Aspen Idea Magazine Summer 2013 Issue

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I D E ASUMMER 2013

PLUS: HIGHLIGHTS FROM ASPEN TO THE MIDDLE EAST, AND BEYOND

A DECADE OF GROWTH

THE INSTITUTE

TODAY:

PA IRS W ELL W ITH FRESH T HINK ING.Like most good ideas, our winemaking philosophy is based on a simple premise to make the best wine, start

with the best grapes. To find them, Landmark employs an old-world method known as ngociant, sourcing

the finest fruit from premium vineyards throughout California. Our Overlook Chardonnay, for example, is

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perfect complement to good food, interesting company, and spirited conversation. Learn more, and join our

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S u m m e r 2 0 1 32 T H E A S P E N I D E A

51THE INSTITUTE TODAY

We look back over a decade of growth.

58LOS ANGELES STUDENTS TAKE UP THE

CHALLENGEThe Institutes inaugural Aspen Challenge public program gave Los Angeles high school students the chance to better

their communities.

66ASPEN IN THE MIDDLE EAST

From entrepreneurs in Jordan to a family business in the Palestinian territories, the Institutes work inspires personal

stories of economic promise in the Middle East.

74THE CROWN JEWEL:

A FAMILYS LEGACY OF SERVICELifetime Trustee Lester Crown gives a $10 million gift to the program established in his fathers name, while paving

the way for his son to carry on the family tradition.

THE CONVERSATION

FEATURES

SUMMER 2013 THE ASPEN INSTITUTE

THE

I D E A

78WHAT IS FOOD

SECURITY?

Peggy Clark, Dan Glickman, David

Monsma, Toni Verstandig, and Nic Buckley examine

how the Institute will address transformations in

the global food system.

82COMMUNITIES

COMING TOGETHER

Melody Barnes and Stephen Patrick call for action to

activate disengaged youth.

86FOOD, FAMILY, AND

PHILANTHROPY

Restaurateur Danny Meyer talks about the secret of his restaurants success, lessons from natural disasters, and the importance of being a

community leader.

90SENATORIAL COLLOQUIES

Senators Marco Rubio and Amy Klobuchar discuss immigration and women

in politics at the 2012 Washington Ideas Forum.


DEPARTMENTS

10 AROUND THE INSTITUTEWe speak with fi ve former chiefs of staff, identify the next generation of leaders in developing countries, lead conversations around the minimum

wage, and host the fi rst Project Play in Aspen. Plus, learn about new Aspen Writers Foundation leadership and the launch of actress, playwright, and

Institute Trustee Anna Deavere Smiths policy program.

34 READING ROOMColin Powell, Sandra Day OConnor, Cheryl Strayed, and others discuss

their recent best-selling books.

38 SOCIETY OF FELLOWSTom Friedman addresses the Institutes key donor group.

40 SEMINARSThe Seminars program draws lessons from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.s

Letter from Birmingham Jail.

42 SOCRATES PROGRAMSocrates discusses technologys role in work-life balance with

Anne-Marie Slaughter, among other experts.

45 ASPEN COMMUNITY PROGRAMSYoung students and scholars gather in Aspen.

46 IDEAS IN ACTIONElliot Gerson and Peggy Clark hold up Malawi President Joyce Bandas

leadership in reproductive health as a model.

48 IDEAS IN ACTIONThe Aspen Business and Society Programs First Movers Fellowship supports

business leaders striving to do good from within the companies they work.

94 INTERNATIONAL ASPENMeet Aspen Institute Espaa, Institut Aspen France, Aspen Institute

Italia, Aspen Institute Prague, Aspen Institute Germany, Institutul Aspen Romania, The Aspen Institute Japan, and Aspen Institute India.

98 FACESPeek behind the scenes at Institute gatherings in New York, DC, and Aspen.

104 ASPEN FACTSWho we are and what we do.

110 CONTACT US

112 RETROSPECTIVE PERSPECTIVEThe long-lasting impact of Herbert Bayers work on the Aspen Meadows

campus will soon get its own gallery show.

Cover photo of Anderson Park at the Institutes Aspen Meadows Campus by Todd Babos.

THE

I D E ASUMMER 2013

PLUS: HIGHLIGHTS FROM ASPEN TO THE MIDDLE EAST, AND BEYOND

A DECADE OF GROWTH

THE INSTITUTE

TODAY:

THE ASPEN INSTITUTE

M A J A D U B R U L 325 East Hopkins, Aspen | www.majadubrul.com J E W E L R Y

How Will You Shape theFuture?


Aspen I D E ATHE

The Aspen Idea would like to thank our friends at SoftScribe for their fast, accurate, and detailed transcriptions.

Walter IsaacsonPresident and

Chief Executive Officer

Board of Trustees Chairman: Robert K. Steel

Board of Trustees: Madeleine K. Albright, Paul F. Anderson, Mercedes T. Bass, Richard S. Braddock, Beth A. Brooke, Melva Bucksbaum, William D. Budinger, Stephen L. Carter, Cesar Conde, James S. Crown, Andrea Cunningham, John Doerr, Thelma Duggin, Sylvia A. Earle,

Michael D. Eisner, Brooks Entwistle, Alan Fletcher, Corinne Flick, Henrietta Holsman Fore, Ann B. Friedman, Stephen Friedman, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Mircea Geoana, David Gergen, Gerald Greenwald, Patrick W. Gross, Arjun Gupta, Jane Harman,

Hayne Hipp, Gerald D. Hosier, Ann Frasher Hudson, Robert J. Hurst, Jean-Pierre Jouyet, Michael Klein, Yotaro Kobayashi, David H. Koch, Timothy K. Krauskopf, Leonard A. Lauder, Frederic V. Malek, James M. Manyika, William E. Mayer, Bonnie Palmer McCloskey,

David McCormick, Anne Welsh McNulty, Diane Morris, Karlheinz Muhr, Clare Muana, Jerry Murdock, Marc Nathanson, William A. Nitze, Her Majesty Queen Noor, Jacqueline Novogratz, Olara A. Otunnu, Elaine Pagels, Charles Powell, Michael K. Powell, Margot L. Pritzker,

Peter A. Reiling, Lynda Resnick, Condoleezza Rice, James Rogers, Isaac O. Shongwe, Anna Deavere Smith, Michelle Smith, Javier Solana, Gautam Thapar, Shashi Tharoor,* Laurie Tisch, Giulio Tremonti, Roderick K. von Lipsey, Vin Weber, Michael Zantovsky

*On Leave of Absence

Lifetime Trustees Co-Chairmen: Berl Bernhard, James C. Calaway

Lifetime Trustees: Prince Bandar Bin Sultan, Keith Berwick, John Brademas, William T. Coleman, Jr., Lester Crown, Tarun Das, William L. Davis, Alfred Dietsch, William H. Donaldson, James L. Ferguson, Richard N. Gardner, Alma L. Gildenhorn, Jacqueline Grapin,

Irvine O. Hockaday, Jr., Nina Rodale Houghton, Jrme Huret, William N. Joy, Henry A. Kissinger, Ann McLaughlin Korologos, Robert H. Malott, Olivier Mellerio, Eleanor Merrill, Elinor Bunin Munroe, Sandra Day OConnor, Hisashi Owada, John J. Phelan, Jr., Thomas R. Pickering,

Warren B. Rudman, Jay Sandrich, Lloyd G. Schermer, Carlo Scognamiglio, Albert H. Small, Andrew L. Stern, Paul A. Volcker, Leslie H. Wexner, Frederick B. Whittemore, Alice Young

Editor-in-Chief: Jamie Miller Editor-at-Large: Karen Sommer ShalettPublisher: Jennifer Myers Senior Editors: Jean Morra, James Spiegelman Assistant Editor: Mary Cappabianca

Contributing Editor: Missy Daniels Art Director: Glenn Pierce Project Manager: Connie Otto Senior Production Artist: Brenda WaughContact Editorial: [email protected]

Advertising: Cynthia Cameron, (970) 544-3453, [email protected]

Design and Production: McMurry/TMG, LLC, 1129 20th Street NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20036

General: The Aspen Institute, One Dupont Circle NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20036, (202) 736-5800, www.aspeninstitute.org

The Aspen Idea is published twice a year by the Aspen Institute and distributed to Institute constituents, friends, and supporters. To receive a copy, call(202) 736-5850. Postmaster: Please send address changes to The Aspen Institute Communications Department, Ste. 700, One Dupont Circle NW, Washington, DC 20036.

The opinions and statements expressed by the authors and contributors to this publication do not necessarily refl ect opinions or positions of the Aspen Institute, which is a nonpartisan forum. All rights reserved. No material in this publication may be published or copied without the express written consent of the Aspen Institute.

