A $1.5 million distinguished professorship in Jewish studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will be named in honor of alumnus Stuart E. Eizenstat, lead negotiator for Holocaust reparation agreements and deputy secretary of the treasury during the Clinton administration.
The Ambassador Stuart E. Eizenstat Distinguished Professorship in Jewish history and culture will be in the Carolina Center for Jewish Studies in UNC’s College of Arts and Sciences.
Eizenstat will give a free public lecture at 3:30 p.m. Friday (March 28) in the auditorium of Hanes Art Center, near the corner of Franklin and Columbia streets. In his talk, “The Next Half Century,” Eizenstat will discuss challenges that Carolina graduates will face in the next 50 years.
Eizenstat, who was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa as a Carolina student, graduated cum laude in 1964 with a degree in political science. He received an honorary degree from the University and was commencement speaker in 2000. He is a partner at the Washington, D.C., law firm of Covington and Burling LLP.
David M. Rubenstein, co-founder and managing director of The Carlyle Group in Washington, D.C., one of the world’s largest private equity groups, has pledged $500,000 to help establish the UNC professorship.
Besides the Rubenstein gift, the professorship is being funded by additional contributions totaling more than $500,000 from many private donors and also will be eligible for $500,000 in matching funds from the N.C. Distinguished Professors Endowment Trust Fund.
Rubenstein was deputy assistant to the president for domestic policy during the Carter administration, when Eizenstat was chief domestic policy adviser and executive director of the White House domestic policy staff.
“Stu’s service to our country and to the Jewish community are without parallel,” said Rubenstein. “I had the privilege of working with him for four years, and I have observed his dedication to humanity. It’s appropriate that he be recognized in this way by the University he loves and the community he has served so well.”
Eizenstat helped acquire more than $8 billion in compensation from European companies for victims of the Holocaust and Nazi era. His book, “Imperfect Justice: Looted Assets, Slave Labor and the Unfinished Business of World War II,” tells about securing property restitution, insurance payments and reclamation of looted art and bank accounts.
Eizenstat has held high-level positions during the last three Democratic presidencies.
When the Eizenstat professorship endowment is fully funded, the college will search for a rising scholar in modern Jewish history to fill the position.
“We are so grateful to David Rubenstein and the many friends who have contributed generously to this effort to honor Stuart Eizenstat, an extraordinary alumnus, leader and humanitarian,” said Holden Thorp, Ph.D. dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “The Eizenstat Distinguished Professorship will enhance the vitality and growth of Jewish studies at UNC for generations to come.”
Established in 2003, the Carolina Center for Jewish Studies unites the public and UNC students and faculty who share a common passion for a deeper understanding of Jewish history, culture and thought. Drawing on college faculty from many disciplines, the center provides undergraduate academic minors in Jewish studies and modern Hebrew and sponsors a lecture series by leading experts in Jewish studies. Eizenstat serves on the center’s advisory board.
Eizenstat’s lecture is presented by UNC’s Institute for the Arts and Humanities and co-sponsored by the political science department, Carolina Center for Jewish Studies and other university organizations.
Carolina Center for Jewish studies Web site:http://ccjs.unc.edu
Carolina Center for Jewish Studies contact: Karen Gajewski, (919) 962-1509, kgajewski@unc.edu This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
College of Arts and Sciences contact: Dee Reid (919) 843-6339, deereid@unc.ed
