Jan 29, 2015 02:49 PM EST By J Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

Northwestern University in Illinois received a $100 million gift from an alumna to support a new center on global issues and scholarships for international students.

Roberta Buffett Elliott's donation, which exceeds $100 million, marks a transformative moment for global studies at the University. The money will be used to fund the Buffett Institute for Global Studies.

"I'm very pleased to be able to support the important work that Northwestern does in international studies," Elliott said. "A better understanding of the world is critical in an increasingly global society, and the Institute's research and support of academic programs will help reach that goal."

The Buffett Institute for Global Studies will follow a multidisciplinary and problem-solving approach to advancing important global issues and "take the scope and impact of our global programs to a whole new level," Schapiro President Morton Schapiro said.

Elliott previously made a series of gifts to endow what is now named the Roberta Buffett Center for International and Comparative Studies at Northwestern.

"I am elated to report that Northwestern University has received the largest single gift in the University's history," Shapiro said. "This gift of more than $100 million from alumna Roberta Buffett Elliott brings her total giving to the campaign to almost $110 million, which will be used to create the Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Studies."

The Buffett Institute will advance important global issues, such as the spread of democratic political systems, economic development in impoverished regions of the world, immigration policies and forced migrations, the impact of cultural exchanges on societies, global religious movements and global communications, media and technology.

The Institute will conduct and facilitate research, coordinate campus-wide discussions with visiting experts about pressing global challenges confronting society and provide collaborative funding to academic departments and programs throughout the University.

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