Meet the New Director of the Ford Dorsey Master’s in International Policy Program
Following a sustained period of program growth, an expanded leadership team and remodeled facility will greet new and returning students in the fall
When current and incoming students in Stanford University’s Ford Dorsey Master’s in International Policy (MIP) program arrive to campus this fall, they will be the first to experience the new face of the program.
Renovations on a modern new academic space, outdoor courtyard and gardens will be complete, and Professor Francis Fukuyama, one of the most well-known and respected social scientists in the world, will be the program’s new director.
“I am grateful for this opportunity to lead the Ford Dorsey MIP program,” said Fukuyama, who is the Mosbacher Director at the Center for Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law and Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI). He noted that, “This is a critical time to prepare our students to be policy leaders in government, civic society, and the private sector. Our curriculum aims to be among the best in international policy education, and continues to get stronger with new faculty, courses, and terrific students.”
Quintessentially Stanford
The Ford Dorsey Master’s in International Policy is a two year, full-time, professional graduate degree program administered jointly by the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and the School of Humanities and Sciences. The just graduated Class of 2019 included nineteen students, 15 women and four men, from 10 different countries.
The program has grown significantly recently, with the number of applications rising 67% over the past 2 years. An additional specialization track in cyber policy and security has also quickly gained popularity among students.
Michael McFaul and Kathryn Stoner, who led the program as director and deputy director, respectively, during this period of growth, will continue to teach MIP classes in addition to their roles as director and deputy director at FSI.
“Our students are well positioned to assume leadership roles over the course of their careers,” said Professor Stoner. “We are meeting the demands of the shifting policy landscape with innovative new courses and graduates who dare to think differently. In this sense the program is quintessentially Stanford.”
Optimizing for Success
Stoner served as Director of the program for 8 years before becoming Deputy Director of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. Under her leadership, the program increased faculty involvement from FSI in teaching in the program, developed a new curriculum in conjunction with FSI faculty, added an exchange program between the program and the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, increased student funding opportunities through research with FSI faculty, and grew the program staff to better support student career services, alumni outreach, program recruiting, student academic advising, and admissions.
“Mike McFaul and I leave the leadership and administrative team of this program in good hands. Francis Fukuyma is a dedicated policy scholar, and teacher and I am thrilled that he is taking the helm,” said Stoner.
Alongside Professor Fukuyama, Dr. Chonira Aturupane, a senior research scholar at the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law at FSI, and long-time lecturer in international economics in the MIP program, has agreed to serve as the Associate Director for Academic and Student Affairs in the MIP Program.
“Optimizing the program has always been an iterative process,” said Professor McFaul. “The creation of Francis’s and Chonira’s new leadership positions within MIP are a natural next phase in the program’s progress. Kathryn and I look forward to seeing them take the program into the future.”
A New Phase for Fukuyama
Professor Fukuyama has long been passionate about the teaching of public and international policy at the graduate level. He came to Stanford in 2010 from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), where he led, expanded, and redesigned the International Development coursework for the SAIS master’s program.
Fukuyama has also been deeply involved in the redesign of the MIP curriculum at Stanford, and has spearheaded a national effort for innovation in public policy teaching. He will continue to teach in the program, including the new practicum experience with Professor Jeremy Weinstein of Stanford’s Department of Political Science, and Senior Fellow at the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) at FSI next year.
“To prosper in today’s global society, institutions must continually adapt at both the leadership and policy level,” said Fukuyama. “It’s something I’ve spoken about for years and now here I am living this change together with our students. I can’t wait for us to get started.”
