Bildner Center for Western Hemisphere Studies

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