The Aspen Institute All Rights Reserved

Elliot F. GersonExecutive Vice President,

Policy and Public Programs, International Partners

Amy Margerum BergExecutive Vice President,

Development and Operations;Corporate Secretary

Peter ReilingExecutive Vice President,

Leadership and Seminar Programs;Executive Director, Henry Crown

Fellowship Program

Susan SherwinExecutive Vice President,

External Relations

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WHAT IS THE ASPEN INSTITUTE?

THE ASPEN INSTITUTE is an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, DC. Its mission is to foster leadership based on enduring values and to provide a nonpartisan venue for dealing with critical issues. The Institute has campuses in Aspen, Colorado, and on the Wye River on Marylands Eastern Shore. It also maintains offices in New York City and has an international network of partners.

THE INSTITUTES ASPEN MEADOWS CAMPUS Dan

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choose light over darkness, love over hate, kindness not meanness, hope not despair, goodness not evil,

understanding not fear, peace not war, honesty not deceit, spirituality not materialism, life not death, joy

not sadness, acceptance not rejection, substance not form, choose to live, choose to give, light over

darkness, love over hate, kindness not meanness, hope not despair, goodness not evil, understanding not fear,

peace not war, honesty not deceit, spirituality not materialism, life not death, joy not sadness, acceptance

not rejection, substance not form, choose to live, choose to give, light over darkness, love over hate,

kindness not meanness, hope not despair, goodness not evil, understanding not fear, peace not war, honesty

not deceit, spirituality not materialism, life not death, joy not sadness, acceptance not rejection, substance

not form, choose to live, choose to give, light over darkness, love over hate, kindness not meanness, hope

not despair, goodness not evil, understanding not fear, peace not war, honesty not deceit, spirituality not

materialism, joy not sadness, choose to live, choose to give...

6 1 6 E a s t H y m a n A v e n u e P. O . B o x 16 3 9 A s p e n , C o l o r a d o 8 1 6 1 2 9 7 0 . 5 4 4 . 12 9 8 as p e n v a l l e y f o u n d a t i o n . o r g

M a k e R o o m i n Y o u r L i f e f o r G i v i n g . . . E v e r y D a y .

YOURCHOICE

S u m m e r 2 0 1 310 T H E A S P E N I D E A S u m m e r 2 0 1 310 T H E A S P E N I D E A

AROUND THE INSTITUTE

The Next ChapterThe 37-year-old Aspen Writers Foundation has turned the page. For the first time in its history, two award-winning talents will share the leadership. Between Aspen-based Director Mo LaMees outstanding track record of smart, sustainable nonprofit arts leadership and Manhattan-based Creative Director Adrienne Brodeurs vision and accomplished career in the literary world, the Foundation is poised to become the premier literary organization in the country. With a renewed dedication to the organizations mission to encourage writers, inspire readers, and connect people through their stories, LaMee and Brodeur are laying plans to build on the organizations existing strengths to create an even more vital, dynamic, and sustainable institution. Individually, Mo and Adrienne bring an impressive roster of accomplishments and professional successes in the arts, said Elliot Gerson, executive vice president of policy and public programs for the Institute. Together they make an extraordinary team.

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THE ASPEN WRITERS FOUNDATION NEW LEADERSHIP, MO LAMEE AND ADRIENNE BRODEUR

AROUND THE INSTITUTE

11T H E A S P E N I D E A

Around the Ins t i tu te

Full- Court PressThis year, the National Research Council and Insti-tute of Medicine released the first-ever study com-paring the health of young Americans to their peers in other developed nations. The US placed 17th out of 17 countries, with the high-est rate of childhood obesity. How can our nation build a youth sports system that more effectively gets and keeps children engaged in physical activity? This spring, the Sports & Society Program introduced the Aspen Institutes Project Play, a two-year initiative designed to seek and share ideas, then offer a game plan to help create Sport for All, Play for Life com-munities. An April convening supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation included 70 organizational and thought leaders, includ-ing US Olympic Committee CEO Scott Blackmun; Olympians Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Gary Hall, Jr., and Michelle Kwan; Oregon State Mens Basketball Coach Craig Robinson; and offi-cials from sport governing bodies and education-based groups.

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A BIG DEAL FOR BIG DATAIts unlikely big datalet alone IRS reportinghas ever been called refreshing. But in review-ing a recent report by the Institutes Program on Philanthropy and Social Innovation, The Chronicle of Philanthropy Editor Stacy Palmer called it just that, saying the groundbreaking release was destined to be a game changer for philanthropy. Palmer joined the White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participations Jonathan Greenblatt and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundations Darin McKeever, among others, to discuss the report, Liberating 990 Data for Impact: How Big Data on the Nonprofit Sector Can Spur Innovation, Knowledge, and Accountability by Beth Noveck and Daniel Goroff. Following the report and convening, President Obamas FY14 budget proposed to phase in required electronic filing of the primary tax form for nonprofits. If passed, the IRS would also release data in a computable format, facilitating large-scale analysis and greater transparency.

THE ASPEN INSTITUTES PROJECT PLAY FOCUSES ON KEEPING KIDS ACTIVE.

To watch video, go to www.aspeninstitute.org/video.

INSTITUTE VICE PRESIDENT AND MANAGING DIRECTOR OF THE HENRY CROWN FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM ERIC MOTLEY OFFERS LIFE LESSONS IN HIS COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS TO THE 2013 GRADUATING CLASS OF ASPEN HIGH SCHOOL.



INTEL SYNCS WITH THE INSTITUTE The ongoing dialogue project, The Innovation Economy, continued with an Intel-sponsored Socrates Program salon this past fall and a later roundtable discussion in February. More than 100 young leaders gath-ered for the Socrates event at the sleek House of Sweden in Washington, DC. George Mason University Professor Jack Goldstone, The Econo-mists Vijay Vaitheeswaran, and PBS NewsHours Hari Sreenivasan spoke about how innovation would affect the global middle class. The series continued with a luncheon roundtable on making investments in the technology sector to ensure the US long-term economic success. Information Technology Industry Council President Dean Garfield and Center for American Progress President Neera Tanden joined The New York Times Washington Bureau Chief David Leonhardt to discuss the key domestic and foreign policy issues that will influence the countrys future growth. Immigration policy is innovation policy, said Garfield. In order to develop great tools and technologies, we need access to the greatest talent in the world. Tanden agreed, not-ing that by 2020, China will have more college graduates than we, in the US, have workforce, but that, right now, the US still has an edge in innovation, as colleges in China are coming (here) to ask questions like, How do you get people to be curious?

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HAIL TO THE CHIEFSOF STAFF

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GARFIELD, LEONHARDT, AND TANDEN

BOLTEN, PODESTA, MCLARTY, DUBERSTEIN, RUMSFELD AND GERGEN

With the support of underwriter and Institute Trustee Michelle Smith, the Washington, DC-based evening events series Aspen Around Town officially launched in December to coincide with the opening of the Smithsonian American Art Museums The Civil War and American Art exhibit. The event brought together renowned authorities on the Civil War, including docu-mentarian Ric Burns, author Harold Holzer, filmmaker Ed Zwick, and museum curator Eleanor Harvey. In April, the

series presented The Inside View: A Conversation with White House Chiefs of Staff in conjunction with the National Archives. The event featured a public discussion among former White House Chiefs of Staff Joshua Bolten, Ken Duberstein, Mack McLarty, John Podesta, and Donald Rumsfeld, moderated by senior CNN political analyst and Institute Trustee David Gergen, as they recollected their time serving presidents from Gerald Ford to George W. Bush.

S u m m e r 2 0 1 3 13T H E A S P E N I D E A


Cities Offer SolutionsI believe in the power of cities to fuel innova-tive solutions to many of our greatest global challenges, said New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, head of Bloomberg Philanthropies, a partner with the Institute and The Atlantic in launching CityLab: Urban Solutions for Global Challenges. The CityLab summit will bring together city leaders and their partners from across the globe to discuss what it takes to create a vibrant, innovative, and sustainable city. The convening, from Oct. 6 to Oct. 8, will use the mayors town as its campus. The project will showcase how some of the best ideas from the worlds urban landscapes can rise up to meet global challenges in infrastructure, climate change, public safety, and economic development. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org/CityLab.

