The Yale community this weekend celebrated the launch of the Jackson School of Global Affairs, the university’s first new professional school in more than four decades.

The school, formerly known as the Jackson Institute, officially opened its doors on July 1 and this fall welcomed its first cohort of graduate students.

The day-long event in Woolsey Hall featured a keynote address by author and journalist Fareed Zakaria ‘86, host of CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS,” and panel discussions with retired U.S. ambassadors and Yale scholars. The celebration culminated with an official dedication ceremony that included remarks by Yale President Peter Salovey; Professor James Levinsohn, the inaugural dean of the Jackson School; and Charles Goodyear IV, a university trustee.

In 2019, the Yale Board of Trustees approved plans to transform the institute into a professional school that will train and equip a new generation of leaders to devise thoughtful, evidence-based solutions for challenging global problems.

It is the first new professional school at Yale since 1976, when the School of Management was established.