History
The vision to create a school of diplomacy and international commerce came from Dr. James Kennedy Patterson, the first president of the University of Kentucky. The 1898 Spanish-American War convinced Patterson a new school was needed that "shall have for its special object the preparation of young men for the diplomatic and consular service of the United States. It shall also provide special training for those who may seek employment in extending upon rational and scientific lines the commercial relations of America." Patterson took as his model the programs he saw then being established at Harvard, Stanford, Chicago, Cornell and Yale.
Patterson understood the United States was becoming a political and commercial world power and believed new institutions were needed to properly prepare Americans for this role. He also had a clear vision about how they should be educated. In 1903, speaking in Washington, DC on "Education and Empire," Patterson declared students must be educated not only as scholars and scientists, but as citizens who will be engaged in shaping the destinies of the world. This philosophy - requiring that students be exposed to both theory and practice - has always been at the core of the Patterson School.
Plans for a new institution centered on diplomatic and commercial training ran afoul of an abysmal budget situation at the start of the 20th century. The new state university Patterson led was struggling to survive. Indeed, he tapped his own personal resources to construct the university’s first buildings. When he retired in 1910, his dream remained unfulfilled, but not forgotten. A trust established by Patterson's will in 1922 with almost his entire estate called for the creation of a college of diplomacy. To make his vision a reality, however, the funds had to be invested for decades. While the endowment was not large enough to fully fund Patterson's ambitious vision, by 1959 it had increased enough - with additional funding from the Commonwealth of Kentucky - to launch the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce.
From the very beginning, the Patterson School program was designed exclusively for graduate students. Initially, both masters and doctoral degrees were offered. In 1970, however, the decision was made to concentrate solely on training at the masters degree level for students seeking professional careers in international affairs. From three jointly appointed faculty members in 1960, the Patterson School acquired its first core faculty in 1972 and began a strengthening of its interdisciplinary nature (drawing upon associated faculty from across the entire university) that continues to this day. The program was originally housed on campus in a surplus army barracks best known to students and faculty as "Splinter Hall." The School moved to the Patterson Office Tower after its construction in 1969 and remains there today. While the program has purposely remained small and focused, it has produced nearly a thousand alumni.
The Patterson School thrived under a series of strong long-term directors - Amry Vandenbosch, Vince Davis, John Stempel - building a reputation as one of the leading institutions in its field. Vandenbosch brought academic and practical experience to bear as the first leader of the new school. He had been chairman of UK’s Political Science Department for over 20 years and had served in the State Department and the Office of Strategic Services (the precursor to the CIA), working in Washington, Ceylon, and India. Vandenbosch also served on the Trusteeship Committee at the 1945 San Francisco Conference that founded the United Nations. In a similar vein, Davis had military experience as an intelligence officer and naval aviator (serving in Korea), along with previous academic appointments at Princeton, Dartmouth, and Denver. He served as director from 1972 until 1993. Stempel was a career Foreign Service officer at the State Department serving in Africa, South Asia and Iran, ultimately becoming Consul General in Madras (now Chennai) He came to Patterson in 1988 from the US Naval Academy and was director from 1993 until 2003. This tradition continues under the leadership of Carey Cavanaugh who became director in 2006. This followed a Foreign Service career centered on Europe, conflict resolution, and humanitarian efforts. Cavanaugh served as Ambassador and special negotiator for Eurasian conflicts under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
For over fifty years, the Patterson School has remained faithful to the vision of providing students from across Kentucky, the nation and the world with the theoretical and practical education needed to engage effectively in diplomacy, international affairs and commerce.
