The Aspen Institute is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1949 as the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies. It is headquartered in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, but also has a campus in

Aspen, Colorado Aspen is the List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule city that is the county seat and the List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous municipality of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The city population ...

, its original home. Its stated mission is to "drive change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve the greatest challenges of our time". The Aspen Institute’s work focuses on many sectors including business, education, communications, energy and environment, health, security and international affairs.

History

The institute was largely the creation of

Walter Paepcke Walter Paepcke (June 29, 1896 – April 13, 1960) was an American businessman and philanthropist who was prominent in the mid-20th century. A longtime executive of the Chicago-based Container Corporation of America, Paepcke is best noted for his f ...

, a

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

businessman who had become inspired by the

Great Books A classic is a book accepted as being exemplary or particularly noteworthy. What makes a book "classic" is a concern that has occurred to various authors ranging from Italo Calvino to Mark Twain and the related questions of "Why Read the Cl ...

program of

Mortimer Adler Mortimer is an English surname. Norman origins The surname Mortimer has a Norman origin, deriving from the village of Mortemer, Seine-Maritime, Normandy. A Norman castle existed at Mortemer from an early point; one 11th century figure associ ...

at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

. In 1945, Paepcke visited

Bauhaus The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the , was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined Decorative arts, crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., ...

artist and architect

Herbert Bayer Herbert Bayer (April 5, 1900 – September 30, 1985) was an Austrian and American graphic designer, painter, photographer, sculptor, art director, environmental and interior designer, and architect. He was instrumental in the development of the ...

, AIA, who had designed and built a Bauhaus-inspired minimalist home outside the decaying former mining town of Aspen, in the

Roaring Fork Valley The Roaring Fork Valley is a geographical region in western Colorado in the United States. The Roaring Fork Valley is one of the most affluent regions in Colorado and the U.S. as well as one of the most populous and economically vital areas of th ...

. Paepcke and Bayer envisioned a place where artists, leaders, thinkers, and musicians could gather. Shortly thereafter, while passing through Aspen on a hunting expedition, oil industry maverick

Robert O. Anderson Robert Orville Anderson (April 12, 1917 – December 2, 2007) was an American businessman, art collector, and philanthropist who founded Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO). Anderson also supported several cultural organizations, from the Los Angel ...

(soon to be founder and CEO of

Atlantic Richfield Arco may refer to: Places * Arco, Trentino, a town in Trentino, Italy * Arco, Idaho, in the United States * Arco, Minnesota, a city in the United States * ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California, home of the Sacramento Kings Companies * ARCO (b ...

) met with Bayer and shared in Paepcke's and Bayer's vision. In 1949, Paepcke organized a 20-day international celebration for the 200th birthday of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

and

philosopher Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...

. The celebration attracted over 2,000 attendees, including

Albert Schweitzer Ludwig Philipp Albert Schweitzer (; 14 January 1875 – 4 September 1965) was a German and French polymath from Alsace. He was a theologian, organist, musicologist, writer, humanitarian, philosopher, and physician. As a Lutheran minister, ...

José Ortega y Gasset José Ortega y Gasset (; ; 9 May 1883 – 18 October 1955) was a Spanish philosopher and essayist. He worked during the first half of the 20th century while Spain oscillated between monarchy, republicanism and dictatorship. His philosoph ...

Thornton Wilder Thornton Niven Wilder (April 17, 1897 – December 7, 1975) was an American playwright and novelist. He won three Pulitzer Prizes, for the novel ''The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' and for the plays ''Our Town'' and ''The Skin of Our Teeth'', and a U. ...

, and

Arthur Rubinstein Arthur Rubinstein Order of the British Empire, KBE OMRI (; 28 January 1887 – 20 December 1982) was a Polish Americans, Polish-American pianist.

