"The Aspen Institute is a venue where people come to share ideas; be part of intelligent, civil dialogue; and, we hope, find some common ground to move forward together on the issues that vex and challenge us," said Bob Steel— chairman of the Institute's board of trustees and New York City’s deputy mayor for economic development—opening the inaugural public convening “New York Ideas 2012: Questions for America in a Year of Choice," in April. "Now," he joked, "although the first words that jump to mind when most people think of New York City may not be 'civil dialogue,' we’re keen to be here. One of my boss's predecessors, Mayor Ed Koch, once said that 'the future comes to audition in New York City,'" he continued, "and we think this is just the right place for the Institute to be."

New York Ideas—presented in partnership with The Atlantic magazine and the New-York Historical Society, which also hosted the event—brought together more than 450 people or a full day of discussions on the country’s critical policy issues. Speakers included former Obama White House domestic policy advisor Melody Barnes, Harvard Kennedy School of Government’s David Gergen, former New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, Citigroup Vice Chairman Peter Orszag, and many others.

New York Ideas is the newest chapter in a larger story for the Institute: a concerted effort to grow its footprint in New York City. This New York presence is not entirely new—in the 1970s and early ’80s, under the leadership of then-president Joe Slater, the Institute was actually headquartered in the Arco Building on 56th Street and 5th Avenue—but it is recently reinvigorated and central to the Institute’s strategic vision for the near future.

"We are often told by people who have attended an Aspen program, be it a seminar, policy program meeting, or the Ideas Festival, that it is a life-changing experience," says Steel. "So it is no surprise that they are eager for more opportunities to listen to remarkable people, discuss important ideas, and think in new ways about solutions to our society's greatest challenges. New York is the hometown of big ideas, so it is a natural place for the Institute to expand its programming."

"Our goal is to be the place where people come for smart, nonpartisan dialogue that makes a difference on any one of the critical issues we work on around the country and world," says Institute CEO Walter Isaacson. "And if you’re not in New York, you’re not entirely engaged in the conversation."

Ideas in Action: Policy Work in New York

New York City is home to three of the Institute's policy programs. The Business and Society Program uses research, dialogues, and outreach to help established and emerging business leaders put values  at the heart of their work. The Roundtable on Community Change is a forum in which leaders working on some of the country's most innovative and promising efforts to revitalize poor  communities—especially those affected by issues of race, ethnicity, and equity—meet to discuss the lessons they are learning and the common challenges they are facing. And the Agent Orange in Vietnam Program is a collaborative effort to raise awareness of the long-term effects of Agent Orange in Vietnam; highlight solutions to the problem; and connect individuals, foundations, and non governmental organizations with opportunities to get involved.

The Arts

New York is also home to the Aspen Institute Arts Program, which has been led since 2011 by Damian Woetzel, former principal dancer for the New York City Ballet. It brings together leading artists, arts managers, sponsors, government officials and patrons to generate, exchange, and develop ideas and policies to encourage vibrancy and dynamism in all artistic realms, and to enrich civic culture in ways only the arts can do.

Home Base: Roosevelt House at Hunter College

In 1908, as a wedding present for her son and his new bride Eleanor, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s mother Sara built a double, neo-Georgian townhouse at 47-49 East 65th (she occupied one side of the duplex, and the building’s innovative design included sliding partitions between the two residences; but that’s another story). The house served as an incubator for Franklin’s political ambitions, a place for his convalescence, and a nexus for impassioned debate among his associates over the period’s most seismic issues, from economic devastation to the ravages of a world at war.

Today, the House—newly restored and renovated in 2008—is owned by Hunter College of the City University of New York, and is home to the Roosevelt House Institute for Public Policy, which offers a robust array of educational programs for Hunter students and the public. Thanks to a partnership with Hunter, it is also a primary location for the Institute’s activities in New York City. Since 2008, the Institute has hosted public officials, authors, advocates, experts, and artists for public discussions, seminars, policy dialogues, and special events at the House. The partnership has also yielded the ongoing series "Aspen at Roosevelt House," through which the Institute and Hunter collaborate to offer public discussions on the policy issues both institutions care about.

Lessons in Leadership

Since 2009, the Institute's flagship public program in New York City has been "The Aspen Leadership Series: Conversations with Great Leaders in Memory of Preston Robert Tisch." This ongoing program—held five times per year—presents conversations with extraordinary leaders from all walks of civic life, memorializing the legacy of one of New York's civic heroes, Preston Robert Tisch. Among many other consequential posts, Tisch was chairman of the Loews Corporation, co-owner of the New York Giants football team, and US Postmaster General—as well as an innovative philanthropist dedicated to the well-being of his fellow New Yorkers.

"For some time, I had been thinking about a program to recognize and honor some of the seemingly boundless civic contributions my father made to his beloved city," said Laurie Tisch, an Institute trustee (as of April 2012) and president of the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, who underwrites the series with her brothers Steve and Jonathan and sister-in-law Lizzie. “When he died in 2005, I mentioned this idea to my brothers, who also wanted to do something important and visible in our father's honor. The Institute was considering a larger presence in New York City, with programs to be held at the Roosevelt House. A timely partnership was formed, and we couldn’t be happier with the way that the Institute has used the opportunity to launch its New York programs."

Since its inception, the series has featured leaders including Newark mayor Cory Booker, JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon, activist and actress Anna Deavere Smith, Teach for America founder Wendy Kopp, Doctors Without Borders Director Sophie Delaunay, former governors Mario Cuomo (New York) and Christine Todd Whitman (New Jersey), and author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer, Siddhartha Mukherjee—to name just a few. Interviewers have included Katie Couric, Time editor Rick Stengel, "Studio 360" radio host and novelist Kurt Andersen, and many others.

Also as part of the series, the Institute gives the annual Preston Robert Tisch Award in Civic Leadership to someone who has made a significant impact in his or her community. Trumpeter and educator Wynton Marsalis and tennis legend Billie Jean King have both received the award (which was first given in 2010) at programs where they have been interviewed about their lives and careers, their role models, and the values that drive them.

Books for Breakfast

The Institute also hosts a book-discussion breakfast series several times a year in midtown—located for weekday-morning convenience—featuring notable current authors with new titles relevant to the work of the Institute. Recently, authors have included New York Times reporter Diana Henriques to discuss her recent Wizard of Lies, chronicling the Bernie Madoff scandal; former CBS News correspondent and Haunting Legacy author Marvin Kalb, who discussed the effect of the Vietnam war on the American presidency; and Economist global correspondent and Need, Greed, and Speed author Vijay Vaitheeswaran, who talked about the new rules of innovation and how they can transform the way the world does business.

Special Events

The Institute also holds its annual Fall Awards Dinner each year in New York City. Past honorees have included New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Carnegie Corporation President Vartan Gregorian, and Virgin Group Chairman Richard Branson. For information on the 2012 event—which will honor filmmaker George Lucas and former US Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, an Aspen Institute-Rodel Fellow—see page 28 of the Summer 2012 Aspen Idea magazine.

From the arts to policy work to power breakfasts and conversations with extraordinary leaders, the Institute’s growing presence in New York City is and will continue to be a vital part of our Great Conversation.

This article was written by New York Public Programs Director Linda Lehrer, Editor Jamie Miller, and Managing Editor Elizabeth Nicholas.