October 9 — “From Mother State to Civil Society: The Impact of Foundations on Germany Today”
Few institutions have been more influential for the development of German democracy than its many foundations or stiftungen. Michael Göring, head o f one of the biggest, has written THE book about German Foundations.
When: Thursday, October 9th 3:00 – 4:00 pm
Where: Walker Conference Room 2nd Floor Walker Plaza 719 Indiana Avenue Indianapolis
Prof. Dr. Michael Göring is CEO and president of the board of the Hamburg-based foundation ZEIT-Stiftung Ebelin und Gerd Bucerius. Since 2000, he has been honorary professor at the Cultural and Media Management Institute at the Hamburg School of Music and Theatre.
From the website of Zeit Stuftung:
The liberal spirit of Hamburg and Gerd Bucerius’ unflagging willingness to embrace the new – it is these two sources of inspiration that define the Ebelin and Gerd Bucerius ZEIT-Stiftung. Its activities are centred on research and scholarship, art and culture as well as education and training.
The flagship of the Foundation is the Bucerius Law School, founded in 2000 as the only private university for law studies in Germany, and already a strong innovative force in this academic discipline. The establishment of the Bucerius Kunst Forum in the heart of Hamburg underlines its importance in the arts. Since its opening in October 2002, four exhibitions each year have drawn substantial crowds. In the field of education and training the Foundation is active in supporting young journalists, particularly in Eastern Europe. The Bucerius LERN-WERK in Hamburg is an educational initiative to promote reforms at selected secondary schools. The project, which started with just eight schools in Hamburg, now extends to schools in Mecklenburg-Pomerania, Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony. Intercultural dialogue is at the centre of the foundation’s international activities spanning above all Central and Eastern Europe, the U.S., and Israel.
The Mission Statement: The Ebelin and Gerd Bucerius ZEIT-Stiftung aims to strengthen civilian society. The independent and charitable foundation promotes private endeavour that benefits society in a spirit of civic responsibility. According to its statutes, the Foundation supports independent initiatives and the projects of qualified applicants in the fields of research and scholarship, art and culture as well as education and training. As one of the most important private investment foundations, the ZEIT-Stiftung has founded a number of its own institutions in order to guarantee sustainability in its statutory areas of activity. Furthermore, funding is granted for limited projects such as scholarship programmes for gifted young scholars, and start-up initiatives for creative as well as preservation and heritage projects. In the spirit of its founder Gerd Bucerius, the Foundation encourages new departures, crossing boundaries, and making contributions to necessary reforms in research, culture and education. Within the statutory framework, active citizenship and independent social initiatives are the main focus.
And for your listening pleasure …
Hamburg was home to two of the 20th century great composers, György Ligeti and Alfred Schnittke, a Hungarian and a Russian Jew.
