THE NEW SCHOOL CELEBRATES THE 80TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNIVERSITY IN EXILE, THURSDAY JANUARY 30

KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY AMBASSADOR SAMANTHA POWER

TIME CHANGE: AMBASSADOR POWER'S ADDRESS NOW AT 2 P.M.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power will speak during the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the University in Exile.

NEW YORK, January 27, 2014- UPDATED WITH NEW SCHEDULE: As part of the grand opening of the University Center, the New School for Social Research’s Center for Public Scholarship celebrates the 80th anniversary of the University in Exile with a day of cultural and scholarly events. The free events aim to raise awareness of the continued need to protect and support threatened scholars who face persecution across the globe and to highlight the importance of freedom of inquiry. The events include a screening of the acclaimed film Hannah Arendt with the film’s director, leading actress, and co-writer and a keynote address by Samantha Power, US Ambassador to the United Nations.

The University in Exile was established by founding New School president Alvin Johnson in 1933 as a safe haven for European scholars facing political and religious persecution prior to World War II. Between its founding and the end of the war in 1945, The New School sponsored 183 refugee scholars, more than any other American institution. Rescued scholars included Claude Lévi-Strauss, Erwin Piscator, and Max Wertheimer.

“Although the University in Exile operated for little more than a decade, we still feel its profound influence on global academic freedom,” said Arien Mack, Alfred J. and Monette C. Marrow Professor of Psychology and director of the Center for Public Scholarship. “In coming to the aid of Europe’s endangered intellectual community, Alvin Johnson set a precedent of action on behalf of scholars at risk that is still alive today at The New School, and at universities around the world.”

University in Exile 80th Anniversary Events, Thursday, January 30 - PLEASE NOTE NEW TIMES

Afternoon Session

2:00 P.M. Samantha Power, U.S. Ambassador to the UN, discusses “Protecting Scholars and the Right to Free Inquiry”
2:30 P.M. Film Screening: Hannah Arendt (running time: 1:50)
4:30 P.M. Discussion with the film's director Margarethe von Trotta, actress Barbara Sukowa, and co-screenwriter Pamela Katz; moderated by Jerome Kohn, director of the Hannah Arendt Center at the New School. Followed by Q&A.

Evening Session

6:00 P.M. Samantha Power, U.S. Ambassador to the UN, discusses “Protecting Scholars and the Right to Free Inquiry” (VIDEO)
6:30 P.M. Discussion with Jonathan Fanton, emeritus board member and former chair of Human Rights Watch and former president of The New School; George Rupp, Senior Fellow, Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, former President and CEO of the
International Rescue Committee; and Aryeh Neier, president emeritus of the Open Society Foundations. Followed by Q&A.

Both events are free and open to the public, and will be held at the new John L. Tishman Auditorium at The New School’s University Center at 63 Fifth Avenue. Register here. Visit the university events listing for more information.

About the Center for Public Scholarship
The Center for Public Scholarship aims to bring the best scholarship and expertise to bear on current, pressing social issues in a way that makes the scholarship accessible to the public and simultaneously deepens understanding of what may be at stake and how to proceed. It seeks to become a catalyst for events that draw on the humanities, social sciences, design, and public policy and have the potential of accomplishing our mission, namely, enhancing the public's understanding of the significant issues of our time. The Center is dedicated to promoting academic freedom and freedom of inquiry, goals that are rooted in the earliest history and ideals of The New School. Learn more at www.newschool.edu/cps.

Founded in 1919, The New School was born out of principles of academic freedom, tolerance, and experimentation. Committed to social engagement, The New School today remains in the vanguard of innovation in higher education, with more than 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students challenging the status quo in design and the social sciences, liberal arts, management, the arts, and media. The New School welcomes thousands of adult learners annually for continuing education courses and calendar of lectures, screenings, readings, and concerts. Through its online learning portals, research institutes, and international partnerships, The New School maintains a global presence. Learn more at www.newschool.edu.

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