THE NEW SCHOOL – 2008-2009 ANNUAL REPORT

MFA actors, playwrights, and directors from The New School for Drama presented new, classic, and contemporary works over two weeks in Random Acts! One-Act Play Festival. In Final Draft 2009, in the spring, graduating playwrights had one of their plays professionally directed and performed in a showcase reading.

The Mannes Orchestra presented a series of concerts in 2009. The orchestra was joined by conductors JoAnn Falletta and David Hayes, director of Orchestral and Conducting Studies, and special guest performers including saxophonist Scott Litroff, pianist Jialiang Wu, and pianist Di Wang.

Robert Shiller, Arthur M. Okun Professor of Economics, and the Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics at Yale University presented the annual Irene and Bernard L. Schwartz lecture, “Animal Spirits: How Human Psychology Drives the Economy, and Why it Matters for Global Capitalism.” The event was hosted by the Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis.

President Bob Kerrey presented an honorary Doctorate of Letters to German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the American Academy in Berlin. The event, part of The New School’s celebration of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the University in Exile, marked the first time an American university has awarded an honorary doctorate to the German Chancellor. The New School for Social Research also announced the creation of the Alvin Johnson–University in Exile Memorial Fellowship Fund, which, beginning in 2010–2011, will provide full tuition and a stipend for one or two German graduate students.

Parsons The New School for Design presented Into the Open: Positioning Practice, the official U.S. pavilion at La Biennale di Venezia, the 11th International Architecture Exhibition. The exhibit, held at the Sheila C. Johnson Design Center, featured 16 architectural groups who work with communities to respond to social and environmental concerns. Projects on display included the work of Estudio Teddy Cruz, Alice Waters’ The Edible Schoolyard, and New York-based architect Deborah Gans’ Roll Out House.

New School President Bob Kerrey spoke with William D. Zabel, a New School trustee, the chairman of Human Rights First (formerly the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights), and a founding partner of Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP. The two discussed Mr. Zabel’s distinguished legal career and work in support of human rights, including his role in the landmark 1967 Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia, which ended legal bans on interracial marriage.

The New School for Drama and the Samuel French festival honored Bekah Brunstetter ’07 with a staged reading of excerpts from her newest play, Oohrah!, for an invited audience of theater producers, literary agents, and other guests. Brunstetter was a winner in the 33rd Annual Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Short Play Festival for her play F*cking Art.

The 2009 Jazz Presents series treated audiences to lively concerts featuring New School Jazz faculty, alumni, and students. In February and March, New School Jazz celebrated Black History Month with concerts paying tribute to American jazz legend Charles Mingus. The fall concerts featured Trio 3 (with Reggie Workman on bass, Andrew Cyrille on drums, and Oliver Lake on saxophone) and pianist and faculty member Rachel Z performing with faculty member Charli Persip. New School Jazz’s Ornette Coleman Ensemble also performed at The Jazz Standard, a famed New York venue, under the direction of Jane Ira Bloom.

Students and faculty from Lang and Parsons designed the Oyster Garden Flotilla, an innovative public project that is both an artistic response to the history of New York’s estuaries and a sustainable and elegant means of cleaning up wastewater.

The 2009 Parsons Fashion Benefit was held at Cipriani Wall Street on April 29. The annual event honors visionaries who have made significant contributions to fashion design. This year’s event honored Tom Murry, president and CEO of Calvin Klein, Inc., and Francisco Costa, creative director of Calvin Klein Collection for women. The awards were presented by Terry Lundgren, the chairman, president, and CEO of Macy’s, and Vogue editor-at-large André Leon Talley.

New School President Bob Kerrey led a lively debate during “Intelligent Immigration Reform: A Real-World Legislative Approach.” Participants included Michael Aytes, acting deputy director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services at the Department of Homeland Security; Tamar Jacoby, president and CEO of ImmigrationWorks USA, Inc.; Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies; Marshall Fitz, director of advocacy at the American Immigration Lawyers Association; and Jeffrey Passel, senior demographer at the Pew Hispanic Center. The event was hosted by Tishman Environment and Design Center.