Homeland Security Group Advises on GunsIn the wake of the Newtown, Connecticut, tragedy, the Aspen Homeland Security Group invited a host of experts, ranging from top pediatric medical professionals to a former director of the CIA and FBI, to discuss gun violence and mental health issues at the Institute. The next morning, the group held its biannual meeting with US Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, following a public conversation between her and the strategy groups co-chair Jane Harman titled, From Cyber to Immigration, Terrorism to Disasters: Securing America in the Next Administration. In the more intimate setting, AHSG Executive Director Clark Ervin reported the attendees findings to Secretary Napolitano, citing the work of the 9/11 Commission as a model for further consideration of the issue. Public education campaigns, such as those for antismoking initiatives, and the use of vali-datorsincluding clergy members, celebrities, and grassroots organizationswere also suggested as methods for outreach. The recommendations underscored the need to broadcast the mental health indicators for when a firearm could greatly compromise the safety of those in the home and beyond, as well.

THE PENTAGON CONQUERS INNOVATIONPicture a boardroom, hidden deep within the hallways of the Pentagon, brimming over with leaders and policymakers from across the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Now, picture these defense experts engaging excitedly with a denim-clad Dean Kamen, renowned sci-entist, serial inventor, and celebrated genius on the art of innovation. Built on the idea that innovation is often derived from the collision of ideas across multiple disciplines, New Ideas @ OSD promotes a culture of learning across the department. The Institutes Global Alli-ances Program was asked to bring to the Pentagon leading entrepreneurs, artists, scientists, and academics to expose policymakers to perspectives beyond the defense establishment. In addition to Kamen, top brass will hear from Nobel Prize-winner and father of behavioral economics Daniel Kahneman, social-enterprise investment innovator and Henry Crown Fellow Jacqueline Novogratz, and philanthropist and global strategist Larry Brilliant.

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HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY JANET NAPOLITANO SPEAKS WITH TRUSTEE JANE HARMAN ON SETTING THE SECURITY AGENDA.

KAMEN



ART WORKS:NEW POLICY PROGRAM LAUNCHESThe Institutes longstanding commitment to arts and to social justice is about to get a new partner to deepen its work in the field. American actress, playwright, professor, and Institute Trustee Anna Deavere Smith has brought her program, ADS Works, to the Institute to create the tools to bring about an impact greater than otherwise possible. ADS Works envisions a rich mix of innovative workshops and seminars, performances and publications, residencies and fellowships, and designs for new curricula. I am also looking forward to collaborating with some of the many vibrant policy programs at Aspen. This exchange could really create a think and do tank, through which artists can get intel from policy programs, and policy programs can consider art as another form of influence and communication, says Deavere Smith, who will serve as the director of the program. Over time, we expect to become a preeminent place for producing significant works of art that make a difference in the world.

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DEAVERE SMITH

GiffordsTakes Institute by StormHurricane Sandy made landfall in New York just days before the Institutes 29th Annual Awards Dinner, chaired by Institute Trustee Mercedes T. Bass, nearly canceling it. But when it was clear that all three award-ees and 250 guests were able to attend the reception at the Plaza Hotel, the black-tie dress code was dropped, and the evening became a celebration of fortitude. Appropri-ately, the Henry Crown Leadership Award was awarded to former US Rep. Gabby Giffords, a member of the first class of the Aspen-Rodel Fellows, with a moving tribute. Following husband Mark Kellys acceptance speech, Giffords told the audience to fight, fight, fight, which was met with a roar of applause. Institute President Walter Isaacson presented phi-lanthropist David Rubenstein with the Corporate Leadership Award. For the final award at the dinner, which raised over $1 million, Institute Trustee Michael Eisner presented iconic filmmaker George Lucas with the Institutes inaugural Arts

Leadership Award. The evening ended with an onstage conversation between the two

about Lucas lifetime of moviemaking, philanthropy, and education outreach.

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VANGUARD LAUNCHES IN DCThe Washington Vanguard Chapter of the Society of Fellows provides younger professionals the opportunity to engage in inspiring and stimulating conversation with like-minded peers. Following in the footsteps of the original Vanguard program in Aspen, Colorado, created by Lauren McCloskey Elston, the Washington chapter offers opportunities for networking among contemporaries and engagement with the people and ideas that are shaping the future.


Around the Ins t i tu teF I G H T I N G P O V E R T Y

Nine Institute Poverty Programs Unite

More than 46 million Americans live in poverty, yet the path to securing a firm foothold in the middle class has never involved just one solution. Nine Institute policy programs have begun to work together to reveal the resources and expertise that the Institute has to offer to address the deepening economic crisis for low- and middle-income Americans. Each program has expertise, lessons, and connections for those working at local and national levels. Some counsel the White House; others work in rural areas or on Native American reservations. Some promote new insights on education, racial equity, and workplace skills across generations, while others still advise on jobs or wealth creation. For all, the Institute provides a unique platform to amplify messages, unite diverse groups, and change the conversation around poverty and opportunity in the US. The group will soon unveil its efforts to delve together into these difficult issues.

Two Generations Lifted TogetherThere is no one solution, Colorado Lt. Governor Joseph Garcia told the attendees of the first Aspen ThinkXChange. The event was hosted by the Institutes policy program Ascend, which works to move parents, espe-cially women, and their children beyond pov-erty toward edu cational success and economic security. We need to think in terms of igniting a social movement, Garcia said. Leaders dis-cussed demographic trends, implications of the growth of single parent families, the correla-tion between babies development and poverty, and new strategies for supporting mothers partici pation in the economy. To be success-ful, we must invest in parents, but parents also need a safe environment for their children, said Colorado Department of Human Services Executive Director and Ascend Fellow Reggie Bicha during the closing policy forum. A child with a good early environment will do better in life. Its in Americas interest to make a new investment in jobs, have strong work support, and take advantage of early learning.

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THE FIRST ANNUAL THINKXCHANGE

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POLICY LEADERS CHAMPION CHANGE FOR INDIAN COUNTRYIt has been said that bad news travels halfway around the world before good news gets its shoes on, said former Senator Byron Dorgan, founder of the Institutes Center for Native American Youth. Celebrating the second anni-versary of the program, he joined Senators Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Ark.; the Department of Interiors Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Kevin Washburn; Director of the Indian Health Service Yvette Roubideaux; and 150 tribal leaders to shine a light on the hopeful stories of Indian Country. The three-day event in March highlighted five young Native Americans as leaders in their communities, which are often defined by the highest rates of suicide of any US population, with chronically underfunded healthcare, education, and law enforcement systems. I have met good news in these five Champions for Change, and they have a power-ful message to share with our country, Dorgan said of the 14- to 22-year-olds who each turned their own obstacles into initiatives to help their peers.

SENATOR DORGAN ADDRESSES CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS ABOUT YOUNG NATIVE AMERICANS.


Around the Ins t i tu teJ O B C R E A T I O N

The Maximum Impact of the Minimum Wage

While the media seemed surprised when President Obama mentioned increasing the minimum wage in his 2013 State of the Union speech, the Institutes Economic Opportu-nities Program had long been tracking the issue. In 2011, 3.8 million American workers earned the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour or less. For a full-time year-round worker, this falls approximately $8,000 below the poverty threshold for a family of four. To focus much-needed attention on this and other matters affecting American workers, the program has launched the series Working in America. At its inaugural gathering, panelists discussed how raising the minimum wage could contribute to creating more and better-quality jobsand consumers. Venture capitalist Nick Hanauer insisted, [Minimum wage-workers] will be more prosperous, but so will the shareholders of Walmart. When every citizen in America can spend more money out at Walmart, Walmart will do more business. And when they do more business, they will be forced to hire more people.

DOMESTIC WORKERS DRIVE LABOR PRACTICES HOME

Domestic workers are part of one of the fastest growing industries in the US, yet they are largely excluded from labor protections under the Fair Labor Standards Act and face strik-ing challenges in wage allocation and working conditions. In a recent installment of the Institutes Reinventing Low-Wage Work series, National Domestic Workers Alliance Director Ai-jen Poo joined the Institutes Economic Opportunities Program and experts ranging from academia to the frontlines to discuss ideas and policies for improving job quality in this field. Poo explained, As much as it is a Wild West for workers, it can feel that way for employers, too. Citing successful advo-cacy work in New York and inroads made in California, she sees a future where healthy homes and good workforces go hand in hand.

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THE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES PROGRAM CONVENED EXPERTS TO DISCUSS WORKING CONDITIONS FOR DOMESTIC WORKERS.

HANAUER

Too Tiny to Fail?Can a food truck, home day care, or landscaper address our nations employment challenges? Recent research from FIELD, a program of the Institutes Economic Opportunities Program, tracked the experiences of almost 2,000 microbusinesses. The Microenterprise Development as Job Creation report found that these firms supported an average of 2.9 jobs, including the owners. Forty-one percent of the businesses created paid work for individuals other than the owner, and wages were an aver-age of $14 per hour. In fact, 46 percent of the jobs paid above $10.60 per hour, the level needed in 2010 to lift a family of four above the poverty line (assuming full-time work). Hows that for a little job creation over lunch?

