Public diplomacy — vital diplomatic outreach and person-to-person exchanges — is more important than ever as we confront the conflict and suspicions that afflict the world. In August, Professor Janet Steele took the helm of the Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication (IPDGC). As the director, Steele oversees the Institute’s speaker and panel events, media training workshops for international delegations, and graduate workshops—all of which promote the greater understanding and practice of public diplomacy.

At a time when the news is full of lives lost before their time it sometimes seems unreasonable to be saddened by the passing of a man at the age of 97, but the community of public diplomacy scholars and practitioners should pause for a moment to mark the passing of the great American public diplomat Walter R. Roberts, on June 29, 2014.