School of International Service, AU

09/30/2026

📣 Calling all SIS Alumni: Know someone passionate about serving the global community who is interested in applying to grad school? We’re awarding up to 10 students $30k each toward their master’s degree at SIS and would love for YOU to tell us about someone exceptional you think is ready to rise to the occasion.

Earlier this year, we launched the SIS Global Service Leaders Award—a new alumni-nominated scholarship for individuals interested in pursuing a master’s degree at SIS whose work exemplifies what SIS stands for.

We know you've worked alongside exceptional people. Colleagues, mentees, and partners whose commitment to peacebuilding, diplomacy, global governance, international development, climate justice, or any sector serving the global community, answers our call to service. Now is your chance to nominate them.

How it works (nominations are open to SIS alumni only):
✅ Your nominee applies to an SIS master's program for spring or fall with all materials submitted by the required deadline.
✅ You email us at [email protected] with their name and a paragraph on why you are nominating them. Deadlines are November 1 for spring applicants, and January 15 for fall applicants.
✅ Note: you can nominate more than one person (please send separate emails)

At a time when the world needs well-trained international affairs professionals more than ever, help us shape our next class. Who will you nominate?

See our graduate admissions webpage more information on application deadlines: https://www.american.edu/sis/admissions/index.cfm

09/28/2026

Could Ireland be reunified anytime soon? President Trump's recent comments put the question back in the headlines, but SIS professor Carolyn Gallaher and SPA professor Kimberly Cowell-Meyers say not so fast.

In a piece originally published in The Conversation U.S. they explain what unification would actually take—from a referendum, to merging two governments, to government spending, and why Irish Americans are now divided over what the U.S. role should be.

Read their full analysis: https://bit.ly/4d5e8DA

09/27/2026

Five years ago, the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan ended in chaos at the Kabul airport and a Taliban takeover. SIS professor Gregory Aftandilian joins Big World to revisit how that withdrawal unfolded, what's happened to Afghanistan and its people since—from the rollback of women's rights to a growing food crisis—and what the U.S. still hasn't reckoned with from the War on Terror.

🌎 Listen to the latest episode of Big World, a podcast from the School of International Service at American University 🎙️ https://bit.ly/4iixQz4

09/24/2026

Ahead of the much-anticipated presidential meeting between President Trump and President Xi, Stephen Orlins, president of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, joins SIS professor Hansong Li to ask whether the world’s most contested and consequential bilateral relationship can be mended in this age of national security and AI risks.

Have Washington and Beijing allowed legitimate security concerns to expand into indiscriminate securitization—from semiconductors and investment, to healthcare, electric vehicles, and student visas? Orlins challenges the ever-expanding “small yard, high fence,” while Li asks whether economic entanglement can still restrain geopolitical rivalry. Both are concerned with the dramatic decline in American students studying in China, which, coupled with China’s growing ability to attract global scientific talent, exacerbates the asymmetry of knowledge between Chinese and American youths.

Listen now on the WorldViews podcast:

Ahead of a much-anticipated inter-presidential meeting between Trum...

09/22/2026

“What I do lose sleep over is the scenario where a city’s systems are so poorly designed that one system failure sort of triggers other systems to fail.”

After hackers tried to break in to at least 30 municipal water systems in Minnesota over the summer, we asked Professor and Director of the Center for Security, Innovation, and New Technology William Akoto to consider whether hackers could shut down an entire city.

Check out the link in our bio to learn more about what anchors Professor Akoto’s research and the ways in which he hopes his expertise translates to impact 🔗

09/22/2026

Calling all Eagles! This October 8th-14th, American University alumni chapters across the U.S. will be hosting “Eagles Connect.” The in-person event brings alumni together in communities across the country to build meaningful connections, expand professional networks, and strengthen their ties to AU. This local event offers an opportunity to meet fellow Eagles in your area and build relationships that can support both personal and professional growth.

Check out our events webpage to find an event near you! Come meet your neighbors and expand your network. https://bit.ly/3UY3wQK

09/21/2026

Today is International Day of Peace 🕊️ As war and ceasefires continue to shape realities around the world, this day arrives carrying both weight and hope: peace is hard to build and harder to keep—but it can be built.

SIS professor Anthony Wanis-St. John joins Big World to reflect on his career in conflict resolution, including facilitating talks during the Darfur War and the Syrian Civil War. He breaks down what makes ceasefires succeed or fail, why experienced negotiators and inclusive talks matter, what makes the work worthwhile even when a deal falls apart, and how students can build careers in peacebuilding and conflict resolution.

🌎 Listen to the full conversation on Big World, a podcast from the School of International Service at American University. 🔗 https://bit.ly/4rt6JEa

09/18/2026

SIS faculty, staff, and current students: the 2026 SIS Photo Contest is live! 📸 ✨

We want to see the world captured through your lens! Have you completed an SIS Abroad program? Does your camera roll contain photos of stunning landscapes or photos from the country you call home? We want to see them!

Submissions are open now through October 15. Winners will be eligible to win prizes and have their photos showcased in the SIS building!

Visit our website for full details and instructions on how to submit your photos ➡️ https://bit.ly/4h8NhYo

09/17/2026

This September marks 25 years since the September 11 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people and changed the country forever.

SIS professor Greg Aftandilian joins Big World to look back at what the War on Terror did and didn't accomplish, what's happened in Afghanistan since U.S. troops left five years ago, and what it's like teaching today's students—who weren't yet alive on 9/11—about a day that shaped the world they grew up in.

🌎 Listen to the latest episode of Big World, wherever you get your podcasts 🎙️

09/15/2026

Every month or so, a handful of SIS students gather around a dinner table for a home-cooked meal by SIS alumnus and mentor Thomas Snitch. In an age of AI-screened resumes and mass job applications on LinkedIn, Tom has a key piece of advice for SIS students: build your network.

Tom learned that lesson firsthand. As a shy undergraduate, a single phone call from an SIS ambassador in residence landed him his first internship at Brookings. "My life changed because someone made a phone call for me," he says. Now, as a mentor in the SIS Career Mentoring Program, he pays it forward to students and recent alumni like Ava Ward through French cooking, good conversation, and encouraging students to start building connections of their own: "It starts here, tonight, with these other six or eight people here."

Read the full story: https://bit.ly/4AaPWcT