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Around the Ins t i tu teE D U C A T I O N

The marketing group that brought you the fun Get Crackin ad campaign for Won-derful Pistachios teamed up with the Insti-tutes Education & Society Program to make the Common Core Initiative more palatable for parents. These ambitious new nationwide standards in literacy and math aim to ensure that all students are prepared for college and careers. Because the Common Core expectations are more ambitious than in the past, parents need

ASPEN PRIZE CELEBRATES TOP OF CLASS COMMUNITY COLLEGESThe benefits of community colleges are coming into sharp focus as aggregate student debt surpasses $1 trillion, and the US needs more workers with the education and skills to drive economic growth. In March, second lady Dr. Jill Biden joined the Institutes College Excellence Program to award the 2013 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence to Walla Walla Community College in Wash-ington and Santa Barbara City College in California. Immediate graduates from Walla Walla earn (on average) $42,000 per year, which is 79 percent more than other new hires in the area. At Santa Barbara, completion/four-year transfer rates are 20 percent higher than the national average, and students subsequently complete bachelors degrees at very high rates. Following an exhaustive 12-month inves-tigation of over 1,000 community colleges nationwide, the $1 million prize is awarded annually to recognize excellence, but also to draw attention to what all community col-leges can do to achieve higher levels of student achievement.

Common Core Gets Crackedinformation on why they are important and what to expect in the transition. After participating in a summer workshop on the standards, Institute Trustee Lynda Resnickand owner of Wonderful Pis-tachiosoffered to apply her marketing acumen to advance this public education reform initiative. The primer for parents was published in April, in English and Spanish, and is available for download at www.aspeninstitute.org/education.

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SECOND LADY DR. JILL BIDEN AWARDED TWO TOP COLLEGES WITH THE ASPEN PRIZE FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGE EXCELLENCE.

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Around the Ins t i tu teT H E A R T S

ART Informs ActivismIn October 2012, an illustrious roster of 30 participantsfrom 2013 Harman-Eisner Artist in Residence Yo-Yo Ma to then-Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts Rocco Landesmanmet in New York to strategize on ways society can capitalize on the unique abilities of artists. The Institutes Arts Program Director Damian Woetzel gave a call to action to this new Aspen Arts Strategy Group: We must ask: How are the arts giving to society? The program convened its second Strategy Group in Los Angeles this March, where assembled participants included contemporary artist Shepard Fairey, violinist and edu-cator Midori, Homeboy Industries founder Father Greg Boyle, and Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actress/arts education activist Alfre Woodard. People think that art is a luxury, but, in fact, its as important as those free hot lunches and making sure everyone is vaccinated, said Woodard. By doing this work in schools, were not breeding artists. Were supporting the well-being of individuals, and that changes communities, and that changes cities.

A First String Citizen ArtistAs a musician, Im trained to do two things at the same time: work toward a goal larger than myself and pay attention to the smallest pos-sible detail, said acclaimed cellist and 2013 Harman-Eisner Artist in Residence Yo-Yo Ma at a recent Institute event. I think Citizen Artists engage their communities with a similar approach, asking, What is the largest challenge facing my neighborhood, city, or country? Ma joins the Institutes Arts Program as it embarks on a series of national conversations on the role of Citizen Artistsindividuals who aim to take artistic practice beyond traditional settings, where they can serve needs and solve problems in realms including education, community building, diplomacy, and healthcare. Ma has instituted model educational programs, bring-ing the arts into the classroom, and regularly engages with students and inner-city schools while on tour. I am delighted to help catalyze a national conversation about how artists prac-tice citizenship.

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THE ASPEN ARTS STRATEGY GROUP CONVENED IN LOS ANGELES, FOLLOWING ITS NEW YORK LAUNCH.

DAMIAN WOETZEL AND YO-YO MA


Around the Ins t i tu teV E T E R A N S

The Battle on the HomefrontUS Army combat veteran, youth advocate, TV host, and author Wes Moore joined his friend Willie Geist, co-host of NBCs Today and MSNBCs Morning Joe, as part of the Institutes New York City-based series Conversations with Great Leaders in Memory of Preston Robert Tisch. The duo discussed the US Department of Veterans Affairs stag-gering average wait times for VA claims. It takes 490 days in New Orleans; 619 days in Los Angeles; in Houston, 586 days; 642 days in New York; and in Reno, Nevada, 681 days, said Geist, for veterans to collect their benefits from the time they put in their claims. Moore explained the backlog of 1 million claims is due to the fact that, 97 percent of VA claims are processed on paper! He added, We still have not figured out that you cannot make decisions about war and conflict unless you also think about what the long-term consequences and implications are going to be.

We transformed the command completely... We had to turn it upside

down so that the senior leader provided context, provided assets, and

then junior leaders made all of the decisions. And you underwrite those,

accept responsibility for what the junior leaders do...because theyre

going on the targets. ... We not only changed what we did, we changed

our culture of how we did it. Thats what Im so passionate about.

retired US Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal speaks about how leadership evolvedin the Iraq War during an Alma and Joseph Gildenhorn Book Series talk on

The New York Times best-selling memoir My Share of the Task.

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A Proper HomecomingSince 2001, 2.3 million Americans have served in a war zone, and an estimated 400,000 return home with mental illnesses, such as post-traumatic stress disorder. Invis-ible injuries are the least-known consequence of these wars, said Paul Rieckhoff, an Iraq vet-eran and CEO and founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. While only 40 percent of eligible individuals seek care at the Veterans Health Administra-tion, many private practitioners and nonmilitary-serving organiza-tions are ill-equipped to handle the health care needs of veterans and their families. In March, the Institute joined Rieckhoff and several other experts to launch its first-ever program dedicated to veterans issues, the Aspen Institute Veterans Initiative. Seek-ing to educate civilian frontline care providers, the program will release a toolbox of proven prac-tices over the next five years, not only to aid medical practitioners, but a spouse, parent, employeranyone in a supportive role for a returning veteran.

MOORE AND GEIST


Around the Ins t i tu teD I P L O M A C Y

MINISTERS FORUM GETS RESULTSAl Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb raced onto newspapers front pages around the world when a French-led military force arrived in Mali in January. While the inter-ventionwith its logistical support from the USwas well-covered, other key play-ers werent. Negative reporting on the Tuareg people in Mali convinced many that the nomadic clans were aiding al Qaeda, when, in fact, the Tuareg have attempted to hold the insurgents back before. But how do you get this story out when most major journalists dont have access to the dangerous terrain of Northern Mali? The Aspen Ministers Forum and its leader, former Secretary of State and Institute Trustee Madeleine Albright, met in Marrakesh to delve into these questions. Twenty-five former foreign ministers, including the United Kingdoms Malcolm Rifkind and former Secretary-General of the League of Arab States Amre Moussa, met with issue experts, such as former Lt. Col. Rudy Atallah, who shared the facts on the ground. As in this case, the Ministers Forum serves as a platform for new insights that spur these leaders to learn and share new perspectives, which can help make headway on the worlds major issues.

Ambassadors Assemble at WyeIn an effort to promote greater cooperation among foreign countries, the Institutes Homeland Security Program recently launched the Ambassadors Security Roundtable, a series presented in partnership with AGT International. Quarterly, a group of ambassadors from a given region is invited to meet at the Institutes Wye River campus. Ambassadors and other high-level representatives from Austria, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Geor-gia, Kosovo, Lithuania, Macedonia, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, and Ukraine met for the groups inaugural convening. Former Deputy and Acting CIA Director John McLaughlinaddressed several security themes relevant to Europe, including the uncertainty posed by the Arab Spring, the changing al Qaeda threat, and the rebalancing of China. Weeks later, the program invited the entire diplomatic corps to a luncheon at the Four Seasons in Washington for a discussion with former National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinskiconcerning the national security and foreign policy implications of the 2012 American presidential election. The attendees represented 75 countries across six continents.Fra

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MOROCCOS FORMER MINISTER MOHAMED BENAISSA AND FORMER US SECRETARY OF STATE MADELEINE ALBRIGHT

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A New Door to Bipartisanship?During the Aspen Institute Con-gressional Programs most recent international conference, a delega-tion of more than 20 senators and representatives from both sides of the aisle broke new ground with the programs first-ever trip to India. The programs director, former Congress-man and Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman, invited retired Lt. Gen. and former US Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry and former Afghan Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani, among others, to participate in the conference aimed at encouraging bipartisan relationship-building . The congressional leaders learned more about the policy impli-cations of the US pivot to Asia, the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan, and critical natural resource issues facing 21st century legislators. The confer-ence included a trip to GEs India Innovation Center in Bangalore, din-ner with 20 of Indias parliamentarians in New Delhi, and a meeting with former UN official and current Indian Minister of State for Human Resource Development Shashi Tharoor.

