Institute Premieres TV Pilot "The Bridge," reality show of an American-Egyptian Exchange. As part of the Communications and Society Program's Sounding Board Series, the Aspen Institute premiered a new television pilot entitled "The Bridge" on December 17, 2007. Read more.

Mobile Media and Civic Engagement. Mobile media have been building a burgeoning presence in the communications landscape for several years. Can communities harness this promising new force in communications to strengthen their residents’ engagement in civic life? How can the use of these media improve information flows to citizens, encourage civic participation, and strengthen local community groups? Read more from conference participant J.D. Lasica in his blog. One of the recommendations at the meeting for journalists' use of the new mobile media was the creation of a reporter's "twitter posse" as explained in another blog.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice President Bush and Walter Isaacson

Inaugural Session of US-Palestinian Public-Private Partnership Convenes. The Institute held a day-long discussion, featuring remarks by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, to launch a unique partnership focused on supporting educational and economic opportunities for the Palestinian people. Read more. Read remarks by Secretary Rice.

President Bush Meets with U.S.-Palestinian Public-Private Partnership. Read the President's remarks and watch a video of the meeting. See photos from the White House meeting.

Read press coverage of the US-Palestinian Public-Private Partnership.

Robert O. Anderson

The Aspen Institute Mourns Robert O. Anderson (1917-2007). The Aspen Institute has lost one of its most ardent advocates. Lifetime Trustee Robert O. Anderson, who presided over the Institute for three decades beginning in 1957, passed away Sunday, December 2 at his home in Roswell, New Mexico, at the age of 90. Anderson, a close friend of Institute founder Walter Paepcke, succeeded Paepcke in helping to build the organization that has become today’s Aspen Institute. Anderson served as Institute president from 1957 to 1963 and chairman from 1963 to 1987. Read more. Read his obituary in the New York Times and the Daily Telegraph.

Barbara Slavin Haleh Esfandiari

Aspen Roundtable: Perspectives on US-Iran Relations. Barbara Slavin, Senior Fellow at the US Institute of Peace, and Haleh Esfandiari, Director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, discussed US-Iran relations and what Slavin refers to as 30 years of “missed opportunities” in US policy toward Iran. Dr. Esfandiari shared insights from her recent 105-day incarceration in Tehran's Evin Prison, and Slavin reflected on her new book, Bitter Friends, Bosom Enemies: Iran, the U.S, and the Twisted Path to Confrontation(St. Martin's Press). Read more.

Kahlipha Class

ALI/South Africa launches New Class. A fourth class of ALI/South African Fellows commenced with The Challenge of Leadership Seminar held outside of Pretoria, South Africa at the Didimala conference center. A diverse group of twenty one Fellows from the private, non-profit and government sectors, convened for the first of four seminars aimed at building a corps of successful and entrepreneurial individuals who will be encouraged to move from "success to significance" in their endeavors by addressing the foremost challenges faced by South Africa and the continent. Read more.

Joseph J. Ellis

Historian Joe Ellis Discusses New Book on Founding Fathers. At the latest installment of the Alma and Joseph Gildenhorn Book Series, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Joseph J. Ellis sat down with the Institute’s Elliot Gerson, EVP for Seminars and Public Programs, to discuss his most recent book, American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic (Knopf). Read about the program. Watch the discussion (QuickTime, Windows) and listen (.mp3)

Elaine Edgcomb

Microenterprise spotlighted at summit. Elaine Edgcomb, director of the FIELD program at the Aspen Institute, joined other experts, including Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, to discuss the microenterprise movement in the U.S. at a conference held in San Antonio, Texas Nov. 6-7, 2007. Read her remarks (PDF).

Agent Orange in Vietnam: Assessing the US Response. On October 30 the Aspen Institute launched its two-year program on Agent Orange/Dioxin with a roundtable discussion to assess US efforts to respond to the continuing impact of dioxin in Vietnam. Participants included; Charles Bailey, Ford Foundation Special Initiative on Agent Orange/Dioxin; Michael Marine, Former U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam; Susan Hammond, War Legacies Project; Tim Reiser, U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee; and Ca Van Tran, Vietnam Assistance to the Handicapped (VNAH).

