Century Institute
Encyclopedia
The Century Institute is a summer program for politically liberal
college students. It is sponsored by the Century Foundation, a liberal think tank started in 1919 by Edward A. Filene in opposition to programs run by conservative
groups such as the Heritage Foundation
and American Enterprise Institute
Its faculty has included many late 20th Century progressivism, including Prof. William Julius Wilson
, activist Todd Gitlin
, academic Arthur Schlesinger Jr. and UN official Gillian Martin Sorensen and her husband, John F. Kennedy advisor and speechwriter Theodore C. Sorensen. Others included journalist Al From
, writer Jedediah Purdy
, Clinton advisor Robert Reich
and strategist/blogger Ruy Teixeira
.
From 1999 until 2003, CISP was held on the campus of Williams College
in western Massachusetts
, drawing 30 students each year from prestigious colleges. Unfortunately, in a fate common to many progressive causes, it faced funding troubles from the beginning. Money ran out in 2004 and the program was canceled for 2005.
The program's few dozen alumni have begun careers in law, academia, politics, journalism, education and overseas service.
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
college students. It is sponsored by the Century Foundation, a liberal think tank started in 1919 by Edward A. Filene in opposition to programs run by conservative
American conservatism
Conservatism in the United States has played an important role in American politics since the 1950s. Historian Gregory Schneider identifies several constants in American conservatism: respect for tradition, support of republicanism, preservation of "the rule of law and the Christian religion", and...
groups such as the Heritage Foundation
Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation is a conservative American think tank based in Washington, D.C. Heritage's stated mission is to "formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong...
and American Enterprise Institute
American Enterprise Institute
The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research is a conservative think tank founded in 1943. Its stated mission is "to defend the principles and improve the institutions of American freedom and democratic capitalism—limited government, private enterprise, individual liberty and...
Its faculty has included many late 20th Century progressivism, including Prof. William Julius Wilson
William Julius Wilson
William Julius Wilson is an American sociologist. He worked at the University of Chicago 1972-1996 before moving to Harvard....
, activist Todd Gitlin
Todd Gitlin
Todd Gitlin is an American sociologist, political writer, novelist, and cultural commentator. He has written widely on the mass media, politics, intellectual life and the arts, for both popular and scholarly publications.-New Left activist:...
, academic Arthur Schlesinger Jr. and UN official Gillian Martin Sorensen and her husband, John F. Kennedy advisor and speechwriter Theodore C. Sorensen. Others included journalist Al From
Al From
Al From is the founder and former CEO of the Democratic Leadership Council. His ideas and political strategies during the past quarter century played a central role in the resurgence of the modern Democratic Party....
, writer Jedediah Purdy
Jedediah Purdy
Jedediah S. Purdy is a professor of law at Duke University and the author of two widely-discussed books: For Common Things: Irony, Trust, and Commitment in America Today and Being America: Liberty, Commerce and Violence in an American World...
, Clinton advisor Robert Reich
Robert Reich
Robert Bernard Reich is an American political economist, professor, author, and political commentator. He served in the administrations of Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter and was Secretary of Labor under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1997....
and strategist/blogger Ruy Teixeira
Ruy Teixeira
Ruy Teixeira is an American political scientist and commentator who has written several books on various topics in political science and political strategy. Most recently, he co-wrote with John Judis The Emerging Democratic Majority , a book arguing that Democrats in the United States are...
.
From 1999 until 2003, CISP was held on the campus of Williams College
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
in western Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, drawing 30 students each year from prestigious colleges. Unfortunately, in a fate common to many progressive causes, it faced funding troubles from the beginning. Money ran out in 2004 and the program was canceled for 2005.
The program's few dozen alumni have begun careers in law, academia, politics, journalism, education and overseas service.
Advisors
CISP'S original board of advisors:- Alan Sagner, founder, Sagner Family Foundation
- Alan BrinkleyAlan BrinkleyAlan Brinkley is the Allan Nevins Professor of History at Columbia University, where he was also Provost 2003–2009. He was denied tenure at Harvard University in 1986 despite being an award-winning teacher. He lives in New York City with his wife, Evangeline, daughter Elly, and dog Jessie...
Allan Nevis Professor of History, Columbia UniversityColumbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the... - Alicia Haydock MunnellAlicia Haydock MunnellAlicia H. Munnell is the Peter F. Drucker Professor of Management Sciences at Boston College's Carroll School of Management. She also serves as the director of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College...
Peter F. Drucker Chair in Management Sciences, Boston CollegeBoston CollegeBoston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early... - Richard C. Leone, president, The Century Foundation
- Arthur Schlesinger Jr., City University of New YorkCity University of New YorkThe City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
- Theodore C. Sorensen, speechwriter and advisor to President John F. KennedyJohn F. KennedyJohn Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
- William Julius WilsonWilliam Julius WilsonWilliam Julius Wilson is an American sociologist. He worked at the University of Chicago 1972-1996 before moving to Harvard....
, Harvard UniversityHarvard UniversityHarvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country... - Paul StarrPaul StarrPaul Starr is a Pulitzer Prize-winning professor of sociology and public affairs at Princeton University. He is also the co-editor and co-founder of The American Prospect, a notable liberal magazine which was created in 1990...
, cofounder and editor of The American ProspectThe American ProspectThe American Prospect is a monthly American political magazine dedicated to American liberalism. Based in Washington, DC, The American Prospect is a journal "of liberal ideas, committed to a just society, an enriched democracy, and effective liberal politics" which focuses on United States politics...