Mission Statement
The Bildner Center for Western Hemisphere Studies is an inter-disciplinary
forum for scholars, policy makers, and civil society leaders working on
contemporary issues in the Americas.
The Center is dedicated to promoting understanding and policy-oriented
research concerning governability, human security and economic well-being
of communities in the Americas.
Founded in 1982 with the support of philanthropist Albert Bildner, the
Center was re-inaugurated under the leadership of Mauricio Font in the
1999-2000 academic year. In the last four years, the non-partisan and
multi-disciplinary center has sponsored:
- Public forums for dialogue, debate and sharing ideas via lectures,
film series and expert panels, with over 90 events in the 2003-04 academic
year alone
- A community of scholarship through seminars and conferences, including
a conference of over 100 presentations on the legacy of Alexander Von
Humbolt and a ground-breaking conference on "Cuba Today"
in 2004.
- Special events with political leaders of the Americas
- Community educational training in languages, cultural studies and
the social sciences, offered at low or no cost to the public
- Faculty development seminars for CUNY faculty and advanced graduate
students on economic reform policies, social capital and emerging social
science research agendas in the Americas
- Expert research through its publications, including an in-house book
series with four existing titles and collaborative publications with
major publishing houses
The center's mission is to create a shared community of specialists
in the Americas and organizations to forward understanding of the complexities
of social, economic, political, cultural, and ecological life in the Western
Hemisphere. The major program areas are:
- Transitions and Reform Processes in a Global Context
- Developing Human and Social Capital
- Democratic Governance and Human Security
- Transnational Communities
- Global Cooperation and Regional Integration
