Republican Sen. John McCain has donated $9 million of money left over from his 2008 presidential campaign to fund a foreign policy think tank connected to Arizona State University, the school announced Thursday.
The McCain Institute for International Leadership, a nonpartisan and nonprofit education and research center, will promote “character-driven leadership” in global humanitarian work, human rights and national security, according to a university news release.
“It will be guided by the values that have animated the career of Senator McCain — a commitment to sustaining America’s global leadership role, promoting freedom, democracy and human rights, as well as maintaining a strong, smart national defense,” University President Michael Crow said.
Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO, Kurt Volker, who has been named director of the institute, said it has “a real opportunity to fill some gaps in Washington.”
Two of its top priorities, he said, would be building “future international leadership through a Fellows program” and engaging directly “with senior decision-makers in developing, analyzing, testing, and promoting the implementation of innovative policies.”
The institute’s formal dedication is planned for later this year. It’s offices, to be located in the nation’s capital and on the Arizona State campus in Tempe, will become operational in early 2013.
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