April 24, 2016 John Sexton to Discuss the Future of American Research Universities, May 26

John Sexton, president emeritus of New York University and a legal scholar, will deliver a lecture at the Library of Congress on the future of American research universities.

“The American Research University: The Decades Ahead” will take place at 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 26, in room 119 on the first floor of the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. S.E., Washington, D.C. The event is free and open to the public. Tickets are not needed.

In his lecture, Sexton will discuss how globalization, technology and market forces are likely to reshape the form and function of the American research university in coming decades.

Sexton is the current Kluge Chair in American Law and Governance at the Library’s John W. Kluge Center. He is president emeritus of New York University (NYU) and also the Benjamin Butler Professor of Law at the NYU School of Law. He is dean emeritus of the NYU School of Law, where he served as dean for 14 years. He joined the law school's faculty in 1981, was named the school's dean in 1988, and was designated the university's president in 2001.

While at the Kluge Center, Sexton has been working to convert into a book a series of essays that reflect on the place and promise of higher education. The essays “range from the role of universities as places of sanctuary for civil discourse, to my vision of the global network university, to meeting the pressing challenge of our time to provide meaningful access worldwide to a college education,” Sexton said.

Sexton is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a past member of the executive committee of the Association of American Universities. He is past chair of the American Council on Education, the New York Academy of Sciences, and the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities of New York. He served as the chairman of the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (2003-2006) and chair of the Federal Reserve Systems Council of Chairs (2006). He also served as a board member for the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) (1996-1998), and was founding chair of the board of NASD Dispute Resolution (2000-2002). While dean of the NYU School of Law, he was president of the Association of American Law Schools. He also serves on the board of the Institute of International Education.

The Kluge Chair in American Law and Governance is a distinguished senior research position in residence at the Library. Its holder is appointed by the Librarian of Congress. Using research facilities and services at the Library of Congress, the scholar conducts research that focuses on the development of government in the United States and on domestic matters of, and among, the three branches of government.

Through a generous endowment from John W. Kluge, the Library of Congress established the Kluge Center in 2000 to bring together the world's best thinkers to stimulate and energize one another, to distill wisdom from the Library's rich resources, and to interact with policymakers in Washington. For more information about the Kluge Center visit www.loc.gov/kluge/.

The Library of Congress, the largest library in the world, holds more than 162 million items in various languages, disciplines and formats. The Library serves the U.S. Congress and the nation both on-site in its reading rooms on Capitol Hill and through its website at www.loc.gov.