Q&A: Northwestern’s new global affairs chair says her department is all about connection

Northwestern University's Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs has been an interdisciplinary hub for internationally minded students for nearly a decade. Recently, the institute has entered an era of expansion, thanks in part to the university's decision to transform the Jacobs Center into a state-of-the-art new home for the Buffett Institute and a host of other departments.

The institute has also launched multiple new programs for undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty under the leadership of Deborah Cohen, who was named interim director in January and is now in her first full academic year as permanent executive director.

ChicagoGlobal sat down with Cohen to talk about the institute's role on campus, her hopes for the future, and Chicagoland's role in global affairs. Excerpts from that conversation appear below.