This award celebrates graduates who represent the best in the School’s alumni body. Kurtzer, who earned his Ph.D. in comparative politics from the School, was honored for his more than 40 years of contributions to the fields of foreign policy and international affairs as a public servant, government official and academic.
Kurtzer is a lecturer and S. Daniel Abraham Professor in Middle Eastern Policy Studies at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He served as U.S. ambassador to Israel from 2001 to 2005 and as U.S. ambassador to Egypt from 1997 to 2001. Throughout his career, Kurtzer was instrumental in formulating and executing U.S. policy toward the Middle East peace process.
Kurtzer will receive his award on June 5 at Columbia’s 2018 Alumni Awards Dinner and Reception in New York.