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University of Michigan to create diplomacy center with gift

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The University of Michigan will create a foreign policy engagement hub in Ann Arbor with a $10 million gift from alumni Ron and Eileen Weiser.

The school says Wednesday that the Weiser Diplomacy Center will be housed at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and is expected to bring seasoned diplomats and foreign policy experts to campus.

Ron Weiser is a former U.S. Ambassador to Slovakia and current University of Michigan regent. He said in a release that "diplomacy is not just relationships between countries ... it's about relationships between people."

The couple's gift will support professors in international diplomacy as well as shorter-term opportunities for diplomats in residence. It also will help students apply knowledge in practical settings through workshops, simulations, conferences and internship opportunities.