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Around the Ins t i tu teN E W S F R O M T H E A S P E N G L O B A L N E T W O R K

Henry Crown Fellow Works to Subtract the Digital DivideJust before resigning from her post, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton publically launched Henry Crown Fellow Ann Mei Changs Alliance for Affordable Internet. Inspired by the Fellowships goal of increasing successful entrepreneurs civic engage-ment, Chang left her senior position at Google to accept the US Department of States Franklin Fellowship. With her newfound platform, she set out to overcome the digital divide that prevents 90 percent of Africansand a disproportionate number of womenfrom accessing the Internet. The public-private partnership, which includes World Wide Web Foun-dation, Omidyar Network, Inveneo, Intel, Microsoft, and Google, works to make Internet access in the developing world more affordable through regula-tory and policy reforms that promote

market competition and efficiencies. Chang has now relocated to Nairobi to get even closer to her work.

When Hildegard Vasquez attended a UNESCO meeting as lead architect to restore Panama Citys abandoned historic center, she went to secure the areas sta-tus as a World Heritage site. Once there, she found something else she was com-mitted to even more. For me, it was all about working on wonderful architectural projects, said Vasquez, but after meeting a local woman, she realized, for her, it was about losing her home to a process of gentrification. Not long after, Vasquez, a Central America Leadership Initiative Fellow, launched CAPTA to help mar-ginalized women in Panama City gain a job, self-esteem, and a way to keep their homes. A 2012 John P. McNulty Prize finalist, Vasquezs program has trained 500 women, 75 percent of whom have moved to secure work environments. Next up for Vasquez: franchising the program.

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Central American Fellow Rebuilds LivesAlong with Buildings

CHANG

John Sarpa my close connection with the Aspen Institute began 25 years ago when I co-chaired a group of dedicated leaders of various nonprot organizations to successfully rezone the Aspen Meadows. That was a key step for the Institute in securing its long term presence in Aspen.

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Chinas Rising Stars Over the past 30 years, China has re-emerged on the world stage, lifted hundreds of millions from poverty, and built the worlds second largest economy. However, what comes next for the rising power may be its biggest challenge. This March, the Aspen Global Leadership Network launched the China Fellowship Program to energize the countrys emerging generation of entrepreneurial business leaders to help it through the next phase. Each of the 22 inaugural Fellows was selected because they have achieved real success in their careers, and yet, would like to have a broader impact. The program, made possible by a generous gift from David M. Rubenstein, is designed to guide the Fellows through a personal journey of reflection, insight, and action in an area where they have the capacity to make a difference. By rising from success to significance, each leader will be poised to assist China as it builds toward a prosperous and harmonious society.

The Winner Is After completing his first Aspen India Leadership Initiative seminar, Amit Bhatia said he heard the call to action loud and clear. By the second seminar, he had left his job as the CEO of WNS Knowledge Services. Calling on his fellow Fellows, he started Aspire Human Capital Management to train youth for successful careers. Fellows from across the ILI and Aspen Global Leadership Network have miraculously formed a tapestry of support that plays an important part in my project and my life, like a family.

Of the 320 million Indians in schools and colleges, less than 25 per-cent are prepared to enter, let alone succeed in, the workforce. For train-ing more than 60,000 Indian students in rural and semiurban areas where the need is most acute, Bhatia won the 2012 John P. McNulty Prize for an outstanding project undertaken by a network member. The for-profit company has placed over 1,000 students with top tier employers such as IBM, Infosys, and Tata Consultancy Services, but Bhatias sights are set even higher. He hopes to train over one million students by 2022 and has plans to export the Aspire model to other emerging nations. Winning the John P. McNulty Prize reinforces for me and for other Fellows that moving from thought to action is not stepping down, as I once feared, he said. But indeed it is stepping up.

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THE FIRST CLASS OF CHINA FELLOWS

TRAINEES AT ASPIRE HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT



International AffairsAn international delegation, which represents eight international partners of the Aspen Institute, met in New Delhi last fall for an annual three-day committee meeting. Aspen Institute India hosted the group, which participated in roundtable discussions on

Media and Democracy and Indian Entrepreneurship led by Fellows from the India Leadership Initia-tive. The International Symposium in India provided a forum for close interaction with some key govern-ment officials and leaders in the political and business world, said Aspen Institute India Director Kiran Pasricha. In addition to a trip to the Presidential Palace, the representatives from India, Roma-nia, Prague, Japan, Spain, France, Germany, Italy, and the US met members of parliament from differ-ent political parties, the countrys minister of state for communica-tions and IT, and Trustees from the local Institute.

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Tuning up a Few New Voices Journalists generally have a rule of thumb: whatever you cover, consult with the people who know the topic best. While legions of experts can speak on development issues, very few come from the develop-ing worldcreating a conversation short on personal experience. To help broaden the discussion, the Insti-tute has launched the New Voices Fellowship, a pro-gram aimed at identifying 10 to 12 trailblazing experts from Africa and other parts of the developing world to help them reach a broader audience with traditional media training, social media skills building, story-framing, and public speaking. Over the next few years donors and governments will make decisions to fund, or not fund, major investments in research, global health, and sustainability, said Peggy Clark, executive director of Aspen Global Health and Devel-opment, which launched the program in January with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The New Voices Fellows will give insight into the most critical programs, solutions and innovations based on their own experiences and research.

THE NEW VOICES FELLOWSHIP HELPS EXPERTS FROM DEVELOPING COUNTRIES AMPLIFY THEIR FIRSTHAND INSIGHTS.

ASPEN INSTITUTE INDIA HOSTED THE INSTITUTES INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS LAST FALL.

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Around the Ins t i tu teC O M E A N D J O I N U S

Secure the DateFrom July 17 to 20, leading experts in national and homeland security will come together for the Aspen Security Forum on the Institutes Aspen Meadows campus. The discussions will focus on international issues facing the homeland security com-munity, including the prospect of a nuclear Iran, the civil war in Syria, saber-rattling on the Korean peninsula, the rise of China, and the growth of al Qaeda in Africa. In the wake of Boston, another focus will be the newly stimulated concerns about homegrown terrorism, and the vulnerability of soft targets, said Clark Ervin, director of the Institutes Homeland Security Program. The opening talk will feature US Air Force Chief of Staff General Mark Welsh III in conversation with CNNs Wolf Blitzer.

The Aspen LeadersAction Forum

is a new signature event

(July 29 to Aug. 1) designed to

connect Fellows from the Aspen

Global Leadership Network and

other entrepreneurial leaders. Public

sessions will spotlight some of the

350 individiuals, all committed to

making a positive impact, from more

than 30 countries. The Resnick

Family Foundation provided major

funding for this annual event.

Dan

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BLITZER AND MCRAVEN AT THE 2012 ASPEN SECURITY FORUM

Fall Awards in New York CityThis fall will mark the Institutes 30th Annual Awards Dinner, which will once again be celebrated at the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan on Nov. 7, 2013. The evening will honor the distinguished leadership of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and acclaimed jazz musi-cian, educator, and arts advocate Wynton Marsalis. The Institute is extremely grateful to dinner chair Mercedes T. Bass for her contin-ued leadership and support of this important highlight on the Insti-tutes annual calendar.Da

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MARSALIS

The Franklin Project Launches Inspired by Gen. Stanley McChrystals vision of large-scale civilian national service, first mentioned at the 2012 Aspen Ideas Festival, the Institute has launched a new initiative to help make the idea a reality. The Frank-lin Project is bring-ing together leaders from all walks of life to answer this ques-tion: How do we make at least a year of national service a common expectation and opportunity for all Americans? said pro-gram chairman John Bridgeland. With nearly one million people already apply-ing for national service opportunities, and most of them being turned away, our country needs to do a better job harnessing this energy and talent to solve our nations toughest problems. The Franklin Projects plan of action will be unveiled at the first-ever 21st Century National Service Summit from June 24 to 25, on the Institutes Aspen Meadows campus.

