The New School for Social Research presented an honorary Doctor of Letters to German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the American Academy in Berlin, Germany, on February 19 as part of the university’s celebration of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the University in Exile.

New School President Bob Kerrey presented the honorary degree to Chancellor Merkel before an international audience of over 100 New School supporters in recognition of her contributions at home and abroad to scholarship, the German people, and the international community. The event marked the first honorary doctorate awarded to the chancellor from an American university.

“We are proud to honor Chancellor Angela Merkel’s distinguished service as part of our reaffirmation of The New School’s ties to Germany’s rich academic traditions,” said University President Bob Kerrey. “Today, The New School still proudly upholds the values of academic freedom and social justice that inspired the creation of the University in Exile.” Kerrey was joined by Julien Studley, chair of The New School Board of Trustees, who presented opening remarks, and Fritz Stern, university professor emeritus at Columbia University, who delivered a laudatory speech.

The New School for Social Research used the celebration to announce the creation of the Alvin Johnson–University in Exile Memorial Fellowship Fund. Beginning in the 2010–2011 academic year, the fellowship will cover full tuition and provide a stipend for up to two exceptional German graduate students wishing to study at NSSR. German students who apply to The New School for Social Research may be nominated for the fellowship by a German national educational organization who will work in conjunction with the NSSR to identify fellowship candidates.

Support for the fellowship is being sought in both Germany and the United States. In an effort to help reach the $1,000,000 goal, donors in the United States have pledged to equally match every contribution received by German donors, effectively doubling the value of every German gift.

“The Alvin Johnson–University in Exile Memorial Fellowship will allow us to bring German graduate students into our lecture halls and classrooms, where they will infuse our community with new perspectives and approaches, in the tradition of the school’s founders,” said Michael Schober, dean of The New School for Social Research.

The university’s celebration included an international conference organized by its journal Social Research: An International Quarterly of the Social Sciences titled, “Free Inquiry at Risk: Universities in Dangerous Times.” The symposium used the anniversary as a springboard to discuss the core values of academic freedom, institutional autonomy, and free inquiry in the life of the university under conditions of national and international duress.

The University in Exile was founded in 1933 by The New School’s first president, Alvin Johnson, who envisioned it as a haven for intellectuals seeking refuge from the Nazis and an opportunity to preserve and promote the remarkable traditions of the German academy.