Thomas J. Dodd Research Center
Encyclopedia
The Thomas J. Dodd Research Center houses the Archives & Special Collections for the University of Connecticut
Libraries. It also houses the Human Rights Institute and the Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life at the University of Connecticut. Notable collections at the Dodd Research Center include the University of Connecticut Archives, the Alternative Press Collection, the Human Rights Collection, the Literary and Rare Book Collections, the Northeast Children's Literature Collection
, the Pioneers in Survey Research Collection, the Connecticut Historic Preservation Commission Collection, and the Railroad History Collection.
on October 15, 1995. It is named for the late Senator Thomas Joseph Dodd whose son, Senator Christopher J. Dodd, played a crucial role in the Center's development. The dedication ceremony inaugurated "The Dodd Year", a year-long series of special events, speakers, exhibits, and colloquia. Devoted to the theme of human rights
, The Dodd Year recalled Thomas Dodd's participation as a senior prosecutor in the International Military Tribunal, the first of the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials.
The Dodd Year program brought an array of world figures to campus including Madeline Albright, Elie Wiesel
, and Oscar Arias
and concluded in the fall of 1996 with an address by Mikhail Gorbachev
.
The Raymond and Beverly Distinguished Sackler Lecture in Human Rights is held twice a year. Past speakers include Dorothy Q. Thomas, Adam Fairclough, Charlotte Bunch
, Harold Koh, Patricia Wald
, Samantha Power
, Michael Ignatieff
, George Mitchell
, and James Crawford
.
The Thomas J. Dodd Prize in International Justice and Human Rights
, first awarded in 2003, is given biennially to an individual or organization which has made a significant contribution towards international justice and human rights. The 2009 Dodd Prize will be awarded to the Committee to Protect Journalists on October 5, 2009.
The Edwin Way Teale Lecture Series brings a variety of distinguished speakers to the University of Connecticut to speak on various aspects of nature and the environment.
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
Libraries. It also houses the Human Rights Institute and the Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life at the University of Connecticut. Notable collections at the Dodd Research Center include the University of Connecticut Archives, the Alternative Press Collection, the Human Rights Collection, the Literary and Rare Book Collections, the Northeast Children's Literature Collection
Northeast Children's Literature Collection
The Northeast Children’s Literature Collection acquires, preserves, and makes accessible works of historical and artistic significance in the field of children’s literature. The NCLC includes books, manuscripts, illustrations, correspondence, artifacts, and other related materials...
, the Pioneers in Survey Research Collection, the Connecticut Historic Preservation Commission Collection, and the Railroad History Collection.
History
Ground was broken for the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center on October 10, 1993, and the finished building was dedicated by President Bill ClintonBill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
on October 15, 1995. It is named for the late Senator Thomas Joseph Dodd whose son, Senator Christopher J. Dodd, played a crucial role in the Center's development. The dedication ceremony inaugurated "The Dodd Year", a year-long series of special events, speakers, exhibits, and colloquia. Devoted to the theme of human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
, The Dodd Year recalled Thomas Dodd's participation as a senior prosecutor in the International Military Tribunal, the first of the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials.
The Dodd Year program brought an array of world figures to campus including Madeline Albright, Elie Wiesel
Elie Wiesel
Sir Eliezer "Elie" Wiesel KBE; born September 30, 1928) is a Hungarian-born Jewish-American writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate, and Holocaust survivor. He is the author of 57 books, including Night, a work based on his experiences as a prisoner in the Auschwitz, Buna, and...
, and Oscar Arias
Óscar Arias
Óscar Arias Sánchez is a Costa Rican politician who was President of Costa Rica from 2006 to 2010. He previously served as President from 1986 to 1990 and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for his efforts to end civil wars then raging in several other Central American countries.He is also a...
and concluded in the fall of 1996 with an address by Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
.
Programs
The Thomas J. Dodd Research Center hosts a number of ongoing programs and events.The Raymond and Beverly Distinguished Sackler Lecture in Human Rights is held twice a year. Past speakers include Dorothy Q. Thomas, Adam Fairclough, Charlotte Bunch
Charlotte Bunch
Charlotte Bunch is an American activist, author and organizer in women's and human rights movements.A Board of Governor’s Distinguished Service Professor in Women's and Gender Studies, Bunch founded Washington D.C...
, Harold Koh, Patricia Wald
Patricia Wald
Patricia McGowan Wald is an American judge. Wald served as the chief judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and served as a judge on the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.Wald graduated from Connecticut College in 1948 and earned...
, Samantha Power
Samantha Power
Samantha Power is an Irish American academic, governmental official and writer. She is currently a Special Assistant to President Barack Obama and runs the Office of Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights as Senior Director of Multilateral Affairs on the Staff of the National Security Council...
, Michael Ignatieff
Michael Ignatieff
Michael Grant Ignatieff is a Canadian author, academic and former politician. He was the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and Leader of the Official Opposition from 2008 until 2011...
, George Mitchell
George J. Mitchell
George John Mitchell, Jr., is the former U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Peace under the Obama administration. A Democrat, Mitchell was a United States Senator who served as the Senate Majority Leader from 1989 to 1995...
, and James Crawford
James Crawford
James Crawford may refer to:*James Crawford , American basketball player, played in the National Basketball League of Australia*James Crawford , Canadian businessman and MP for Brockville, 1867–1872...
.
The Thomas J. Dodd Prize in International Justice and Human Rights
Thomas J. Dodd Prize in International Justice and Human Rights
The Thomas J. Dodd Prize in International Justice and Human Rights is awarded biennially by the University of Connecticut to an individual or group who has made a significant effort to advance the cause of international justice and global human rights. The Prize will be awarded again in Fall...
, first awarded in 2003, is given biennially to an individual or organization which has made a significant contribution towards international justice and human rights. The 2009 Dodd Prize will be awarded to the Committee to Protect Journalists on October 5, 2009.
The Edwin Way Teale Lecture Series brings a variety of distinguished speakers to the University of Connecticut to speak on various aspects of nature and the environment.