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Around the Ins t i tu teC O M E A N D J O I N U S

Summer Awards in AspenOn Aug. 3, the Institute will host its 20th Annual Summer Celebration benefit. Awardees Salman Khan, author and Khan Academy founder, and Henry Paulson, 74th US sec-retary of the Treasury, will be featured at a public program in the Greenwald Pavilion at the Aspen Meadows campus. A dinner-gala will follow in the Doerr-Hosier Center at the Aspen Meadows campus. Ann and John Doerr and Ann and Tom Friedman will co-chair this annual event. Tickets are available at www.aspeninstitute.org/summercelebration.

SOCRATES CELEBRATESPlease join us to celebrate the Socrates Program on Saturday, July 6, at the Doerr-Hosier Center on the Aspen Meadows campus. Institute President Walter Isaacson will host a conversation with Google Ideas Director Jared Cohen on the foreign policy value and impact of technology called Breaking Borders in the Digital Age. The evening will also feature a tribute to TeleSoft Partners founder and Managing Partner Arjun Gupta, who has enthusiasti-cally supported the programs growth and success. Peter Hirshberg, Adib and Kerry Nasle, Marsha Ralls, and Bill Resnick will co-chair the dinner. For tickets and more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org/socratesdinner.

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A SALUTE ON INDEPENDENCE DAY

When the late Corning Glass industrialist Arthur A. Houghton, Jr. donated an 1,100-acre parcel on Marylands Eastern Shores Wye River to the Institute in 1979, he was careful to ensure that the propertys legacy be celebrated every year. The grounds once belonged to William Paca, a Declaration of Independence signatory and the third governor of Maryland. To honor his contributions, which include drafting the first Bill of Rights for the state and championing a federal Bill of Rights, the Institute and Queen Annes County Historical Society host a free event, open to the public, every July 4 on the grounds of the Aspen Wye River Conference Center. Come this year at 11 am for the laying of the wreath on the grave of the patriot and hear a historical account of the formation of a more perfect union.

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Around the Ins t i tu teM E D I A M A T T E R S

STATE OF RACEThe Institutes Communications and Society Programs third annual Symposium on the State of Race in America at the Newseum drew actress, playwright, and Institute Trustee Anna Deavere Smith; author and historian Taylor Branch; and Mayor of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Lisa Wong, among many others. Juan Williams of Fox News, Ray Suarez of PBS, and Jos Diaz Balart of Telemundo moderated panels for the event. We are not a racist society. But it is intensely racialized, and we dont talk about it, said Branch. Symposium participants explored ways that faith-based commu-nities, attitudes of youth, and media shape race relations. Panelists discussed possible steps toward moving America from a racialized society to a nation devoid of racial discrimination and disparities. The surge of diversity has not been matched by surge of inclusion, said David Cohen, executive vice president of Comcast Corporation, which partnered with the Institute to host the event.

NBCS KAREN HORNE AND BRIAN YANG, OF "HAWAII FIVE-O" FAME, DISCUSS THE STATE OF RACE IN AMERICA.

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FCC Chairman Comes to Institute as Senior FellowFederal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski became the fifth consecu-tive FCC chairman to become a senior fellow at the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program upon his resignation from the agency. Since the spring of 2013, Genachowski has advised on the Institutes communications policy programs, including the new China Initiative that it is under-taking. I appreciate the Institutes ability to con-vene government, business, and non-profit leaders to address the impact of digital technologies on many of the worlds most vexing problems, he said. Genachowski has been a frequent participant in Communications and Society roundtables over the past several years.

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Around the Ins t i tu teG E T C O N N E C T E D

Ideas Fest at Your FingertipsCant get to the Aspen Ideas Festival this summer? Or perhaps youll be there, but dont want to miss a beat? Either way, you can keep up with all of the content in real time, or after the fact. During the week of the festival, June 26 to July 2, the Institute will offer a live feed of a selection of key sessions. Download AIFs new 2013 app to receive notifications for when various sessions are about to broadcast. Not able to watch at that time? Find the downloadable content on aspenideas.org and iTunes U at your viewing leisure. Also follow the festival via social media on twitter.com/aspenideas and facebook.com/aspenideas.

Aspen on HuffPostAt the heart of its millions of page views, likes, and shares, the Huffington Post is committed to using its platform to promote social change. In the Impact section, HuffPost empowers nonprofits to use their voices to enhance a dialogue and help scale innovation. Now, as a result of conversations between Huffington Post Co-founder Arianna Huffington and Institute President Walter Isaacson, HuffPost and the Institute are coming together to further the goal of turning thought into action. Were combining the power of HuffPosts platform with the Institutes commitment to fundamental change in the education, policy, and health of our civil discourse, said Huffington. Look for ideas and opinions from Institute directors, Fellows, panelists, and other well-known experts in the form of debates, op-eds, videos, and commentary on some of the most important issues of the day as the partnership takes form over the summer months.

Whats Your Aspen Idea?At the Institute, were regularly trying to bring together top thinkers and leaders from various fields to convene and discuss pressing issues. One of our goals is to take these conversations to a broader audience and engage more people in the dialogue. The #myAspenidea campaign is a photo project aimed at taking the best ideas from our experts, speakers, guests, and social-media followers and sharing them on Twitter and Facebook. How would you tackle the challenges facing society? Send your idea to @aspeninstitute on Twitter or Facebook.com/aspeninstitute using #myAspenidea. Or tear out the opposite page, write the idea down, and post a photo of yourself with it so we can share your thought with the Institutes wide-reaching digital community.

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Encouraging Nonpartisan

Dialogue

SCHOLARS & SCHO

I see my support as a path for advancing civil dialogue so that we can address the endemic problems that exist in our society in a more effective manner. David Nevins has committed a bequest of $1 million to support a range of programs across the Aspen Institute. Nevins was inspired by the Institutes Rodel Fellowships in Public Leadership Program, which promotes bipartisanship among rising political leaders. In addition to his generous bequest, Nevins has pledged an outright gift of $100,000 to help fund an inaugural reunion of Rodel Fellows.

With a grant of $400,000, The Diane and Bruce Halle Foundation has established an endowed fund that will bring emerging leaders to the Justice and Society Programs seminar in Aspen. Halle Scholars will be chosen from organizations focusing on family law, domestic violence, and sex-trafficking prevent ion, del i ver ing v i ta l services to women, children, and families in need.

DRIVE CHANGE.

www.aspeninstitute.org/campaign

Enriching the Conversation About Justice

Empowering Youth to Lead

Given the opportunity, young people will seize our worlds most pressing issues with urgency and creativity.Jackie and Mike Bezos are true believers in the promise of young people. With a $700,000 grant from the Bezos Family Foundation, they helped launch, initially in Los Angeles, a new program called the Aspen Challenge (see pages 58-64), to give young people and their educators a platform to learn from global visionaries, collaborate with each other around critical issues, and pioneer solutions to transform their communities.

The SOF Connection

Domestic violence, an ancient problem, remains a critical issue in the 21st century. We are excited to work with the Institute to bring it to the forefront of our discourse.

Karen and Greg AmadonStuart M. BrafmanBunni and Paul CopakenLauren and Ryan ElstonThomas H. FagadauDiane and Bruce HalleLinda McCausland andPeter NicklinBonnie P. McCloskeyStephanie and Michael NaidoffDavid L. NevinsLinda SandrichVictoria Smith

Co-ChairsMargot PritzkerWilliam E. Mayer

Society of Fellows Campaign Steering

Scholars & Scholarships

Campaign Committee Society of Fellows members have already made generous gifts that capture the spirit of Scholars & Scholarships.

CommitteeMercedes BassWalter IsaacsonAnne Welsh McNultyRobert K. Steel

Paul

Mar

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Committee

LARSHIPSwww.aspeninstitute.org/campaign

CAMPAIGN TO SECURE OUR FUTUREThe Aspen Institute has launched Scholars & Scholarships, the most far-reaching campaign in our history. As global challenges increase in complexity and scale, the Institute is poised to engage more people more deeply, and to advance values-based leadership around the world. The Campaign aims to fund a range of programs across the Institute, and with generous gifts of all sizes, has raised $45 million toward the $75 million goal.

Dan Bayer / The Aspen Institute


Read ing Room

Joseph and AlmaGildenhorn Book Series Colin Powell Former US Secretary of State It Worked For Me: In Life and LeadershipHarper, 2012

Congress can be a difficult institution to work with, but thats the way the Founding Fathers intended it to be. Our Founding Fathers could sit in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787 for just a couple of months and create a Constitution that put in place the powers of the Senate, the responsibilities of the House, how an army worked, how a navy worked, what a president does, a court system. And they did it all as a group of men who had strong feelings, very strong feelings, but they understood that no matter how strong their feelings were, they had to com-promise or you gained no con-sensus, nothing happens. And I keep admiring what these gentlemen were able to do.

