Spelman College Receives Grant to Establish Center to Train the Next Generation of Leaders in Intelligence and International Strategic Affairs

ATLANTA (November 8, 2024) -- Spelman College has been awarded a $2.5 million grant from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) to establish the Spelman Strategic and Security Studies Center. The Center will serve as an advanced educational hub specializing in training women of color to be the next generation of international strategic affairs and intelligence community leaders. 

The five-year grant is awarded under ODNI’s Intelligence Community Centers for Academic Excellence, which aims to enhance the strategic priorities of the United States through education and development. It will fund study abroad opportunities, critical languages study, and student scholarships for a proposed new minor in international strategic studies. This will be done through collaborations with the Gordon-Zeto Center for Global Education led by Vice Provost for Global Education Dr. 'Dimeji Togunde, the Department of Political Science chaired by Dr. Kasahun Woldemariam, the Department of World Languages and Cultures chaired by Dr. Jacqueline Alvarez-Rosales, and others. 

“This grant enables Spelman to prepare a cohort of students to take their rightful places in conversations that will shape, define and critique international strategic affairs and national security issues and help build a better world,” said Dr. Tinaz Pavri, chair of Spelman’s Division of Social Sciences and Education, political science professor and principal investigator for the grant. “It also allows our students to contribute their talents, values, beliefs and lived experiences to national and international debates on these issues.”  

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence serves as the head of the U.S. Intelligence Community, overseeing and directing the implementation of the National Intelligence Program. Dedicated to academic excellence and innovation, Spelman’s Center will: 

• Enhance a rigorous educational program that merges in-depth theoretical studies with practical applications in international affairs, intelligence and security, ensuring students are well-prepared for the complexities of the field. 
• Expand and advance linguistic and cultural competencies to equip students with essential skills that enhance their role and capabilities in global operations. 
• Develop a robust pipeline of highly qualified professionals whose diverse backgrounds, unique perspectives, and mission-ready education will enhance the United States intelligence community and equip them to assume roles in international affairs. 

“I will never stop working on behalf of Georgia's HBCUs. I’m delivering these Federal funds to help establish a new Strategic and Security Studies Center at Spelman College and support the growth of America’s HBCUs in research, development, and innovation vital to American national security,” said U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff. “I thank Spelman College Interim President Brewer, Dr. Tinaz Pavri, and Spelman College faculty, staff, and students for their leadership and their work to secure this funding and to help students succeed.”

The Spelman Strategic and Security Studies Center will be affiliated with Spelman’s Center of Excellence for Black Women in STEM.