Michael Bloomberg and Sir Richard Branson Honored at the 24th Annual Awards Dinner. The Annual Awards Dinner returned to the iconic Rainbow Room atop New York’s Rockefeller Center November 7, 2007, where the Institute honored Virgin Group chairman and philanthropist Sir Richard Branson with its Corporate Leadership Award and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg with a Public Service Award. More dinner information and dinner photos

The Honorable Michael R. Bloomberg

Sir Richard Branson

The Aspen Health Forum, a first-of-its-kind effort to bring medical science to the public square, drew to a close October 6. Featuring Nobel Prize laureates, prominent NIH officials and interested members of the public, the forum explored the most challenging issues and exciting developments in biomedicine — and how they affect our individual health and that of our families and communities. Read news about the forum, or watch some of the sessions.

John P. McNulty Prize Announced. The John P. McNulty Prize celebrates the spirit and memory of John P. McNulty by supporting extraordinary young leaders making creative, effective and lasting contributions to their communities. The Prize will be awarded for the first time in November 2008 to an Aspen Global Leadership Network Fellow to help further his or her outstanding initiative. All Fellows with active projects underway for at least two years and with a demonstrated record of success are encouraged to apply. Application guidelines will be posted in November. For more on the prize and highlights of two exemplary projects, see this short video: Quicktime, Windows Media Player.

The McCloskey Speaker Series: This year's speakers included Democratic Presidential candidate John Edwards (read coverage in Glenwood Springs Post Independent) and Republican Presidential candidate John McCain (read coverage in Breitbart.com, International Herald Tribune). 2007 Speaker Videos.

FOCAS 2007: Media and Values, Aug 13-15.  Watch the discussions at www.aspeninstitute.tv. Media industry leaders and experts address issues critical to today's changing digital landscape in consecutive roundtables on Media Content, Impact of Media Policy on Geographic Communities, and Intellectual Property. Read more

Each summer, NewSchools Venture Fund and the Aspen Institute convene an Annual Gathering of Education Entrepreneurs. With the generous support of E*Trade, this event aims to create fellowship among these important change agents and to provide them with an opportunity to lift their heads from their day-to-day work to consider common goals. In doing so, the event strives to keep education entrepreneurs energized in their efforts and ensure that the whole of their work is greater than the sum of its parts. Read more.

The Aspen Principles: Guidelines for Long-Term Value Creation in Business. An influential group of CEOs, business organizations, institutional investors, labor unions, corporate lawyers, accountants and consultants convened by the Aspen Institute have signed off on a set of guiding principles that commits them to encouraging and implementing long-term management and value creation strategies. Click here to download the Principles and to learn more.

The Aspen Principles: Guidelines for Long-Term Value Creation in Business.  Click here to download the Principles and to learn more.

The Aspen Institute's Henry Crown Fellowship Program has announced its 2007 Class of Henry Crown Fellows. The Henry Crown Fellowship is designed to engage the next generation of leaders in the challenge of community-spirited leadership. It brings together entrepreneurial young executives and professionals under age 45 who have already achieved conspicuous success in their chosen fields of endeavor. The new Henry Crown Fellows will meet four times over a two-year period and will undertake individual community service commitments. Read more.

CNBC Sneak Preview. In this CNBC sneak preview, President & CEO of the Aspen Institute Walter Isaacson reveals his secret to telling the stories of our time. Discover how Isaacson reflects on his life ... and translates this reflection into the biography of one of the greatest founding fathers of the United States. The full interview from "Conversations with Michael Eisner" aired Tuesday, August 14 on CNBC.

Aspen Institute, Corporate Chiefs Announce Proposals on National Savings Policy. Aspen IFS joined leaders from the financial services industry and nonprofit sector at a press conference to release our report, "Savings for Life: A Pathway to Financial Security for All Americans." Reps. Xavier Becerra (D-CA). Philip English (R-PA), Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL) and Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) participated, and Congressmen Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) and Tom Petri (R-WI) served as honorary hosts. Read more. Watch the video.

Communications and Society Hosts Producers of Values-Based TV. On Friday, May 4, 2007, the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program hosted a luncheon roundtable on "Soap Operas for Peace: A Multimedia Presentation," featuring John Marks, president and founder of the international non-governmental organization, Search for Common Ground, and senior vice president Susan Collin Marks. Read more.