Best-Selling Authors Discuss Their Books at the InstituteIn Washington, DC, the cornerstone Alma and Joseph Gildenhorn Book Series hosted an education pioneer and an experienced US foreign relations expert. The Justice and Society Program presented a trailblazing former Supreme Court justice.

Joseph and Alma Gildenhorn Book SeriesSalman Khan Founder, The Khan Academy One-World Schoolhouse: Education ReimaginedTwelve Books, 2012

If you ask students or parents why theyre paying $200,000 for their childrens degrees, theyll say its because they have to have it if they want to have a white-collar job. Theyre paying for that credential. Ask a university why its so worthy, and theyll say its the research facilities, the experiences, the community we have on campus. And so this is a major transaction we have going on where the buyer and seller think they are buying and sell-ing two different things.

Justice and Society Program EventSandra Day OConnorRetired US Supreme Court JusticeOut of OrderRandom House, 2013

I dont think youll find a consensus from my colleagues [on the Supreme Court] that you should watch public opinion polls. In your subconscious mind, does public opinion work its way in? I felt a greater sense of satisfaction if the court had not reached a point of view contrary to the public opinion. If it is a really significant issue, it is help-ful for the public to see unanimity. In the case of gay marriage in an ideal world, youd hope that the decision would be unanimous, as it is helpful to the public in accepting a decision. I never like to see the court take a position that is wildly opposed to public opinion. That is scary.

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Freedom of thought and debate has been the cornerstone of groundbreaking ideas, technological breakthroughs, and conict resolution for centuries. Booz Allen Hamilton, a leader in consulting and technology for 99 years, is proud to sponsor the Aspen Ideas Festivalwhere ideas become the catalyst for change. See our ideas in action at boozallen.com/aspen

Provocative thinkers.

Open dialogue.

Powerful ideas.


Winter Words 2013The Aspen Writers Foundations Winter Words Series featured todays most prominent up-and-coming writers.

Kevin PowersAuthorThe Yellow BirdsLittle, Brown, and Company, 2012

I grew up in Virginia where it is not partic-ularly uncommon to go into the military but I definitely wanted some kind of life experience. I felt like the life I was living in Chesterfield, Virginia, seemed very small. There was definitely an element of wanting adventure, wanting excitement, to broaden my understanding of the worldsee more, see what was out there. I guess, in a way, I thought I was a shy kid, not particularly con-fident in my own ability to achieve my goals. I thought [the army would] toughen me up and show me how to get stuff donemaybe not in the way I would have predicted, but being freed from this idea of failure, this fear of what happens if I write and nobody likes it After I got back [from Iraq] and I decided that I really wanted to give it a shot, I said, Well, if nobody likes my writing, at least they arent going to shoot at me.

Cheryl StrayedAuthorWild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest TrailVintage, 2013

[Hiking] the Pacific Crest Trail gave me an opportu-nity to reimagine myself. I had no other choice. I was schooled by the trail. I went out there really seeking spiritual rejuvena-tion and emotional heal-ing. The image I had of that was if there were a soundtrack, it would be that nice music when youre getting a massage. I imagined that I would be in nature, and I would be watching the sunsets, and I would be reflecting deeply, thinking about how everything was really so beautiful. And, instead, I got out there and thought: Where the [expletive] is the water? A lot of curse words. And I was forced out of the head and the heart and into the body.

Karen RussellAuthorSwamplandia! Knopf, 2011Vampires in the Lemon GroveKnopf, 2013

One problem I have with underdog stories and the way that we love them in this culture is the flip side of that individualism. Were never going to look at what we are complicit in these structural forces that create underdogs in the first place.

Dan

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POWERS

RUSSELL

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Spot l ight On Soc ie ty o f Fe l lows

Society of Fellows members enjoyed an array of offerings over the winter months. Mickey Edwards, director of the Institutes Aspen Rodel Fellowship Program, spoke of restoring civility in Congress at an evening discussion, while Pulitzer-Prize-winning author Tom Friedman addressed Syria and the Middle East at the annual holiday reception. Patagonia CEO Casey Sheahan spoke to the Aspen-based Vanguard Chapter about values-driven leadership. This winters symposia, created especially for the Institutes key donor group, took a close examination of two timely issues: the US Supreme Court and President Lincolns legacy. In February, Goldstein & Russell, PCs Thomas Goldstein and The New Republics Jeffrey Rosen led an exploration of the Supreme Court. Goldstein provided participants daily updates as the Court was in session, offering an insiders perspective on three pressing cases: same-sex marriage, the Voting Rights Act, and affirmative action. As Rosen, a professor of law at George Washington University and the recently announced president of the National Constitu-tion Center, commented, This term, the Supreme Court addresses who gets to vote, to go to college, and to marry. In March, noted Abraham Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer and US Naval Academy Professor Emeritus Craig Symonds led a timely dis-cussion of lessons of leadership and contemporary concerns of partisanship and civility, examining the legacy of President Lincoln. And, in April, the Society of Fellows Day in DC provided a lively exploration of the Institutes policy and leadership efforts at our Washington-based headquarters.

Insider Access: From Syria to the Supreme Court

Society of Fellows is an engaged community of donors who both support our work and participate in our programs. To learn more, see www.aspeninstitute.org/society-fellows.

INSTITUTE CHAIRMAN ROBERT K. STEEL AND JOURNALIST TOM FRIEDMAN

SUMMER EVENTSOpening Reception and Symposium:The Legacy of the Great American

SongbookJune 22

with bandleader Peter Duchin,The National Jazz Museum in Harlem

Director Loren Schoenberg, and Aspen Music Festival and

School President Alan Fletcher

An Inclusive America: Does Religion Still Divide Us?

July 11with author David Campbell

SOF Vanguard Reception: Empowering the Poor in the Digital Age

July 11with Leila Janah, Founder and CEO,

Samasource

The Korean Peninsula Aug. 58

with Ambassador Joseph DeTrani

Summer Reception Aug. 10

The Rise of TurkeyAug. 12

with Soli zel

Thoughts on the Good Life: Aug. 2023

with former Levi Strauss-USA President Pete Thigpen

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JOIN US!

The Society of Fellows is an engaged community of individuals who play a central role in our events and programs.

Members Receive: Donor exclusive luncheons, receptions

and symposia throughout the year.

Invitation-only gatherings in Aspen, New York, & Washington, D.C.

Advanced notice and special registration for public programming and events.

Special updates and a direct hotline for information and reservations.

Memberships are a tax-deductible contribution that help sustain the work of the Aspen Institute.

For Information contact Peter Waanders, Director of the Society of Fellows 970/544-7912 or [email protected]

www.aspeninstitute.org/SOF

Vanguard Chapter for young donorsThe Vanguard Chapter of the Society of Fellows provides younger donors the opportunity to

engage in inspiring and stimulating conversation with like-minded peers, while being a part

of the Society of Fellows.


Spot l ight On Seminars

Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human person-ality is unjust. In 16 simple words, Martin Luther King Jr. captured much of the spirit of conversation in the Aspen Seminar on Leadership, Values, and the Good Soci-ety. Kings Letter from Birmingham Jail seems to have entered the Aspen Executive Seminar curriculum in 1966, just three years after its composition.

On this seminal 50th anniversary, it remains a central text in the Aspen Seminars exploration of enlightened leadership and timeless values. Kings words are a touch-stone for judging not only law, but any decision. They are also a call to explore the challenging complexities that confront those who aim to practice leadership with jus-tice and dignity. Is there a higher law, as King claims? If so, where does it come from? How do we know it? What duties does it place on us? Kings measured, principled, and resolute Letter places us explicitly in the Great Conversation about what it means to be a good human being and a good citizen. There is no better way to celebrate Kings Letter than to spend a week in a seminar with his words and the authors who inspired him in this intellectual and political classic.

50th Anniversary of Kings Letter from Birmingham Jail

Seminars challenge leaders in every field to think more critically and deeply about their impact on the world. To learn more, see page 104.

UPCOMING SEMINARS

ASPEN SEMINARLeadership, Values, and the

Good SocietyJune 2228 (Wye River)

Aug. 1016 (Aspen)

Aug. 2430 (Aspen)

Sept. 2127 (Aspen)

Oct. 511 (Wye River)

ASPEN ROMANIA SEMINAR FOR LEADERSMay 30June 2

(Predeal, Romania)

ASPEN ESPAA SEMINAR Transatlantic Values at a

CrossroadsOct. 2427 (Ronda, Spain)

WYE ACADEMIC PROGRAMS Citizenship in the American and

Global Polity Deans Seminar: June 913

(Wye River)

Faculty Seminar: July 2026

(Wye River)

Contact Todd BreyfogleDirector of Seminars

[email protected] 202-341-7803

www.aspeninstitute.org/aspenseminar

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

Common CoreDo What It Takes

Before High StakesWe would never expect a doctor to perform a new medical

procedure without being trained in it or provided with the necessary

instruments. But thats exactly what were expecting teachers to do.

