The New School for Social Research (NSSR) is a graduate-level educational institution that is one of the divisions of The New School in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. The university was founded in 1919 as a home for

progressive era The Progressive Era (late 1890s – late 1910s) was a period of widespread social activism and political reform across the United States focused on defeating corruption, monopoly, waste and inefficiency. The main themes ended during Am ...

thinkers. NSSR explores and promotes what they describe as global peace and global justice. It enrolls more than 1,000 students from all regions of the United States and from more than 70 countries.

History

The New School for Social Research was founded in 1919 by, among others, Charles Beard,

John Dewey John Dewey (; October 20, 1859 – June 1, 1952) was an American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform. He was one of the most prominent American scholars in the f ...

, James Harvey Robinson, and Thorstein Veblen. In 1933, what became known as the University in Exile, had become a haven for scholars who had been dismissed from teaching positions by the Italian

fascist Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...

s under Benito Mussolini or had to flee

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

and the National Socialist German Workers Party. The University in Exile was initially founded by the director of the New School, Alvin Saunders Johnson, through the financial contributions of Hiram Halle and the

Rockefeller Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The second-oldest major philanthropic institution in America, after the Carneg ...

. The University in Exile and its subsequent incarnations have been the intellectual heart of the New School. Notable scholars associated with the University in Exile include psychologists

Erich Fromm Erich Seligmann Fromm (; ; March 23, 1900 – March 18, 1980) was a German social psychologist, psychoanalyst, sociologist, humanistic philosopher, and democratic socialist. He was a German Jew who fled the Nazi regime and settled in the U ...

and Max Wertheimer, political philosophers

Hannah Arendt Hannah Arendt (, , ; 14 October 1906 – 4 December 1975) was a political philosopher, author, and Holocaust survivor. She is widely considered to be one of the most influential political theorists of the 20th century. Arendt was born ...

and

Leo Strauss Leo Strauss (, ; September 20, 1899 – October 18, 1973) was a German-American political philosopher who specialized in classical political philosophy. Born in Germany to Jewish parents, Strauss later emigrated from Germany to the United States. ...

, social psychologist Everett Dean Martin, philosophers Aron Gurwitsch,

Hans Jonas Hans Jonas (; ; 10 May 1903 – 5 February 1993) was a German-born American Jewish philosopher, from 1955 to 1976 the Alvin Johnson Professor of Philosophy at the New School for Social Research in New York City. Biography Jonas was born ...

, and Reiner Schürmann, sociologists Alfred Schutz, Peter L. Berger, and

Arthur Vidich Arthur is a common male given name of Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. Another theory, more wi ...

, economists Adolph Lowe and Robert Heilbroner, and historians Charles Tilly and Louise Tilly. Following the collapse of totalitarian regimes in Europe, the University in Exile was renamed the Graduate Faculty of Political and Social Science. In 1964 John R. Everett became the President of the New School for Social Research, which position he held until he retired in 1982.

Harry Gideonse Harry David Gideonse (May 17, 1901 – March 12, 1985) was a Dutch-born American economist. He was the second President of Brooklyn College, from 1939 to 1966, and Chancellor of the New School for Social Research from 1966 until 1975. Early and ...

was Chancellor of the New School for Social Research from 1966 until 1975, when he retired. In 1997 the school was renamed New School University. It was renamed the "New School for Social Research" in 2005, returning to the original name of the university. Its various colleges were regrouped under various names such as College of Performing Arts (taking on the existing music, jazz and drama schools), Eugene Lang College The New School for Liberal Arts,

Parsons School of Design Parsons School of Design, known colloquially as Parsons, is a private art and design college located in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. Founded in 1896 after a group of progressive artists broke away from established Manhatt ...

and The New School for Public Engagement (taking on Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy, plus media studies, language studies and other programs). The university also continued with a separate new institution The New School for Social Research under the general banner of The New School.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:New School for Social Research The New School Educational institutions established in 1919 Liberal arts colleges in New York City New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan New York City interior landmarks Universities and colleges in New York City