Front of the Doerr-Hosier Center at the Aspen Institute - 2

In 1950, the Paepckes, Adler, and Robert Hutchins, then the Chancellor of the

, founded the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies; and later the

Aspen Music Festival The Aspen Music Festival and School (AMFS) is a classical music festival held annually in Aspen, Colorado. It is noted both for its concert programming and the musical training it offers to mostly young-adult music students. Founded in 1949, th ...

and eventually (with Bayer and Anderson) the International Design Conference at Aspen (IDCA). Paepcke sought a forum "where the human spirit can flourish", especially amid the whirlwind and chaos of

modernization Modernization theory or modernisation theory holds that as societies become more economically modernized, wealthier and more educated, their political institutions become increasingly liberal democratic and rationalist. The "classical" theories ...

. He hoped that the institute could help business leaders recapture what he called "eternal verities": the values that guided them intellectually, ethically, and spiritually as they led their companies. Inspired by philosopher

's Great Books seminar at the

, which was later adopted by Encyclopædia Britannica's ''

Great Books of the Western World ''Great Books of the Western World'' is a series of books originally published in the United States in 1952, by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., to present the great books in 54 volumes. The original editors had three criteria for including a b ...

'', Paepcke worked with Anderson to create the Aspen Institute Executive Seminar. In 1951, the institute sponsored a national

photography Photography is the visual arts, art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is empl ...

conference. During the 1960s and 1970s, the institute added organizations, programs, and conferences, including the

Aspen Center for Physics The Aspen Center for Physics (ACP) is a non-profit institution for physics research located in Aspen, Colorado, in the Rocky Mountains region of the United States. Since its foundation in 1962, it has hosted distinguished physicists for short-term ...

, the

Aspen Strategy Group The Aspen Strategy Group (ASG) is a policy program of the Aspen Institute, based in Washington D.C. The ASG convenes decision-makers and thought leaders in nonpartisan public and private forums to discuss the most pressing challenges in U.S. n ...

, Communications and Society Program and other programs that concentrated on education, communications, justice, Asian thought, science, technology, the environment, and

international affairs International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

. In 1979, through a donation by

Corning Glass Corning Incorporated is an American multinational technology company specializing in glass, ceramics, and related materials and technologies including advanced optics, primarily for industrial and scientific applications. The company was name ...

industrialist and philanthropist Arthur A. Houghton Jr., the institute acquired a 1,000-acre (4 km) campus on the eastern shore of the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, known today as the Wye River Conference Centers. The Wye River campus has played host to several historic meetings including the 1998 Wye Accord for Peace in the Middle East. In 2022, the Institute gifted and sold a combined 563 acres of the campus to the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...

for continued use for research and education purposes, donating the rest to the

Hole in the Wall Gang Camp The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, based in Ashford, Connecticut, is a nonprofit 501(c) organization, 501(c)(3) organization, residential summer camp, and year-round center serving children and their families coping with chronic illnesses such as ca ...

to be renovated for free programming for children with serious illnesses and their families. In 1983, former United States Senator

Dick Clark Richard Wagstaff Clark (November 30, 1929April 18, 2012) was an American television and radio personality and television producer who hosted ''American Bandstand'' from 1956 to 1989. He also hosted five incarnations of the Pyramid (game show), ...

founded the Aspen Institute's Congressional program, which sought to educate members of Congress on foreign affairs issues. In 2005, the Aspen Institute held the first

Aspen Ideas Festival Founded in 2005, the Aspen Ideas Festival (AIF) is a week-long event held in Aspen, Colorado in the United States. The Aspen Ideas Festival program of events includes discussions, seminars, panels, and tutorials from journalists, designers, inno ...

, featuring leading minds from around the world sharing and speaking on

global issues A global issue is a matter of Social issue#Types of social issues, public concern worldwide. This list of global issues presents problems or phenomena affecting people around the world, including but not limited to widespread social issues, econ ...

. The institute hosts the festival annually, co-hosting with ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...