Supreme Court Experts Debate Personalities of the Land’s Highest Court. On Thursday, May 17, Martin Garbus, author of The Next 25 Years, The New Supreme Court and What it Means for Americans (Seven Stories Press), and Jeffrey Rosen, author of The Supreme Court: The Personalities and Rivalries that Defined America (Henry Holt & Co.), spoke at the Aspen Institute as a part of the ongoing Alma & Joseph Gildenhorn Book Series. Renowned Washington attorney and former LBJ adviser Harry McPherson served as moderator. Read more. Watch the video: Quicktime, Windows Media Player.

FIELD/MicroTest kicks-off its inaugural round of the Citi Microenterprise Researchers Program in Washington, DC. Last week, members of the FIELD/MicroTest team trained 25 interns to assist US microenterprise programs awarded research grants to collect high-quality client outcomes data. List of grant awardees.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Staff Chief Tony Blinken Discusses Iraq. On Monday, April 30, the Majority Staff Director of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Antony Blinken, spoke at Institute headquarters in Washington, DC, about a way forward in Iraq. Read more.

Aspen Institute Symposium for Foreign Journalists at the State Department. The Communications and Society Program reprised its role on April 25 of convening the Aspen Institute Symposium on Current Issues in Journalism for 185 distinguished foreign journalists visiting the US for three weeks under the State Department’s Edward R. Murrow Program. Read more.

New York City Book Talk with Rory Stewart. On Tuesday, April 24, the Aspen Institute’s New York City Book Series featured Rory Stewart, Chief Executive of the Turquoise Mountain Foundation in Afghanistan, which is dedicated to preserving the country’s cultural heritage. Stewart gave a lively talk on his recent memoir, The Places In Between, a New York Times best seller chronicling his 2002 walk across Afghanistan following the collapse of Taliban rule. Read more.

Institute President and CEO Walter Isaacson Speaks about Einstein's Life and Science. As a part of the ongoing Alma and Joseph Gildenhorn Book Series, Aspen Institute President and CEO Walter Isaacson spoke about his new book, Einstein: His Life and Universe (Simon & Schuster, April 2007), at Institute headquarters in Washington, DC, on April 20. Watch the video: Quicktime, Windows Media Player.

Palestinian Authority Minister of Finance Salam Fayyad Speaks at Aspen Institute. As part of the Aspen Roundtable Series, and under the auspices of the Institute's Middle East Strategy Group (MESG), The Honorable Salam Fayyad, Minister of Finance of the Palestinian Authority, served as a recent guest speaker in a dialogue focused on prospects for Middle East peace. Minister Fayyad discussed the current state of Palestinian finances and the difficult task of reviving a failing economy after a year of crippling international sanctions. Read more.

Aspen Institute Trustee and Friend Jack Valenti Dies at 85. The Institute mourns the loss of trustee Jack Valenti, who died at his home in Washington, DC on April 26, 2007. A vigorous man with an extraordinary range of talents, Valenti had been a member of the Institute’s Board of Trustees since 2002 and served ably on its Program Strategy and Marketing and Communications committees. Valenti’s role as a loyal aide to and confidant of President Lyndon Johnson cemented his place in American history. After mastering the nuances of White House politics, he turned his energies toward leading the Motion Picture Association of America, where he served as president for nearly four decades. Valenti’s singular voice of compassion and decency will be sorely missed. Read an obituary of Valenti's eventful life in The Washington Post.

Novelist Kurt Andersen on America in 1848 and Writing Historical Fiction. Novelist and cultural critic Kurt Andersen spoke at the Institute in Washington, DC, about his newest novel, Heyday (Random House), and his endeavor therein to precisely blend history and fiction into one medium. As a part of the Aspen Institute Alma and Joseph Gildenhorn Book Series, Andersen explained the historical research and thought process behind his newest book, Heyday, a novel set in the thick of the American Industrial Revolution, 1848, which follows characters on their westward journeys toward the California Gold Rush.  Read more. Watch the video here: Quicktime, Windows Media Player.

