The Yale World Fellows Program has three core goals:
broadening the knowledge foundations and strengthening the leadership skills of a set of emerging leaders from around the world;
deepening the international dialogue across the Yale campus by having the World Fellows play a role as catalysts for conversations and as a source of perspectives, both formal and informal, on global issues and challenges;
creating a network of international decision makers from a range of disciplines who are connected to Yale and to each other.
The Program provides emerging leaders with an exceptional opportunity to enrich themselves by enhancing their critical thinking skills, learning all they can about cutting-edge issues, and developing a strategic vision for their own professional trajectories and societal impacts. In their special global-issues seminar – the World Fellows Seminar, which is taught in short modules by Yale’s top faculty – they explore such topics as war and peace, international relations, economic development, public health, corruption, environmental change, justice, identity, and the role of religion in public life. In addition to the World Fellows Seminar, each Fellow has the opportunity to take almost any course offered by Yale and is offered a series of workshops on skill building, covering such topics as public speaking, writing, decision-making, and negotiation strategies. The Program also sponsors a Distinguished Speaker Series – on campus, in New York, and in Washington.
The World Fellows are also expected to enhance the international dialogue on campus and help deepen the understanding of the entire Yale community about the complexity and diversity of the world. They serve as informal teachers and mentors to Yale’s students, guest lecture in classes, talk to student and faculty interest groups, give campus-wide lectures, and contribute to informal learning in the dining halls, courtyards, and corridors for which Yale is famous.
Finally, the Program seeks to build a network of global decision makers who have a fundamental, mutual understanding born of common experience and information. The model naturally fosters collaboration and a commitment to shared success. With a network that grows larger and more varied with each passing year, alumni Fellows are encouraged to build relationships not only with those in their own cohort but also with those in previous or successive years. To this end, Yale organizes a biennial “Return to Yale Forum” for all alumni of the Program, ensuring that the network remains robust and supports fresh thinking.