Princeton University has announced a $5 million gift from investment banker and alumnus John P. Birkelund ('52) to establish a program on the history of diplomacy at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

An undergraduate certificate program, the Program in History and the Practice of Diplomacy will prepare students for careers in governmental and nongovernmental organizations, with a focus on maintaining global order and improving lives around the world. In addition to requiring courses offered by the Wilson School and the university's history department, the interdisciplinary program will provide students with the opportunity to take relevant classes in politics and other social sciences as well as classes devoted to particular regions of the world. Any student, regardless of major, will be able to pursue a certificate, and students will also be able to apply for a summer internship with an appropriate government agency or NGO and have the opportunity to engage with experienced practitioners. Open to students starting with the 2015-16 academic year, the program will be co-directed by Stephen Kotkin, the John P. Birkelund '52 Professor in History and International Affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School, and retired U.S. Navy admiral Mike Mullen, the former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Charles and Marie Robertson Visiting Professor at the Wilson School.

A graduate of the Wilson School, Birkelund was a U.S. Navy officer and pursued graduate studies in business administration at Northwestern University. The former chair and CEO of Dillon, Read & Co. and chair of UBS Investment Bank, Birkelund is a former director of the New York Stock Exchange and co-founder of Saratoga Partners, a New York-based merchant banking firm that pursues investments in U.S.-based companies. He also directs the Birkelund Fund, serves as a life trustee at the New York Public Library, is a trustee emeritus of the Frick Collection, and is chairman emeritus of the Polish American Freedom Foundation and the National Humanities Center.

"John Birkelund's generous gift will support Princeton's strengths in the humanities and social sciences, which are crucial for women and men planning careers in international affairs," said Cecilia Rouse, dean of the Woodrow Wilson School and the Lawrence and Shirley Katzman and Lewis and Anna Ernst Professor in the Economics of Education. "He is helping Princeton extend its commitment to service to our nation and the world."