Biographer David Nasaw Discusses Life and Times of Andrew Carnegie. On Tuesday, March 13, historian David Nasaw, shared his findings on Andrew Carnegie -- self-made millionaire,  generous philanthropist and the subject of Nasaw's recently released and much lauded biography. Nasaw, the Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. Professor of History at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, sketches Carnegie as a figure of contradictions, noting his shrewd - at times ruthless - business acumen, as well as his substantial social influence. Art Kleiner, strategy+business editor and fellow author, served as commentator for the morning's Book Talk. For information on upcoming Aspen NYC book events, contact neela.pal@aspeninstitute.org. Listen to an audio file of the talk.

Aspen Institute Romania Established at Inaugural Conference. The newest affiliate of the Aspen Institute was launched in Bucharest on December 18th, 2006. The Aspen Institute Romania was officially inaugurated in the presence of HE Calin Popescu Tariceanu, Prime Minister of Romania, HE Giuliano Amato, Italian Minister of Interior and former Chairman of Aspen Italia and Senator Mircea Geoana, founder and President of Aspen Romania. Over 150 governmental officials, business executives and civil society representatives took part in this historic event which coincided with the completion of Romania's transition to a democratic and modern society and formal entry into the European Union. Read more.

Zbigniew Brzezinski Critiques US Foreign Policy Since Bush One at Institute Lunch. On March 12, 2007, the Aspen Roundtable Series welcomed Zbigniew Brzezinski to speak about his new book, Second Chance: Three Presidents and the Crisis of American Superpower (Basic Books). At this luncheon event sponsored by the DaimlerChrysler Corporation Fund, Brzezinski, counselor and trustee of the Center for Strategic and International Studies and former national security adviser to President Carter, posited on the war in Iraq and the possibilities of war in Iran. Read more.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Speaks to Packed Institute about Importance of Studying African-American Genealogy. As a part of the Institute's monthly Alma and Joseph Gildenhorn Book Series, eminent African-America historian Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Harvard's Alphonse Fletcher University Professor, shared his research on African-American genealogies and proposed the study of genealogy as a new approach in teaching science and history in America's schools. Professor Gates, an Aspen Institute trustee, spoke about his newest book, Finding Oprah's Roots: Finding Your Own and showed clips from the corresponding PBS documentary series, African American Lives, for a standing-room-only crowd at the Aspen Institute headquarters in Washington, DC, on February 27, 2007. Read more. Watch the video here: Quicktime, Windows Media Player.

Commission Releases Final Report for NCLB Reauthorization. On February 13, 2007, the Commission on No Child Left Behind released its final recommendations for the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The 75 recommendations in the report focus on making sure teachers and principals are effective, improving accountability measures, effective school improvement and student options, rigorous standards, and strengthening high schools. Read more.

ALI Fellow Arthur Mutambara Among Detained Zimbabwean Opposition Leaders. Africa Leadership Initiative Fellow Arthur Mutambara, who serves as president of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in Zimbabwe, a leading group opposing the regime of longtime President Robert Mugabe, was among a group of anti-government protesters beaten for holding a protest meeting. Read coverage of the situation in BBC News. Mr. Mutambara spoke at the 2006 Aspen Ideas Festival. View his 6-minute speech: Quicktime, Windows Media Player.

Can Cell Phones Fix World Poverty? Author Nick Sullivan and GrameenPhone Co-Founder Iqbal Quadir Discuss at the Aspen Institute.
On Wednesday, February 21, 2007, at the Aspen Institute's DC headquarters, author Nick Sullivan and Bangladeshi mobile phone pioneer Iqbal Quadir discussed how cellular phones have the capability to change global economy and eradicate poverty in the poorest areas of the world. Read more.

Media decision makers and respected national thought leaders came together in New York on February 5th and 6th to take an in-depth look at why media has become a health issue for millions of kids. Top executives - such as Time Warner's Richard Parsons, Oxygen's Geraldine Laybourne, CBS's Leslie Moonves, and Ogilvy One's Carla Hendra - and leading experts in media, entertainment, news, policy, technology, education and public health took on subjects such as the responsibilities of media leaders, government regulation, the impact of a 24/7 media environment, the media as parent and much more.