The Vera List Center celebrated the publication of its first book, Considering Forgiveness, with a discussion about the political currency of forgiveness. Joining editor Aleksandra Wagner, a faculty member at The New School for General Studies, were contributors to the book, including filmmaker Anne Aghion, writer and filmmaker Gregg Bordowitz, artists Lin + Lam, and scholar Jeffrey Olick.

Eugene Lang College’s annual Spring Dance Performance, held at the Ailey Citigroup Theater, featured an original piece based on choreographer William Forsythe’s renowned work One Flat Thing, Reproduced. The performance also featured original dance works conceived and directed by Lang faculty.

The critically acclaimed Mannes Opera presented a fully-staged production of Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata at the Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College. The singers were accompanied by the Mannes Orchestra under the direction of Metropolitan Opera conductor Joseph Colaneri. Mannes master artist-in-residence Regina Resnik provided coaching.

On May 22, The New School held its 73rd Commencement ceremony in Madison Square Garden in New York City. During the ceremony, 2,840 graduate and undergraduate students received their degrees. New School President Bob Kerrey addressed the graduates and conferred honorary degrees. Harold Hongju Koh, dean of Yale Law School, expert on international law, and advocate for human and civil rights, delivered the Commencement address. Honorary degree recipients included philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah; playwright, performer, and activist Eve Ensler; legendary opera singer Regina Resnik; and statesman and philanthropist John C. Whitehead. The student speaker was Miles Strucker, a BA student at Eugene Lang College.

The Department of Media Studies and Film partnered with Girls Write Now to present an evening of original works by some of New York City’s best teen writers. The event featured a keynote speech by NBC national correspondent Amy Robach and a reading by Jean Thompson, National Book Award nominee and author of Do Not Deny Me. Girls Write Now has been pairing teenage girls from the city’s public high schools with professional women writers as mentors since 1998.

Joel Klein, chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, gave the keynote speech at “Pass or Fail: What’s Next for New York City’s High Schools?,” presented by Milano and the Center for New York City Affairs. A panel of experts discussed the transformation of New York City high schools under the Bloomberg administration.

Dormitorium: Film Decors by the Quay Brothers explored the macabre fantasy world of twin brothers Stephen and Timothy Quay through the highly detailed miniature sets of their stop-motion animation films. The exhibition, organized by the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, was held at the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Gallery in the Sheila C. Johnson Design Center.

Key U.S. Senate advisors joined New School President Bob Kerrey for a live webcast offering an inside look at the health-care reform debate on Capitol Hill. Guests included Kate Leone, senior health counsel to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid; Dr. John E. McDonough, senior health policy advisor to Senator Edward M. Kennedy; and Russ Sullivan, Democratic staff director for the Senate Committee on Finance.

Former secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Tom Ridge joined Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy and the Center for New York City Affairs to discuss the creation of the department, its early history, and his tenure as secretary. Mr. Ridge’s presentation was followed by a conversation with New School President Bob Kerrey.

Working in real time, ten teams of students created designs by deconstructing historic costumes from the Parsons archives as well as signature pieces by Louis Vuitton’s artistic director and Parsons alum Marc Jacobs. The event, titled Reconstruction, took place in Parsons’ storefront gallery on Fifth Avenue and 13th Street. It was sponsored by Louis Vuitton, Singer Inc., and Coats Clark.

Former U.S. Senator Tom Daschle and New School President Bob Kerrey held a public discussion on the health-care reform debate raging on Capitol Hill. The event featured a one-on-one discussion between President Kerrey and Senator Daschle, followed by an extended Q&A with the audience.

The university held its annual Convocation ceremony on September 3, marking the opening of the 2009–2010 academic year. The program included a welcome from New School President Bob Kerrey and University Student Senate President Tushar Gogia, remarks by Provost Tim Marshall, and the presentation of the Distinguished University Teaching Awards. Julia Foulkes, associate professor of history at The New School for General Studies, gave the Aims of Education Address. The 2009 Distinguished University Teaching Awards were presented to Jinsook Erin Cho, from Parsons; Lisa R. Rubin, from The New School for Social Research and The New School for General Studies; Susan Shapiro, from The New School for General Studies; and Mary R. Watson, from Milano.