'' until 2020. It has trained philanthropists such as

Carrie Morgridge Carrie Morgridge (born 1967) is an American philanthropist and author. She is vice-president of the Morgridge Family Foundation, funded by an annual grant from John P. and Tashia Morgridge's TOSA Foundation. The foundation's contributions have be ...

. It has since added additional events such as the Aspen Ideas Health and Aspen Ideas Climate. In 2023, the Aspen Ideas Climate event included Vice President

Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and ...

and famed singer

Gloria Estefan Gloria María Milagrosa Estefan (; ; born September 1, 1957) is an American singer, actress, and businesswoman. Estefan is an eight-time Grammy Awards, Grammy Award winner, a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, and has been named one of t ...

. Since 2013, the Aspen Institute together with U.S. magazine ''The Atlantic'' until 2019 and

Bloomberg Philanthropies Bloomberg Philanthropies is a philanthropic organization that encompasses all of the charitable giving of founder Michael R. Bloomberg. Headquartered in New York City, Bloomberg Philanthropies focuses its resources on five areas: the environ ...

since, has participated in organizing the annual CityLab event, a summit dedicated to developing strategies for the challenges of

urbanization Urbanization (or urbanisation in British English) is the population shift from Rural area, rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. ...

in today's cities.

Walter Isaacson Walter Seff Isaacson (born May 20, 1952) is an American journalist who has written biographies of Henry Kissinger, Benjamin Franklin, Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, Jennifer Doudna and Elon Musk. As of 2024, Isaacson is a profes ...

was the president and CEO of Aspen Institute from 2003 to June 2018. Isaacson announced in March 2017 that he would step down as president and CEO at the end of the year. On November 30, 2017, Daniel Porterfield was announced as his successor. Porterfield succeeded Isaacson on June 1, 2018. In 2019, the Institute announced the Aspen Partnership for an Inclusive Economy, receiving a $26 million gift from Mastercard to mobilize the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to address income and information inequality and create inclusive growth. In 2022, the Institute unveiled the Resnick Center for

Studies, commemorating the artist’s legacy as one of the Institute’s co-founders and as a longtime Aspen resident. In 2023,

Simon Godwin Simon Godwin is artistic director of the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C. He was previously associate director of London's National Theatre, associate director of the Royal Court Theatre, and associate director at Bristol Old V ...

was named Aspen Institute's Harman/Eisner artist in residence. Godwin is the

artistic director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogu ...

for the

Shakespeare Theatre Company The Shakespeare Theatre Company is a Regional theater in the United States, regional theatre company located in Washington, D.C. The theatre company focuses primarily on plays from the William Shakespeare, Shakespeare canon, but its seasons inc ...

and served a one-year residency at the institute. In June 2023, CAA's Bruno del Granado was named to be head of the Board of the Aspen Institute's Latinos Society Program. In August 2024, the Bezos Family Foundation gifted the Institute a $175 million endowment to create the Center for Rising Generations at the Aspen Institute, the purpose of which is to ensure that which will expand opportunities for youth and young adult civic engagement, civil dialogue, and leadership development.

Organizational structure

The Aspen Institute is a nonprofit organization governed by a Board of Trustees, currently chaired by Margot Pritzker, comprising leaders from various sectors, including business, government, academia, and philanthropy.

Programs and Initiatives

The Aspen Institute pursues its mission through more than 50 programs spanning policy, public engagement, leadership, and youth and young adult initiatives.The Aspen Institute operates multiple policy programs focused on nonpartisan analysis and dialogue across key societal issues. They work across a range of issues including business, education, communications, energy and environment, health, security, and international affairs.

1. Leadership Programs

Leadership development is a core part of the Aspen Institute’s mission, equipping leaders across sectors, generations, and geographies with values-based leadership skills to drive positive change in their communities and industries. The Aspen Executive Seminar, one of the Institute’s longest-running leadership programs, brings together senior executives and public leaders to engage in deep discussions on values, ethics, and leadership. Another key program is the Aspen Global Leadership Network (AGLN), a worldwide community of nearly 4,000 leaders from 62+ countries, spanning business, government and the nonprofit sector, all committed to addressing complex societal challenges. The AGLN comprises 14 regional and sector-specific fellowships, which support leaders in their respective fields through curated seminars, mentorship, and cross-sector collaboration.

