Conference. U.S. and European Philanthropy after Historical Research and the Role of Foundations

Transcription

1 Conference U.S. and European Philanthropy after Historical Research and the Role of Foundations Supported by the Stiftung Mercator, the Rockefeller Archive Center, the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy of Indiana University, the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft and the Freie Universität Berlin organized by Arnd Bauerkämper, James Allen Smith and Gregory R. Witkowski Freie Universität Berlin, February 2014 When President John F. Kennedy visited Berlin in 1963, the Freie Universität Berlin (FU Berlin) was one of the most important destinations. As a bulwark against communist Eastern Europe and a symbol of American academic liberty, the FU Berlin had received substantial financial support from the United States since its inception in Yet the Rockefeller and Ford Foundations, in particular, did not restrict their subventions to the Freie Universität. In fact, a number of West European universities such as the Sorbonne

2 in Paris and the University of Bologna were recipients of American funds, too. 1. Aims The proposed conference that will take place in Berlin on February 2014 is devoted to the impact of American philanthropy on academic renewal in Europe from 1945 to the late 1960s in comparative perspective. More particularly, contributions will investigate and highlight the role of major American foundations (especially the Rockefeller and Ford Foundations) in establishing new universities and extra-university institutions that were seen as amenable to the overriding aims of denazification (in the case of West Germany) and democratization in U.S. foreign policy. The interaction between these American philanthropic organizations and West German foundations like the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft from the late 1950s onwards will receive particular attention. Beyond the immediate impact of the transatlantic exchange until the late 1960s, the conference will also assess its long-term impact up to the present. The presentations are to initiate and further a more continuous dialogue between researchers and practitioners as well as mediators of instrumental philanthropy in Germany and the United States about mutually beneficial projects like the collection and storage of relevant documents as well as the establishment of digital archives. More generally, the transatlantic dialogue between these groups about their respective aims and expectations is to be enhanced. The contributions will present findings on and insights into the role and impact of U.S. foundations, especially as regards new methods, procedures, avenues and fields of research. Some presentation will also deal with methodological issues and theoretical problems. In particular, speakers will discuss how the archival sources of American and German foundations should be stored, opened up and employed by researchers. Thus, the conference will not only investigate transatlantic academic relations after the Second World War, but also serve to bring German / European and American representatives of research institutions, foundations and archives together for a discussion of past practices and future directions.

3 2. Organization and Audience The conference is a joint endeavor of the Freie Universität Berlin (FU), the Rockefeller Archive Center (RAC) and Indiana University (IU). The organizers are Arnd Bauerkämper (FU), James Allen Smith (RAC) and Gregory R. Witkowski (IU) who closely collaborate with the Stiftung Mercator. The audience of the first three contributions (welcome, introduction and opening address) will be a group widely drawn from the university), whereas the panel discussions will be attended by smaller academic groups. By contrast, the organizers are planning to invite the general public interested in higher education or philanthropy to the after-dinner discussion on 14 February All participants will receive a formal invitation by the Freie Universität Berlin that will provide for the hotel reservations. It will also secure reimbursement for all expenses. Moreover, meals will be provided for. The organizers kindly ask the participants to make their travel arrangements. 3. Structure The opening address will be 45 minutes. The other talks should not exceed 20 minutes in order to leave time for more lengthy discussions. Each panel is to be chaired by an expert. The after-dinner discussion and the final discussion will be opened by brief statements (5 minutes each) by the panelists in order to initiate a debate.

4 4. Program Venue Freie Universität Berlin, Henry-Ford-Bau, Akademischer Senatssaal, Garystrasse 35, D Berlin / Germany 14 February :00 Welcome Peter-André Alt, President of the Freie Universität Berlin 10:15 Introduction Arnd Bauerkämper (Freie Universität Berlin) / James Allen Smith (Rockefeller Archive Center) / Gregory R. Witkowski (Indiana University) 10:30 Opening Address Helmut K. Anheier (Hertie School of Governance, Berlin): Comparative perspectives from the US and Europe 12:00-13:00 Lunch

5 13:00 15:00 Panel 1: U.S. Foundations and Academic Renewal in Post-War Europe: the Case of West Germany Helke Rausch (University of Freiburg) Arnd Bauerkämper (Freie Universität Berlin) Academic Renewal at the Freie Universität Berlin and American Foundations James Allen Smith (Rockefeller Archive Center) Carnegie, Rockefeller and Ford: From Post-War Reappraisals to the Gaither Report Gregory R. Witkowski (Indiana University, Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University) Foundations and Society: A Critical Reflection on the Role of Foundations in Constructing the Post-War World 15:00 Coffee 15:30 18:00 Panel 2: U.S. Foundations and Institutional Change in Germany, Italy, France and Austria after 1945 Gregory Witkowski (Indiana University, Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University) Omar Bortolazzi (University of Bologna, Philanthropy and Social Innovation Research Centre)

6 Frédéric Attal (Ecole Normale Supérieure de Cachan) Bernhard Lorentz (Stiftung Mercator) David C. Hammack (Case Western Reserve University) Ludovic Tournés (University of Geneva) 18:30 Bus Transfer Projektzentrum Berlin der Stiftung Mercator, Neue Promenade 6, Berlin 19:30 Discussion: The State of German Philanthropy: Views from Foundation Leaders Welcome Jack Meyers (Rockefeller Archive Center) Heinz-Rudi Spiegel (Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft) Steffen Bruendel (Stiftung für die Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Künste Nordrhein-Westfalen) Daniel Fallon (University of Maryland / Ruhr-Universität Bochum) Wolfgang Rohe (Stiftung Mercator) Katja Hartmann (Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung) Reception

7 15 February 2014 Freie Universität Berlin, Henry-Ford-Bau, Akademischer Senatssaal, Garystrasse 35, D Berlin / Germany 9:00 12:00 Panel 3: Changing the Landscape of Debate: Foundations and Education after Crises Fréderic Attal (Ecole Normale Supérieure de Cachan) Helke Rausch (University of Freiburg) Daniel Fallon (University of Maryland / Ruhr-Universität Bochum) Anne Kwaschik (Freie Universität Berlin) Peter Weber (Indiana University, Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University) Steven Heydemann (United States Institute of Peace) 12:00 Lunch 13:30-15:30 Panel 4: Archives and Documentation in the Age of Omar Bortolazzi (University of Bologna) Jack Meyers (Rockefeller Archive Center) Heinz-Rudi Spiegel (Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft) Diana Leat (Carnegie UK Trust)

8 Peter Weber (Indiana University) 15:30 Coffee 16:00-17:30 Final Roundtable Discussion: Creating Academic Institutes and Projects in the United States and in Europe Arnd Bauerkämper (Freie Universität Berlin) David C. Hammack (Case Western Reserve University) Gregory R. Witkowski (Indiana University, Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University) Rupert Strachwitz (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Maecenata-Institut für Philanthropie und Zivilgesellschaft) Volker Then (Universität Heidelberg, Centrum für soziale Investitionen und Innovationen) 19:00 Dinner Please register with Christian Bartke (