How does LSE ask the big questions about the US and its role in the world?
Outstanding scholarship, teaching and public engagement on US affairs are the hallmarks of LSE’s US Centre - a hub for global expertise, analysis and commentary on America from the perspective of other advanced industrialised democracies. Its leading role is being cemented further thanks to alumnus John Phelan (General Course 1985) who has made a visionary commitment of US$10 million.
In honour of the gift from the John and Amy Phelan Foundation, the Centre has been named the ‘Phelan United States Centre’. As longstanding and generous supporters of the School, John and his wife Amy already support the US Centre’s popular public events lecture series and over 30 General Course, MSc, and PhD scholarship students at LSE.
When I was a General Course student in the mid-1980s, US foreign policy was debated passionately on campus by students and faculty. In London, miles away from Washington, DC, LSE’s diverse community brought its intellect to bear on issues related to the US and its role in the world – all with a deeply-embedded desire to improve society. LSE’s unique capacity to convene the world by engaging audiences on campus and around the world captivated me then and still resonates now.
Pioneering an approach to understanding contemporary America that is diverse, multidisciplinary and internationalised, the Phelan US Centre draws on dozens of LSE faculty who write, teach and comment about the United States across virtually every department. Its work covers pressing issues ranging from global health and climate change, to race and inequality, to peace and security that inform and impact policymaking in the US and its role in the world.
One of the things that attracted John was the chance to contribute to a wide-ranging global dialogue about the United States and its role in the world at a time of rapid, disruptive change. As a School leader at creating exciting and innovative research opportunities for students, John’s investment in the Centre is also an investment in the next generation.