2. International partners

In addition to its U.S.-based activities, the Aspen Institute has a growing global presence. Since 1974 the Aspen Institute has inspired 13 independently-governed and self-funding international partner organizations in 16 countries: Central Europe (Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia), Colombia, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Romania, Spain, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.

Aspen Community Programs

Speaker Lineup

The Aspen Institute's community program includes lecturers from the Hurst Lecture Series; the McCloskey Speaker Series; and the Murdock Mind, Body, Spirit series. The 2024 Summer lineup included distinguished professors from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

;

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is the third oldest medical school in the Un ...

;

Cleveland Clinic Cleveland Clinic is an American Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Academic health science center, academic Medical centers in the United States, medical center based in Cleveland, Ohio. Owned and operated by the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, an O ...

; and the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

Assets

As of 2023 the Aspen Institute had net assets of $$408,226,171.

Funding details

Source: Funding details as of 2023: The Institute is largely funded by foundations such as the

Carnegie Corporation The Carnegie Corporation of New York is a philanthropic fund established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to support education programs across the United States, and later the world. Since its founding, the Carnegie Corporation has endowed or othe ...

, the

Rockefeller Brothers Fund The Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF) is a philanthropic foundation created and run by members of the Rockefeller family. It was founded in New York City in 1940 as the primary philanthropic vehicle for the five third-generation Rockefeller brothe ...

, the

Gates Foundation The Gates Foundation is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was launched in 2000 and is reported to be the third largest charitable foundation in the world, holding $ ...

, the

Lumina Foundation Lumina Foundation is a private, Indianapolis-based foundation with about $1.4 billion in assets. Since its founding in August 2000, Lumina has made grants totaling more than $250 million. History Lumina Foundation is a conversion foundation crea ...

, and the

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a $25,000 (about $550,000 in 2023) gift from Edsel Ford. ...

, by seminar fees, and by individual donations. Its board of trustees includes leaders from politics, government, business and academia who also contribute to its support. A report by the

Center for International Policy The Center for International Policy (CIP) is a non-profit foreign policy research and advocacy think tank with offices in Washington, D.C., and New York City. It was founded in 1975 in response to the Vietnam War. The Center describes its missio ...

's Foreign Influence Transparency Initiative of the top 50 think tanks found that from 2014 to 2018 the Aspen Institute received more than US$8 million in funding from outside the United States, the fifth-highest amount among think tanks. This funding originated primarily in Western democracies but also included "sizeable donations from undemocratic regimes in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates." In April 2020, the company received approximately $8 million in federally backed small business loans as part of the

Paycheck Protection Program The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is a $953-billion business loan program established by the United States federal government during the First presidency of Donald Trump, Trump administration in 2020 through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and ...

. The company received scrutiny over this loan, which meant to protect small and private businesses. ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' noted their large endowment and membership of billionaires made this problematic.

Dele Olojede Dele Olojede (born 1961) is a Nigerian journalist and former foreign editor for ''Newsday''. He is the first African-born winner of the Pulitzer Prize in International Journalism for his work covering the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide. He s ...

, a fellow at the institute, called it "contrary to the stated purpose of this institute", that "one of America’s most elite institutions thinks it is okay to take the money", going on to say "Those who purport to be values-based and public-spirited leaders cannot at the same time put self interest first, when there is so much human suffering and death". The day after Olojede and the ''Washington Post'' highlighted the funding, Aspen Institute announced they would return it, stating "Upon listening to our communities and further reflection, we have made the decision to return the loan".

