DePaul University in Chicago has announced a $20 million gift from donors who wish to remain anonymous to establish a school of applied diplomacy.

The gift will endow the Grace School of Applied Diplomacy with the aim of empowering a diverse generation of diplomats from a range of professions with the education and skills needed to develop solutions to the world's most vexing challenges. Housed in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and scheduled to open this fall, the school will offer a bachelor's degree in applied diplomacy with ten concentrations — diplomacy and international relations; urban diplomacy; diplomacy and international political economy; diplomacy and the arts; diplomacy, culture, and identity; diplomacy, NGOs, and peacebuilding; diplomacy and religion; diplomacy and international law; history of diplomacy; and diplomacy and critical theory. Academic offerings will come from more than twenty fields of study across the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, including art, anthropology, international public service, geography, history, international studies, and political science.

The gift also will be used to increase experiential learning opportunities such as study abroad for students who might not otherwise be able to afford such programs; diversify the demographic profile of college graduates who pursue careers in diplomacy; and connect faculty and students with professional and citizen diplomats.

According to the school's inaugural director, David Wellman, the school's name reflects its aim to inspire students to enter into deep collaboration with a diverse array of individuals and communities and build bridges as a bulwark against fear, hatred, distrust, and cynicism.

"Unlike traditional diplomacy programs that primarily concentrate on preparing students for a career in the foreign service, the interdisciplinary curriculum of the Grace School is designed to not only prepare students for work in the diplomatic corps, but also for applying the tools of diplomacy to careers in the private sector, the sciences, community service, the arts, religious leadership, and in the work of community organizing and activism," said College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences dean Guillermo Vásquez de Velasco. "The goal of the Grace School is to prepare the next generation of leaders to create human-centered solutions to problems as diverse and complex as urban poverty, sectarian violence, and human migration. At the heart of this work is the ability to foster dialogue, reach common understanding, and devise mutually beneficial outcomes across different sectors."