Watch webcasts featuring interviews with Jane Brown, Professor, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill; Jim Steyer, CEO and Founder, Common Sense Media; Deborah Tate, Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission; Howard Gardner, Professor, Harvard University; A.O. Scott, Film Critic, The New York Times; Gary Knell, President and CEO of the Sesame Workshop. More information.

US Senator Dick Lugar holds forth on energy security at Aspen Roundtable. Senator Richard G. Lugar (R-IN), ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, served as the featured guest in a recent installment of the Aspen Roundtable Series, monthly sessions sponsored by the DaimlerChrysler Corporation Fund. Sen. Lugar shared his concern about the United States' growing dependence on imported oil, although he said complete energy independence isn't a feasible or necessarily a worthwhile goal. While a large gasoline tax increase might be an attractive idea in theory, Sen. Lugar thought the idea politically infeasible. Read the full story.

Ambassador Marc Ginsberg Speaks on Diplomacy and Communication with the Arab World. Marc Ginsberg, a former US Ambassador to Morocco, spoke recently about his latest film projects with Layalina Productions, Inc., an American non-profit producer of Arabic and English language television programs for which he serves as president. Amb. Ginsberg described Layalina's mission to "engage in the battle of ideas in ways that are not just geo-political," and "to open up the lines of communication with the Arab world" with passion and concern. Toni Verstandig, director of the Institute's Middle East Strategy Group, moderated the lunchtime discussion. Read the full story.

Author Andrew Sullivan Defines Conservatism of the 21st Century at Aspen Institute Book Talk. Blogger and newly announced Atlantic magazine senior editor Andrew Sullivan was the featured guest at the Alma and Joseph Gildenhorn Book Series recently, where he discussed and signed copies of his latest book The Conservative Soul: How We Lost It, How to Get It Back (HarperCollins). Describing the book's theme as being the "importance of individual freedom and personal responsibility," Sullivan elucidated the differences between conservatism and fundamentalism, saying "Fundamentalism is the nemesis of conservatism." Read the full story. Watch the video here: Quicktime, Windows Media Player.

William H. Gates, Sr. to speak at 2007 Aspen Philanthropy Seminar. William H. Gates, Sr., co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, will be a featured guest speaker at the 2007 Aspen Philanthropy Seminar, to be hosted by the Nonprofit Sector and Philanthropy Program. The seminar will be held August 8 –11, 2007, at the Aspen Meadows Conference Center in Aspen, Colorado. Limited participation (20-25) will ensure a highly participatory, informal atmosphere and in-depth dialogue that has come to define Aspen Institute programs. More information and registration. Contact: Elizabeth Myrick, (202) 230-8388.

The Aspen Institute Announces John P. McNulty Global Leadership Fund. The Aspen Institute formally announced the creation of the John P. McNulty Global Leadership Fund at its 23rd Annual Awards Dinner in New York City on November 1, 2006. This fund, named to honor the late John P. McNulty, a trustee of the Aspen Institute and senior director at Goldman Sachs, will benefit the Institute's Global Leadership Network, a growing portfolio of leadership initiatives currently comprising more than 500 "fellows" - age 25-45 - in the United States, Africa, India, and Central America. Read the full story. Watch the video here: Quicktime, Windows Media Player.

The Aspen Institute's Business and Society Program has launched the Chinese Business School Initiative. Top government officials, administrators from China's top business schools, and representatives from businesses like ChinaCSR.com, CitiGroup, Syntao and Intel met in Beijing on December 15 to review Aspen's plans to help China develop business leaders with the ethical frameworks, substantive knowledge and functional skills necessary to lead successful enterprises, contribute to social progress and improve environmental conditions in China. Read the full story.

Institute-Supported Research Brings New Data to the Debate About Current Foundation Practices and Their Impact on Grantees. A new report from the Center for Effective Philanthropy, In Search of Impact: Practices and Perceptions in Foundations' Provision of Program and Operating Grants to Nonprofits, finds that most grants made by large foundations are small, restricted to specific projects (versus for grantees' general operations), and short- term. Supported by the Nonprofit Sector and Philanthropy Program, this study suggests that grantee outcomes may be more affected by the size and duration of support than by its type – operating or program-restricted.