Fellowships

The Aspen Institute offers a range of

fellowships A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned or professional societies, the term refers ...

that support leaders from diverse backgrounds and work on issues such as economic policy,

education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

finance Finance refers to monetary resources and to the study and Academic discipline, discipline of money, currency, assets and Liability (financial accounting), liabilities. As a subject of study, is a field of Business administration, Business Admin ...

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the de ...

, environmental sustainability, and

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree of accuracy. The word, a noun, applies to the journ ...

. These fellowships provide opportunities for professionals to develop leadership skills and explore solutions to complex challenges through structured discussions and collaborative learning. These include:

Henry Crown Fellowship

The

Henry Crown Henry Crown (; June 13, 1896 – August 14, 1990) was an American industrialist and philanthropist. Among other things, he founded the Material Service Corporation, which merged with General Dynamics in 1959. At the time of his death, he was a b ...

Fellowship, established in 1997, educates accomplished entrepreneurs from the private sector to become leaders in community and global development projects. The Aspen Global Leadership Network inducts an annual class of 20-22 candidates between the ages of 30-46 for a two-year training program. Instruction takes place at the Aspen Institute's campus in

Aspen Aspen is a common name for certain tree species in the Populus sect. Populus, of the ''Populus'' (poplar) genus. Species These species are called aspens: * ''Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (China, south of ''P. tremula'') * ''Populus da ...

, Colorado, and various sites abroad.

New Voices Fellowship

The New Voices Fellowship is a year long program for applicants from Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Every year, nominations are accepted from August through October. Fellows are selected in December and announced publicly in early January. The New Voices Fellowship is a non-residential program. During the fellowship year, fellows meet three times for one week sessions. There are no age limitations for fellows. All expenses for participation in the fellowship are covered by the program. At times the program will also cover the cost of "media-related activities and conferences."

Awards

Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence

Community Colleges which succeed in attaining exceptional results for all students during their time in college and as post-graduates are awarded the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. Recipients to date include: * 2023

Amarillo College Amarillo College (AC) is a public community college in Amarillo, Texas. It enrolls over 9,100 students and was established in 1929 as Amarillo Junior College. Amarillo College has a total of six campuses as of August 2023. As defined by the Tex ...

* 2023

Imperial Valley College Imperial Valley College is a Public college, public Community colleges in the United States, community college in Imperial County, California. It was founded in 1962 and enrolls around 7,000 students per year. The main campus is located on a si ...

* 2021

San Antonio College San Antonio College (SAC) is a public community college in San Antonio, Texas. It is part of the Alamo Colleges District and the oldest public two-year college in Texas. The college has an average semester enrollment of 22,028 credit students an ...

* 2019

Indian River State College Indian River State College (IRSC) is a public college based in Fort Pierce, Florida, United States. Serving the Treasure Coast region, it is part of the Florida College System and offers associate and bachelor's degree programs as well as vocati ...

* 2019

Miami Dade College Miami Dade College (MDC) is a public university, public college located in Miami, Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1959, MDC operates eight campuses and numerous outreach centers throughout Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade Count ...

* 2017 Lake Area Technical College * 2015

Santa Fe College Santa Fe College is a public college in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is part of the Florida College System and offers both associate and baccalaureate degree programs. Established in 1965 by the Florida Legislature as Santa Fe Junior ...

* 2013

Santa Barbara City College Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) is a public community college in Santa Barbara, California. It opened in 1909 and is located on a campus. History Santa Barbara City College was established by the Santa Barbara High School District in 1909, m ...

* 2013

Walla Walla Community College Walla Walla Community College (WWCC), often referred to as just "CC" locally, is a multi-campus community college in southeastern Washington state. History Walla Walla Community College (WWCC) was established in 1967 by Peter Dietrich in respo ...

* 2011

Valencia College Valencia College (VC) is a public college with its main campus in Orlando, Florida, United States. Established in 1968, it is a member of the Florida College System and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to offer ...

Aspen Institute Faculty Pioneers and Dissertation Proposal Award

The ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...

