User:Soltak/Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
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[edit] The Center's Purpose
The Center serves as a national memorial to President Wilson established by Congress in 1968 and headquartered in Washington, D.C. It is a nonpartisan institution supported by public and private funds, engaged in the study of national and world affairs. The Center establishes and maintains a lively, neutral forum for free and informed dialogue. The mission of the Center is to commemorate the ideals and concerns of Woodrow Wilson by providing a link between the world of ideas and the world of policy. The Center also focuses on fostering research, study, discussion, and collaboration among a full spectrum of individuals concerned with policy and scholarship in national and world affairs. Its location in the U.S. capital makes the Center a unique nonpartisan meeting ground where vital current issues and their deep historical background may be explored through research and dialogue. The Center is charged by the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Act with symbolizing and strengthening the fruitful relations between the world of learning and the world of public affairs. The Center encourages contacts among scholars, policymakers, and business leaders and extends their conversations worldwide through its publishing, broadcasting, and Internet programs.
[edit] Organization
The Center was established within the Smithsonian Institute, but it has its own board of trustees, composed both of government officials and of individuals from private life appointed by the President of the United States. The Center's director and staff include scholars, publishers, librarians, administrators, and support staff, responsible to the trustees for carrying out the mission of the Center. The trustees and staff are advised by a group of private citizens called the Wilson Council. Interns, usually undergraduate students, support the activities of visiting scholars and staff while learning the business of top-level research.
Most of the Center's staff form specialized programs and projects covering broad areas of study. These programs and projects organize and host conferences and seminars, and support many kinds of research, communication, and publication on topics relevant to their areas.
[edit] Funding
The Center is a public-private partnership. Approximately one third of the Center's operating funds come annually from an appropriation from the U.S. government, and the Center's building, a wing of the Ronald Reagan Building, was provided by the U.S. government. The remainder of the Center's funding comes from foundations, grants and contracts, corporations, individuals, endowment income, and subscriptions.
[edit] Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees, currently led by Chairman Joseph B. Gildenhorn, are appointed to six-year terms by the President of the United States. Trustees serve on various committees including executive, audit and finance, development, investment, fellowship, and investment policy.
[edit] Current Membership
Chairman: Joseph Gildenhorn, Founding Partner, The JBG Companies
Vice Chairman: David Metzner, Managing Partner & Founder, American Continental Group
Private Members:
- Carol Cartwright, President, Kent State University
- Robin Cook, Author
- Donald Garcia, President, Pinnacle Financial Group
- Bruce Gelb, Senior Consultant, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
- Charles Glazer, CEO C.L. Glazer & Company, Inc.
- Tami Longaberger, President & CEO, The Longaberger Company
- Ignacio Sanchez, Partner, Piper Rudnick, LLP
Public Members:
- James Billington, The Librarian of Congress
- Bruce Cole, Chairman, National Endowment for the Humanities
- Michael Leavitt, The Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- Condoleezza Rice, The Secretary, U.S. Department of State
- Lawrence Small, The Secretary, Smithsonian Institute
- Margaret Spellings, The Secretary, U.S. Department of Education
- Allen Weinstein, Archivist of the United States
[edit] The Wilson Council
The Wilson Council is the Center's private-sector advisory group. Council members come from the world of business, the professions, and public service. They participate in stimulating programs on a range of domestic and international public policy issues and also contribute vital financial support that helps the Center achieve its mandate.
