The Jackson School of Global Affairs officially welcomed its new class of graduate students to Yale on Monday, August 26, during the Matriculation Ceremony in Horchow Hall.

The incoming class includes 34 students in the two-year Master in Public Policy in Global Affairs program. The diverse group represents 16 countries — ranging from Colombia to Greece, Nepal to Uganda — and speaks 18 different languages. International students account for 32% of the class, while 35% are U.S. students of color.

Joining the incoming M.P.P. class are seven students in the Master of Advanced Study in Global Affairs program (M.A.S.) and five in the five-year BA/MPP degree program for Yale College students.

In his remarks, Jim Levinsohn, dean of the Jackson School and Charles W. Goodyear Professor of Global Affairs, observed, “it is quite a time to get a graduate degree in global affairs,” pointing to the ongoing conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan and the upcoming U.S. presidential election. He encouraged students to lean on the expertise of faculty members at Jackson and across Yale to help them better understand the issues at hand, which will provide “the tools to handle what’s on the other side.”

Levinsohn also exhorted students to take advantage of all that Yale has to offer. “Jackson has built bridges with other graduate programs here at Yale and there are hundreds of classes you can take, on top of what Jackson has to offer,” he said.

David Simon, senior lecturer and assistant dean for graduate education at the Jackson School, reminded the students of the essence of the Jackson School’s mission: “to find evidence-based solutions to the daunting issues of the world.”

“There are many of those issues — but there are also many ways to prepare for them,” said Simon.

The ceremony also featured a benediction by Maytal Saltiel, the university chaplain, and concluded with a celebratory lunch on the lawn outside of Horchow Hall.