About the Program
The Robert Heath Global Policy Scholars Program aims to ignite students’ interest in international affairs through a week-long schedule of presentations led by policy professionals. Students will have the opportunity to learn from and network with former diplomats to explore careers in foreign policy and enhance the public policy degree they are pursuing.
Instruction is held at the American Academy of Diplomacy in Washington, D.C. with students staying at the University of California Washington Center, or UCDC. Alongside this program, public policy students are encouraged to explore additional experiential learning experiences, such as UCDC's quarter-long internship program, UC Center Sacramento (UCCS), non-governmental organization internships, or a master's degree.
Program Details
Each cohort is open to 20 public policy students.
- Freshmen, sophomores, first-year transfers, and second-year MPP students are eligible to apply!
The School of Public Policy will cover the following costs:
- Flights and metro pass
- Lodging at UCDC
- Lunches (Monday - Friday)
- Two hosted dinners
Interested in learning more? Check out this article by UCR News!
Applications
The next cohort will take place from September 6 - 13, 2025.
Applications will open mid-April and the link to apply will be available here!
For questions and more information, please contact:
About the Program Founders
The Robert Heath Global Policy Scholar Program was made possible by the generosity of Robert Heath and Ronald Neumann.
Robert Heath
Mr. Robert Heath is a seasoned diplomat with a distinguished career in international relations. Throughout his 27 years with the U.S. Information Agency, Mr. Heath served in many significant regions throughout the world, including Ukraine, Switzerland, Germany, South Africa, Pakistan, and Zaire. In addition to his international roles, Mr. Heath served in the Washington headquarters of USIA, focusing on Policy Guidance, Arms Control, Security Issues, and European Affairs, and as a Policy Guidance Coordinator for Africa.
Mr. Heath is an alumnus of UC Riverside and spent much of his early years growing up in Southern California.
Ronald Neumann
Mr. Ronald Neumann is a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and career Senior Foreign Service officer. He served as U.S. Ambassador to Algeria, Bahrain, and Afghanistan from 2005 to 2007. Earlier roles included Ambassador to Bahrain, Director of Northern Gulf Affairs, and Deputy Chief of Mission in the UAE and Yemen.
Ambassador Neumann served in combat as an Army officer in Vietnam and also holds numerous honors, including the Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy Award, by the American Foreign Service Association. He earned degrees in history and political science from UCR. For the past 17 years, he has served as president of the American Academy of Diplomacy.