'' called the Faculty Pioneers and Dissertation Proposal Awards the "

Oscars The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence i ...

of the business school world". These honor business school instructors with an outstanding track record of leadership and risk-taking in ensuring that the

MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular a ...

curriculum incorporates social, environmental and ethical issues. Recipients in the Category "Lifetime Achievement" include: * 2010 James E. Post, John F. Smith, Jr. Professor in Management at the School of Management at

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

* 2010 David Vogel, Solomon P. Lee Professor of Business Ethics at

Haas School of Business The Walter A. Haas School of Business (branded as Berkeley Haas) is the business school of the University of California, Berkeley, a Public university, public research university in Berkeley, California. It was the first business school at a pub ...

University of California at Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after the Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkele ...

Henry Crown Leadership Award

This annual award was created to honor an outstanding leader whose achievements reflect the high standards of honor, integrity, industry, and philanthropy that characterized the life and career of industrialist and philanthropist

. Notable recipients include: *2021 Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Service ...

*2015 General (ret.)

Stanley McChrystal Stanley Allen McChrystal (born 14 August 1954) is a retired United States Army General (United States), general best known for his command of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) from 2003 to 2008 during which his organization was credited w ...

, former Commander of the International Security Assistance Force and Commander of United States Forces Afghanistan *2014

Reed Hastings Wilmot Reed Hastings Jr. (born October 8, 1960) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the co-founder and chairman of Netflix, Inc., which provides the Netflix streaming service. Hastings serves on a number of boards and works with various ...

, Founder and CEO,

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

*2013

Wynton Marsalis Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter, composer, and music instructor, who is currently the artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has been active in promoting classical and jazz music, often to young ...

, Managing and Artistic Director, Jazz at

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 ...

*2012

Gabrielle Giffords Gabrielle Dee Giffords (born June 8, 1970) is an American retired politician and gun violence prevention advocate. She served as a member of the United States House of Representatives representing from January 2007 until January 2012, when ...

, former U.S. Representative *2011 Madeleine K. Albright, Chair, The Albright Stonebridge Group and former United States Secretary of State *2010

Vartan Gregorian Vartan Gregorian (April 8, 1934 – April 15, 2021) was an Armenian-American academic, educator, and historian. He served as president of the Carnegie Corporation from 1997 to 2021. Gregorian moved to the United States from Iran at age 22. H ...

, President, Carnegie Corporation of New York *2009 Jeffrey Bezos, President, CEO, and Chairman of the Board of Amazon.com *2006

Condoleezza Rice Condoleezza "Condi" Rice ( ; born November 14, 1954) is an American diplomat and political scientist serving since 2020 as the 8th director of Stanford University's Hoover Institution. A member of the Republican Party, she previously served ...

, former United States Secretary of State *2003

Patty Stonesifer Patricia Q. Stonesifer (born 1956) is an American executive. From June 2023 to January 2024, she was the interim CEO of ''The Washington Post'' and is on the board of Amazon. She began her career in various executive roles at Microsoft before bec ...

, Co-Chair and President of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation *2002

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

, thirty-ninth president of the United States *1999 Gen. Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.), founding chairman of America’s Promise – The Alliance for Youth and former U.S. Secretary of State The full list of laureates appears on the Award's web page.

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Aspen, Colorado Foreign policy and strategy think tanks in the United States Political and economic think tanks in the United States Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C. Think tanks based in Washington, D.C. Think tanks established in 1950 Humanist associations Henry Crown Fellows 1950 establishments in Colorado

History

Organizational structure

Programs and Initiatives

1. Leadership Programs

2. International partners

Aspen Community Programs

Speaker Lineup

Assets

Funding details

Fellowships

Henry Crown Fellowship

New Voices Fellowship

Awards

Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence

Aspen Institute Faculty Pioneers and Dissertation Proposal Award

Henry Crown Leadership Award

See also

References

External links