What kind of knowledge, learning, and skills do students need to be ready for life in the 21st century? What core issues will guide this work? How can we employ new technologies to promote social and environmental good? What role can universities play in cultivating diverse voices and preparing new leaders for a rapidly urbanizing and culturally complex world? What is the responsibility of higher education in preserving and advancing democracy? With 56 percent of the world’s population now living in cities and that figure projected to rise to nearly 70 percent by 2050,* how will urban centers address the defining challenges of our time—climate adaptation, technological transition, and democratic resilience? How can we use The New School’s strengths in design, the social sciences, art, policy, and creative practice to respond to the realities of climate change and foster just, resilient urban, rural, and global futures?
In response to these pressing questions, The New School has defined four central university-wide thematic areas to undergird the university's core activities:
These four areas demarcate critical issues facing us today, and a focused engagement with them will allow us to shape a better, more just future.
The Office of University Initiatives is a crucial driver of university-wide work related to these thematic areas, including teaching and learning, curriculum development, student experience, research, scholarship, creative practice, public engagement, community partnerships, and institutional alignment. Within and across these thematic areas, we will draw on the strengths and ongoing efforts of the New School community, support and advance this work, create pathways for students, and heighten the visibility of this work and its impacts at The New School and beyond. This is an opportunity to create and continue cultivating common ground across disciplines and to catalyze new ideas, experimentation, and collaboration.
Each thematic area is guided by a distinguished faculty leader whose expertise and vision will support, shape, and spotlight the university’s approaches to the theme. The Office of University Initiatives serves as the anchoring home for this work.
To learn more about working in a particular thematic area or to meet with the faculty leader, feel free to contact them directly or join an open Office Hours session. For the times and locations of Office Hours and for more general inquiries, email universityinitiatives@newschool.edu.
*UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), 2023.
Each thematic area is led by a faculty member who who embodies the highest standards for teaching and research, advancing the university’s mission and vision through their capacity to inspire critical engagement with ideas and with the world.
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