WASHINGTON, DC, and MALIBU, CA — The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (Wilson Center) and the Pepperdine University School of Public Policy (SPP) today announced a new strategic partnership to establish a Wilson Center Fellowship at Pepperdine SPP. 

The partnership reflects the Wilson Center’s and Pepperdine’s shared focus on providing a nonpartisan bridge between scholarship and policy. Under this new partnership, the Wilson Center will provide scholarship and research funding annually for a competitive process to identify and support up to four graduate students from any accredited university to work as Wilson Center Fellows. The first cohort of fellows will be selected in the fall of 2026. 

For the first two years of the program, the Wilson Center Fellows will focus on sports diplomacy, aligned with the upcoming LA28 Olympic Games. They will explore how international athletic competition can support diplomatic engagement and strengthen international relationships.  

In addition to academic research, the program will include a semester-long internship at the Wilson Center in Washington, DC, providing fellows with direct exposure to policy practitioners, scholars, and global leaders. 

“This Wilson Center Fellowship grant marks a major step forward in our relationship with the respected Wilson Center and provides incredible research and professional opportunities for graduate students,” said Pete Peterson, Dean of the Pepperdine University School of Public Policy. “This program also continues to build upon our vision of establishing SPP as a bicoastal policy school with creative partnerships and programs in Malibu and Washington, DC.” 

Wilson Center President and CEO Natasha Jacome emphasized the importance of academic partnerships in strengthening policy-relevant scholarship. 

“Partnerships like this one that connect talented graduate students with our scholars and global reach are central to how the Wilson Center fulfills its statutory mission to translate ideas into policy” said Jacome. “The initial focus on sports diplomacy underscores the innovative, forward-looking approach that defines this partnership.” 

Additional details about the inaugural Wilson Center Fellows at Pepperdine SPP will be announced in the coming months. 

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About Pepperdine University School of Public Policy 

The School of Public Policy (SPP) is built on a distinctive philosophy of nurturing public leaders to use tools of analysis and policy design to effect real change. Grounded in understanding policy's moral and distinctly American elements, SPP prepares graduates for careers as leaders by offering a master’s degree in public policy and three joint-degree programs. The school’s Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civic Leadership promotes citizen participation in governance through major conferences, training, seminars, and published research. Follow SPP on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. 

About The Wilson Center 

The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars provides nonpartisan insights and analysis on global affairs to policymakers and the public through deep research, open dialogue, and independent scholarship. To deliver on that mission the Wilson Center focuses on four main areas for our research: strategic competition, economic statecraft, emerging technology, and regional scholarship. The Center will elevate the national conversation on these important issues through a revitalized Fellowship Program, renewed partnerships, and renewed Congressional education.