more than $2.5 M to Yale faculty members, 375 of whom are affiliated with the Center's councils and programs
awards more than $2.5 M to Yale students for research projects in more than 60 countries
Programs and Events
The geographic and topical breadth of the MacMillan Center’s events at Yale are unprecedented. Bringing a range of prominent scholars and important public individuals to campus annually, many of these events are open to the community at large.