John and Jody Arnhold

John and Jody Arnhold have honored the legacy of John’s father, Henry, through a transformative gift of $9 million that will launch a global initiative at The New School and endow a university institute that Henry helped start nearly a decade earlier. In 2014, Henry donated the funds needed to create the Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility, which has become a respected source of interdisciplinary research on phenomena driving international population movement, including climate change, political instability, and shifts in economic development. Citing a source of inspiration for his family foundation’s gift, John Arnhold says, “As climate change advances, so will migration—and the need for a new generation of leaders in this field.” 

“Our foundation gift reflects our family’s belief in the power of education and The New School’s legacy of addressing the critical issues of our time.”

—John Arnhold

The institute was created to foster cutting-edge migration research and celebrate the legacy of Aristide Zolberg, a New School professor of politics and groundbreaking social scientist. The institute’s work has always drawn attention to the human dimension of migration—a topic close to the heart of Henry, who fled German-occupied Norway and eventually migrated to the United States. Now, through generosity of the Arnhold Foundation, the institute can offer more support to its fellows, who open up global conversations through their published research, events, and work with organizations and governments.

T. Alexander Aleinikoff, the Zolberg Institute’s director and a former United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees,  points to the potential of the gift to facilitate study of the linkages between social justice and migration. “The Arnholds are helping students research all facets of the issues and work on policy for the global, national, and local levels. We are enormously grateful to John and Jody and the Arnhold Foundation for expanding our students’ opportunities.”

The Arnhold Foundation gift also makes possible the establishment of the university’s Henry H. Arnhold Forum on Global Challenges, which will coordinate work on global issues across all disciplines and New School centers and institutes and amplify the impact of that work. John says, “Our foundation gift reflects our family’s belief in the power of education and The New School’s legacy of addressing the critical issues of our time.” Henry Arnhold’s relationship with The New School began when he arranged for young scholars from Dresden, his birthplace, to study at the university. In later years, his support expanded to include his longtime role as a trustee of The New School for Social Research (NSSR).    

William Milberg, the dean of NSSR, underscored the importance of the gift for connecting scholarship to action. “This gift will give our students unprecedented opportunities to investigate theories of mobility and understand refugee and immigrant systems and experience. It will solidify The New School’s place at the center of global research and action and do so at a scale not possible before. It is only fitting to amplify the legacy of our dear friend Henry Arnhold and his family with these new and far-reaching initiatives."