TheWoodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (WWICS) orWilson Center is aWashington, D.C.–basedthink tank dedicated to research and policy discussions on global issues. Established by an act of Congress in 1968, it serves as both apresidential memorial toWoodrow Wilson and a part of theSmithsonian Institution.[2] The Wilson Center describes itself as nonpartisan and provides a forum for scholars and policymakers to address critical international and domestic challenges.[2]
 | |
 Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C., where the Wilson Center is headquartered | |
| Abbreviation | Wilson Center |
|---|---|
| Established | 1968; 57 years ago (1968) |
| Type | Nonprofit organization (501(c)(3)) |
| 52-1067541 | |
| Legal status | United States Presidential Memorial |
| Headquarters | Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center |
| Location |
|
President emerita and distinguished fellow | Jane Harman |
Key people | Joe Asher (board chairman) |
| Affiliations | Smithsonian Institution |
| Website | www |
The Wilson Center has been recognized as a leading global think tank. In 2020, theThink Tanks and Civil Societies Program ranked it as the 10th most influential think tank worldwide.[3] It conducts research on international relations, security, economics, and governance, producing reports and hosting discussions that shape policy debates.
On March 15, 2025, PresidentDonald Trump signed an executive order calling for the elimination of several federal entities, including the Wilson Center.[4] The order directed the reduction of functions and personnel across affected institutions to the minimum required by law.[5] On April 1, 2025,Mark Green resigned as president and CEO, a day afterDOGE's visit to the center.[6]
Organization
editThe Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars was established within theSmithsonian Institution, but it has its own board of trustees, composed both of government officials and of people from private life appointed by thepresident of the United States. It publishes a digital magazine, theWilson Quarterly.[7][8]
The center is apublic–private partnership with approximately one-third of the center's operating funds coming annually from an appropriation of theU.S. government. The center is housed in a wing of theRonald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, a federal office building where the center has a 30-year rent-free lease. The remainder of the center's funding comes from foundations, grants, contracts, corporations, individuals, endowment income, and subscriptions.[9][10]
The center has faced challenges in recent years. In March 2017, President Trump proposed a budget that called for eliminating federal funding for the center, reflecting a recommendation issued by theHeritage Foundation earlier that year.[11][12] In November 2022, the Russian government labeled the center an "undesirable organization" under Russian law, barring its activities in the country.[13] TheHeritage Foundation again called for eliminating federal appropriations to the center in its "Budget Blueprint for FY2023", estimating savings of between $16 million and $21 million per year.
Administration
editThe board of trustees, currently chaired byBill Haslam, is appointed to six-year terms by theU.S. president.[14]
The board of directors include Haslam, vice chairDrew Maloney, private citizen membersNick Adams, Thelma Duggin,Brian Hook,David Jacobson,Timothy Pataki, Alan N. Rechtschaffen,Louis Susman. Public members includeAntony Blinken,Lonnie Bunch,Miguel Cardona,David Ferriero,Carla Hayden,Shelly Lowe,Xavier Becerra.[14]
On January 28, 2021,Mark Andrew Green was announced as the Wilson Center's new president, director, and CEO, and he began his term on March 15, 2021.[15]
On January 20, 2025,Donald Trump announced onTruth Social thatBrian Hook was fired.[16][17]
Programs
editMost of the center's staff form specialized programs and projects covering broad areas of study.[18] Key programs include theCold War International History Project,Environmental Change and Security Program,History and Public Policy Program,Kennan Institute, theKissinger Institute, and theNorth Korea International Documentation Project.[19]
See also
edit- A National Strategic Narrative, a report published by the center in 2011
- Presidential memorials in the United States
References
edit- ^"Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars".USA.gov. RetrievedApril 30, 2022.
- ^ab"About the Wilson Center". Woodrow Wilson Center. RetrievedMay 22, 2023.
- ^McGann, James G. (January 28, 2021)."2020 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report" – via repository.upenn.edu.
- ^"Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy".The White House. March 15, 2025. RetrievedMarch 15, 2025.
- ^Gangitano, Alex (March 15, 2025)."Trump signs order to dismantle seven federal agencies focused on media, libraries, homelessness".The Hill. RetrievedMarch 15, 2025.
- ^Kavi, Aishvarya; Wong, Edward (April 3, 2025)."Musk's Task Force Begins Shutting Down Foreign Policy Research Center".The New York Times.ISSN 0362-4331. RetrievedApril 3, 2025.
- ^"Woodrow Wilson Center Established". Smithsonian Institution. RetrievedNovember 18, 2023.
- ^"When Goods Cross Borders".Wilson Quarterly. RetrievedAugust 6, 2023.
- ^"Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Plan for Federal Funding Hiatus"(PDF). Woodrow Wilson Center. August 2015. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on January 21, 2017. RetrievedFebruary 4, 2019.
- ^"990 Forms/Budgets". Woodrow Wilson Center. RetrievedAugust 6, 2023.
- ^Parker, Kelly; Watson, Dan (March 16, 2017)."These are the 19 agencies Trump would stop funding entirely".Los Angeles Times. RetrievedMarch 17, 2025.
- ^Restuccia, Andrew (March 16, 2017)."Trump budget would wipe out dozens of programs".Politico. RetrievedMarch 17, 2025.
- ^"Woodrow Wilson Int'l Center for Scholars designated undesirable in Russia - Prosecutor General's Office".Interfax. November 11, 2022.
- ^ab"Leadership". February 7, 2023.
- ^"Wilson Center Names Ambassador Mark Green as Next President, Director and CEO". Woodrow Wilson Center. RetrievedJanuary 29, 2021.
- ^Timotija, Filip (January 21, 2025)."Trump fires 4 Biden appointees, including his own former Iran envoy".The Hill.Archived from the original on January 23, 2025. RetrievedJanuary 23, 2025.
- ^Trump, Donald (January 20, 2025)."Jose Andres from the President's Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, Mark Milley from the National Infrastructure Advisory Council, Brian Hook from the Wilson Center for Scholars, and Keisha Lance Bottoms from the President's Export Council—YOU'RE FIRED!".Archived from the original on January 21, 2025. RetrievedJanuary 23, 2025.
- ^"Programs @ The Woodrow Wilson Center". Woodrow Wilson Center. Archived fromthe original on June 29, 2011. RetrievedFebruary 1, 2014.
- ^"Programs". Woodrow Wilson Center. RetrievedJune 8, 2023.
External links
edit
Media related toWoodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars at Wikimedia Commons
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