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Awards

Awards Contact Press Off-the-Record President’s Message

The Foreign Policy Association Medal, which is the highest honor bestowed by the FPA, recognizes individuals who demonstrate responsible internationalism and work to expand public knowledge of international affairs. Past recipients include the Honorable Michael Bloomberg, Mayor, New York City; Timothy Geithner, President, Federal Reserve Bank of New York; Jean-Claude Trichet, President of the European Central Bank; Kevin Rudd, Prime Minister, Australia; Sheila C. Bair, Chairman, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; and Anne-Marie Slaughter, Dean, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, among others.

The Corporate Social Responsibility Award is presented to individuals and companies that are committed to good corporate citizenship in the communities they serve. Past recipients include Indra Nooyi, President & CEO, PepsiCo; David Rubenstein, Founding Partner and Managing Director, The Carlyle Group; Anders Dahlvig, President & CEO, IKEA; William McDonough, Chairman & CEO, Public Company Accounting Oversight Board; Peter Brabeck, CEO, Nestlé; and Sir John Bond, Group Chairman, HSBC Holdings, among others.

The International Business Leader Award, presented by the Foreign Policy Association, recognizes the vision of CEOs who use their unique position to focus on the challenges of globalization. Past recipients include Prince Al-Waleed, Saudi Arabia; Fred H. Langhammer, Chairman, Global Affairs, The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.

FPA Corporate Dinner

FPA by the Numbers

100+

Years serving as the nation's oldest organization devoted to citizen education in international affairs.

1100

Great Decisions on Campus has introduced FPA’s pedagogical materials on over 1,100 university and college campuses.

70

For over 70 years, Great Decisions has served the public as the nation's largest discussion program on U.S. foreign policy.

60

Over 60 heads of government have participated in the World Leadership Forum since 2000.

FPA Through the Decades

Foreign Policy Association Astor Hotel

Saturday luncheon discussions on foreign policy were initiated by FPA at the Astor Hotel in New York City.

Foreign Policy Bulletin

Discussions among citizens spread, and FPA branches in the 1930s and 1940s were forerunners of the independent World Affairs Councils of the 1950s.

FPA's publications, Foreign Policy Reports (1925 - 51), Foreign Policy Bulletin (1920 - 61) and Headline Series (1935 - present), became known for their clear and impartial analysis of foreign policy issues.

FPA's "Off-the-Record" lecture series was formed in 1938 by 19 women wishing to be better informed about international affairs.

With a membership of close to 600, it continues to involve discerning participants from the Greater New York area who meet throughout the year to hear and to question leading authorities on foreign affairs.

NBC1940

FPA pioneered international affairs radio discussions by broadcasting New York meetings and weekly talks on "The World Today" over the NBC network.

Today, FPA's national television and radio programs, and educational outreach across the country, bring FPA programs to millions of Americans.

Great Decisions Billboard

In 1954, the Great Decisions program was launched in Oregon. Based on the annual briefing book prepared by FPA's editors, Great Decisions has become the largest nonpartisan public education program on international affairs in the world.

Citizens Guide to US foreign policy

FPA undertook a new educational challenge — to improve the teaching of world affairs in the nation's schools.

Today the preparation of innovative study materials and teachers' guides, as well as workshops for teachers, are FPA priorities.

The forerunner of FPA's Citizen's Guide to U.S. Foreign Policy, prepared every presidential election year, was published in 1968.

National Opinion Ballot

Great Decisions opinion ballots were tabulated nationally for the first time.

Every year results of ballot tabulations are presented to the White House, the departments of State and Defense, Members of Congress and the nation's media.

FPA emerges as the leading public foreign policy forum for national and international leaders.

Among those who have addressed FPA audiences are Great Britain's Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, China's Premier Zhao Ziyang, India's Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak, Israel's Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, Australia's Prime Minister Robert Hawke, the Soviet Union's Minister of Foreign Affairs Eduard A. Shevardnadze, His Majesty King Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho, Nicaragua's President Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, President Carlos Salinas de Gortari of Mexico, President Carlos Saúl Menem of Argentina, as well as then-Governor Bill Clinton, Secretaries of State and Secretaries of Defense.

Students

FPA founded the World Affairs Council of Washington, D.C.

The first "Think International" Essay Contest for high school students was held.

FPA held its first Student Town Meeting in 1985. Students and their teachers have participated in town meetings where the following leaders have responded to their questions: General Alexander M. Haig, Jr., President Jimmy Carter, Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger, Congressman Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Donald F. McHenry, U.S. Ambassador to the UN, among others.

In 1986, FPA initiated its "model sites" project designed to foster collaboration among local school districts, community organizations and colleges and universities.

FPA founded the Young Professionals Group (YPG). Members meet regularly to discuss world issues with experts.

Careers in foreign affairs

FPA and the Ford Foundation co-published five books in the South Africa UPDATE Series, a detailed account of South Africa in the 1980s.

The third edition of Guide to Careers in World Affairs, by FPA's editors, was published in 1993. FPA held its sixth annual Careers in World Affairs Seminar in 1994.

Great Decisions Teacher Training

FPA creates the World Leadership Forum, a premier global affairs event in New York City that gives members access to discussion and debate on the most critical issues facing America today. More than 60 heads of government have participated in the World Leadership Forum since 2000.

FPA.org emerges as a pioneering international affairs website, providing support for the Great Decisions program, offering career development services like its Global Job Board and analysis of U.S. foreign policy.

FPA launches www.ForeignPolicyBlogs.com, the largest network of global affairs blogs online.

FPA creates Global Affairs Boot Camps that aim to train the next generation of foreign policy professionals.

The Great Decisions Teacher Training Institute brings high school teachers from across the U.S. to New York City for intensive training on educating students on international issues.

The Great Decisions Television Series goes HD, reaching 1.2 million viewers across the United States. Its transformation from a talk show to documentary increases its appeal on digital services like iTunes.