“Enhancing awareness of diplomacy, national issues, and factors that affect global peace and security”
The Diplomacy, Peace and Security Studies Program (DPSS) is housed in the Office of Global Perspectives and International Initiatives. It cooperates with campus and community partners to sponsor or co-sponsor public discussions featuring top speakers, panels and other presentations; encourage scholarship and research; and work with partners worldwide.
DPSS grew out of the Diplomat in Residence Program, supported by the U.S. Department of State, from 2003-2005. During that time, Ambassador Harriet Elam-Thomas served as the official State Department liaison in Central Florida, conducting workshops, providing information on careers, connecting students to internship and scholarship opportunities, and speaking on policy matters. Ambassador Elam-Thomas stayed after the conclusion of her residence to help bolster diplomacy studies at UCF.
Program Director
No person can be found with that name.
Diplomacy Certificate and Minor
Click here to view the requirements for the Diplomacy certificate at UCF. Click here to view the requirements for the Diplomacy minor at UCF.
Lester N. Mandell Endowed Distinguished Lecture Series
The Lester N. Mandell Endowed Distinguished Lecture Series is a partnership overseen by the GPII and the College of Sciences at UCF. Established in 2016 through the generosity of former U.S. Ambassador Robert Mandell (who served in Luxembourg from 2011-2015), the partnership is designed to enhance and expand UCF’s public and community programming in subjects such as diplomacy, foreign affairs and national issues. The initiative hosts prominent speakers on timely topics throughout the year. These speakers are selected with the assistance and input of an advisory committee made up of UCF faculty and staff from various units across campus. The initiative also sponsors a Diplomacy award – the Lester N. Mandell Diplomacy Fellowship – twice a year in the amount of $500.00.