Archive for national security

White House Official Jason Bordoff joins SIPA

Jason Bordoff, a special assistant to President Obama and senior director for energy and climate change on the staff of the National Security Council, has joined Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, SIPA officials announced. Bordoff will join the faculty as a professor of professional practice and will serve as director of SIPA’s Center on Global Energy Policy.

One of the nation’s top energy policy experts, Bordoff also held senior policy roles in the White House’s National Economic Council and Council on Environmental Quality. He joined the Obama administration in April 2009.

“I’m thrilled to join the Columbia faculty and to build the Center on Global Energy Policy,” Bordoff said. “As we have seen, there are few policy issues more important on the world stage. Energy policy has a profound impact on the global economy and geopolitics. As someone who has relied on academic and think-tank analysis to help inform policy decisions, I know there is a need for more independent, rigorous analysis of the energy policy choices that our leaders face. And there are few places better positioned than Columbia to fill that need, with its world-class reputation, New York location, highly international student body and faculty, and depth and strength in a wide range of disciplines.

To read Jason Bordoff’s biography, click here.

SIPA Veterans Association

Active duty military and veterans from around the world are important contributors to the ongoing debates that form the foundation of the SIPA learning experience.   From discussing the most effective relationship between humanitarian organizations and military units in a war zone to discussing best practices in serving populations during natural disasters, SIPA benefits greatly from the contributions of students, faculty and visiting speakers with military experience. SIPA thrives on the diversity of perspectives in its classrooms and counts among its student body military students from nations around the world.

Late last month the SIPA Veterans Association hosted the following event:

Lieutenant General “Pete” Osman, USMC(RET):

Reflections on US Military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a welcome to the

Columbia SIPA Veterans Association

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Lieutenant General H.P “Pete” Osman

General Osman will share his thoughts on current events in Iraq and Afghanistan, veterans in the classroom, the New GI Bill, and the future of the US military.  General Osman served on active duty in the US Marine Corps for 37 years.  During his service he fulfilled a variety of duties including commanding officer of 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, Commanding Officer for Officers Candidate School, and Commanding General of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force.  General Osman also served as Deputy Commandant of the Marine Corps for manpower and reserve affairs.  He is veteran of both the Vietnam and Iraq wars.

Columbia SIPA Veterans Association

Please join Lieutenant General “Pete” Osman as he welcomes the Columbia SIPA Veterans Association (CSVA) to campus.  The CSVA will endeavor to assist transitioning SIPA veterans assimilate to student life, provide venues for the discussion of relevant military and veteran issues, and help SIPA Veteran Alumni stay connected with current SIPA students.

Monday, November 23, 2009

7:00pm – 9:00pm

Room 1512, 15th Floor

School of International and Public Affairs
420 West 118th Street, New York City

In Memory of Major Mike Weston, USMCR

SIPA Graduation Speaker


General Brent Scowcroft, former National Security Advisor and SIPA Advisory Board member, will deliver SIPA’s 2009 graduation address on May 18. General Scowcroft served as National Security Advisor to Presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, he earned his MA and Ph.D. in International Relations from Columbia University.

As President and founder of The Scowcroft Group and one of the country’s leading experts on international policy, Brent Scowcroft provides Group clients with unparalleled strategic advice and assistance in dealing in the international arena.

"The most global public policy school, where an international community of students and faculty address world challenges."

—Merit E. Janow, Dean, SIPA, Professor of Practice, International and Economic Law and International Affairs

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