As our schools move toward implementing the new Common Core

State Standards, educators are being expected to prepare their

students for high-stakes tests connected to the standards before

theyve received the necessary training, support and time. Results

from those tests will be used to determine if students advance or

are held back, to designate school performance, and to determine

whether schools stay open or are shut down.

How does that make sense?

Until the Common Core standards are properly implemented and

field-tested, the only responsible approach is to impose a moratorium

on attaching high stakes to Common Core assessments.

The AFT and our members strongly support the Common Core

standards. If implemented properly and in partnership with

educators, they can transform teaching and learning and provide all

children with the problem-solving, critical-thinking and teamwork

skills they need to compete in todays changing world. But proper

implementation must come first.

Join the thousands of educators and community members who

have already sent letters to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and

to their state commissioners of education supporting a moratorium.

Visit http://go.aft.org/brakesonstakes.

For more information about the Common Core State Standards, visit

http://go.aft.org/moratorium.

If were able to step on the accelerator of high-quality implementation of the Common Core standards and put the brakes on the stakes, we can take advantage of this opportunity and guarantee that deeper and more rigorous standards will help lead to higher achievement for all our children.

Randi Weingarten, PresidentAmerican Federation of Teachers


Spot l ight On Socra tes

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The changing American Dream, telecommuting, and work-life balance have recently dominated the news cycle, and were also central to the three Socrates Seminars in Aspen, Colorado, over Presi-dents Day weekend. During an evening fireside chat, the Center for Global Develop-ments Charles Kenny asked the incoming president of the New America Foundation, Anne-Marie Slaughter, about both the drawbacks and benefits of technology. She responded that her son once drew her, not as a person, but as a laptop in a family portrait. Bill Powers, author of The New York Times best-selling book Hamlets BlackBerry, moderated a seminar on information overload and big data. Tech entrepreneur and

It All Clicks!

The Socrates Program provides a forum for emerging leaders to explore contemporary issues. To learn more, see page 104.

UPCOMING EVENTS

JULY 58, 2013Summer Socrates Seminars In Aspen

The US Generation Gap: A Tale of Two Countries

moderated by David Leonhardt

The Big Shift: How We Learn, Work, and Innovate in a Digital World moderated

by John Seely Brown

A Lifetime of Well-Being moderated by

Madeline Levine

Sustainably Feeding the World and Protecting the

Earth moderated by Dan Glickman

The New Global Middle Class: How Will Rising Consumption Transform Innovation, Trade and

Markets? moderated by Jack Goldstone

JULY 6, 2013Socrates Benefit Dinner,

Aspen Honoring Arjun Gupta

Keynote Jared Cohen with Walter Isaacson

OCTOBER 2526, 2013Washington, DC, Salon

NOVEMBER 89, 2013New York, NY, Salon

KENNY AND SLAUGHTER

participant Marc Porat sug-gested, The edge of creepi-ness is where we want to be, shedding light on the values, whether shared or not, that will impact the future. In Kennys seminar on happiness economics in the workforce, participants debated the psy-chological effects of constant communication. Participants discussed how technology will affect opportunities for equal-ity and mass economic growth during Slaughters seminar on the American Dream. The weekend drew a diverse group from across the US and eight additional countries.

For those who cant make it to Aspen for a long week-end, Socrates offers a daylong taste of the seminar in select US cities. Overlooking Chi-cagos Millennium Park this

past May, Santa Monicas coastline in February, and fall foliage in New York City last November, the Socrates program engaged alumni

and new participants in its burgeoning network. In Chicago, Henry Crown Fellow John Rogers interviewed MIT Pro-fessor Leigh Hafrey on leadership in the 21st century at a reception hosted by Institute

Trustee Clare Muana and Ariel Investments. In

Los Angeles, Institute Trustee Marc Nathanson and wife, Jane, graciously opened their art-filled home for a reception and conversation on journal-ism in the digital age with American Public Medias Kai Ryssdal and University of Southern California Annen-berg School for Communica-tion and Journalisms Geneva Overholser. The next day, she moderated a seminar on the impact of disrupters in media. In New York, George Mason University public pol-icy professor Jack Goldstone and Pulitzer-Prize-winning author Hedrick Smith addressed the American Dream in a debate on the economic, social, and political circumstances that challenge the countrys historical narra-tive. The program also went abroad with two seminars in Madrid with Aspen Institute Espaa in April.


Spot l ight On Aspen Communi ty Programs

The Resnick Young Scholars Fund, created to honor Institute Trustee Lynda Resnick and her husband Stewart, was launched as a way for friends and associates to help further leverage the generosity the couple has shown to so many. Over Presidents Day weekend, the Institute welcomed its first Resnick Young Scholars to Aspen. Thanks to donations made by Amy and Gilchrist Berg, Fred and Marlene Malek, the Resnicks, Ann and Ed Hudson, and Kay and Matthew Bucksbaum, three students made the trip from Paramount Bard Academy in Delano, California, to take part in the Institutes Teen Socrates program, a rigorous three-day seminar that covers a different topic annually. The weekend engaged 23 students in total, including scholarship recipients from local schools, as well as students from around the country. Moderated by MIT professor Leigh Hafrey, the seminar, titled Restless Minds: Art, Ethics, Free-

The Institute hosts dozens of year-round events for the Roaring Fork Valley community, with some of its most inspiring programs focused on the youngest emerging leaders. To learn more, see page 106.

Inspiring Programs Focus on the Youngest Leaders

dom, explored the relation-ship among our creative, rule-making, self-assertive, and self-transcendent impulses. Gifts can be made in any amount to fund par-tial or full scholarships, as well as travel and lodging for students who live outside of the Roaring Fork Valley.

In an effort to give even more young leaders the tools to soar, the Institute welcomed 24 high school students from six Aspen-area schools to its Hurst Student Seminar: High School Great Ideas program

in Fall 2012. Because of the generous support of Bob and Soledad Hurst, we are now able to offer these seminars for high school and middle school students into perpetuity, said Cristal Logan, director of Aspen Community Programs. The four-day gathering is dedicated to enhancing leadership, problem-solving, and critical-thinking skills for high school students living in the Roaring Fork Val-ley. Moderated in traditional Socratic style by expert moderator Lee Bycel, students read selections by such authors as Plato, Aristotle, Virginia Woolf, and Martin Luther King Jr., among others. The experience I had at this seminar is almost indescribable, said one past high school participant. I will carry this wisdom and passion for knowledge with me for the rest of my life. School admin-istrators, teachers, and counselors choose students to participate. Upcoming 2013 Hurst Seminars will take place in June, October, and December.

THE RESNICK YOUNG SCHOLARS FUND BROUGHT THREE STUDENTS FROM CALIFORNIAS CENTRAL VALLEYSHOWN HERE WITH LYNDA RESNICKTO THE TEEN SOCRATES PROGRAM. The 2014

Aspen ChildrensForumJuly 10 July 12Aspen, CO

The biennial Aspen Childrens

Forum convenes philanthropists

committed to advancing the

health and well-being of children.

More information is available at www.aspenchildrensforum.org


Spot l ight On Ideas in Act ion

Joyce Banda, president of Malawi for just over a year, is already a beacon of hope for that desper-ately poor country, and for good governance generally across a

continent long plagued by the opposite. She has captured the worlds attention in short order.

Early dramas helped raise her profile beyond the borders of her small, densely populated, but usually overlooked, coun-try. She revealed how she barely escaped assassination by her predecessor, and 10 senior government officials were arrested for attempting to prevent her democratic ascent to office. But neither those things, nor her gender in a male-dominated cul-ture, are the reasons so much is already expected of her. She also put Malawis

presidential jet and its fleet of limousines up for sale: In a country where 80 percent of its people live on less than $2 a day and the majority cant even afford a bicycle, and with politics widely associated with self-enrichment, this move was powerful in its symbolism. But it has been her strong policies and brave decisions that have bred optimism in a country long weary of empty promises from its leaders or from the inter-national donor community.

Malawi is half across the river, and the other bank is within reach, said Interna-tional Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde, when she visited Malawi in early Januaryone of only two African nations on her tour. She praised Banda for moving to devalue Malawis

Documents

Aspen Idea Magazine Summer 2013 Issue