Award-winning composer, lyricist, and arranger Charles Strouse has been an integral figure in American culture for more than 40 years. His scores include Annie, Bye Bye Birdie, and Applause. New School President Bob Kerrey and Robert LuPone, director of The New School for Drama, sat down with the acclaimed musician for a rare conversation in October.

Noted author and environmentalist Bill McKibben spoke about the consequences of global warming and the need for immediate action to reduce the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere at an event sponsored by the Tishman Environment and Design Center.

Renowned pianist Richard Goode led a master class at Mannes. Master classes present outstanding artists of today speaking about their work and critiquing artists of tomorrow.

During “Race and the Subprime Crisis: The Future of Minority Neighborhoods,” the 2009 Nathan W. Levin Lecture, speakers discussed the impact of the economic collapse on African-American communities, consumer access to credit, and the role of race in public policy. Participants included Maxine Waters, Democratic representative from California and James Carr, COO of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition. “Race and the Subprime Crisis” was sponsored by Milano and the Center for New York City Affairs.

Award-winning writer Mark Danner discussed his groundbreaking book Stripping Bare the Body: Politics Violence War with investigative journalist Amy Goodman, co-founder and host of the news program Democracy Now!

Former U.S. Senator Adlai Stevenson III delivered The New School for Social Research’s 2009 Paul H. Douglas Lecture on Ethics and Government. The lecture series was established to honor Paul Douglas’ distinguished three-term career in the U.S. Senate.

Ian Martin, former special representative of the secretary-general and head of the United Nations Mission in Nepal, discussed the fragile peace process in Nepal in an event sponsored by the India China Institute.

Judith Jones, senior editor and vice president at Alfred A. Knopf, read from her book The Pleasures of Cooking for One. The evening was moderated by Luis Jaramillo, associate chair of the Writing Program.

Bruce Nussbaum, BusinessWeek contributing editor and visiting professor of innovation and design at The New School, took part in a series of conversations in 2009. In May, he sat down with international design innovator Ezio Manzini as part of Design at the Edge: Redesigning Our Lives in an Era of Radical Change, a lecture series held in conjunction with a course Nussbaum taught at Parsons’ School of Design Strategies. In September, he and Tim Brown, president and chief executive officer of the global design consultancy IDEO, discussed critical issues in design and innovation today. And in November, Nussbaum discussed the paths taken by design thinkers in business, science, and the arts with Roger Martin, dean of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.

The Tishman Environment and Design Center hosted “The Good Food Good Jobs Coalition,” a discussion about FRESH (Food Retail Expansion to Support Health), the city’s new program designed to ensure fresh, healthful foods are available in all city neighborhoods. Speakers included Christine C. Quinn, New York City Council speaker; Dan Barber, owner of Blue Hill restaurant; Bruce Both, president of UFCW Local 1500; and Peggy M. Shepard, executive director and founder of We Act for Environmental Justice.

Milano and the Center for New York City Affairs held an election roundtable on the 2009 campaigns for New York City mayor and comptroller. Appearing at the event were representatives from the campaigns of the comptroller candidates John Liu, Melinda Katz, David Weprin, and David Yassky and mayoral candidates Mike Bloomberg and Bill Thompson. In panels hosted by New York Times reporter Sam Roberts, they discussed the strategies that propelled the winners to victory and the hurdles that kept others behind in the polls.

For the fifth year in a row, New School Jazz students, faculty, alumni, and friends performed Monday nights at Sweet Rhythm, the beloved Greenwich Village jazz club, which closed its doors in 2009. In February, the school celebrated Black History Month with performances honoring American jazz legend Charles Mingus directed by faculty members Diane Moser and Andy McKee, and featuring special guests Marcelino Feliciano, Vic Juris, Idris Muhammad, and Ivan Renta.