Thrown around in the Under Secretary's talk on America's public diplomacy abroad were commonly coined phrases like "return on investment" and "networks of good will."...Simply put, my problem is that we don't really live out public diplomacy here at home. I'm as proud an American citizen as anyone else but I do think how we define that citizenship requires reassessment. It is not OK that our country is present in so many places around the world and yet our people are turned inwards.

India has one of the youngest populations in the world. The biggest challenge that the country is facing today is how to bridge the gap between education and employability. In order to tackle this challenge, the government has decided to launch Community Colleges from the next academic session 2013-2014 to facilitate mobility of learners into the employment sector.

Thank you, Frank. You have been a steadfast supporter and advocate for public diplomacy and public affairs and I am proud to count you as a friend. Before I begin, I want to acknowledge Walter Roberts. Thanks to your generosity, this fine Institute can continue its great work. You have worked for USIA, for U.S. Presidents on both sides of the aisle, been an administrator, author, teacher, and public diplomacy practitioner, I thank you, and we all thank you, Sir, for your vision, leadership, and service.

Under Secretary Sonenshine’s visit to India will highlight the breadth and depth of the U.S.-India people to people relationship, particularly our strong educational partnership. In New Delhi Under Secretary Sonenshine will lead the U.S. delegation to the Government of India conference “Mainstreaming Skills in Education” on February 6-7, where she will deliver remarks on our support for India’s development of community colleges and the expansion of skills development education.

Strapped for cash, the US State Department is increasingly reaching out to private companies to help fund programs that bring Middle Eastern visitors to the US, seek to counter negative impressions of the US and promote economic development in the region.

For practitioners of public diplomacy, the ability to accurately measure the effectiveness of PD has often been described as “the holy grail.” Yesterday at the Heritage Foundation, Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Tara Sonenshine spoke about the necessity of public diplomacy and the metrics being used and developed for its evaluation.

Mr. Corwin will be joined by Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Tara Sonenshine and Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Kerri-Ann Jones. Mr. Corwin will also lead two international webchats on Monday, December 3 and Tuesday, December 4.