Month: September 2021

Human Rights for the Next Generation

A Dedication of the Dodd Center for Human Rights

Friday, October 15, 2021 at 3:00 p.m.
UConn Storrs Campus

Artwork of The Dodd Center for Human Rights

Governor Ned Lamont and UConn President Andrew Agwunobi invite you to join President Joe Biden and Senator Chris Dodd for the dedication of The Dodd Center for Human Rights.

On October 1, 1946, the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg delivered its verdict, convicting 19 Nazi leaders of conspiracy, crimes against peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. Seventy-five years later, as the world faces new challenges to democracy and rule of law, we dedicate The Dodd Center for Human Rights, extending the legacy of Nuremberg for the next generation.

Watch the Full Livestream

Program

National Anthem
Nadia Aguila-Steinbert ’21 MM

Land Acknowledgement
Sage Phillips ’22 (CLAS)

Invocation
Rabbi Lazowski

Welcome
Dr. Andrew Agwunobi

Greetings on Behalf of the State of Connecticut
Honorable Ned Lamont

Human Rights at UConn | Video

Remarks
Senator Christopher J. Dodd

Remarks
Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro

Greetings on behalf of UConn's Board of Trustees
Board of Trustees Chairman Dan Toscano

Introduction, President of the United States
Senator Christopher J. Dodd

Remarks
President Joe Biden

Closing Blessing
Rabbi Lazowski

This is a ticketed event. Due to COVID protocols, seating is extremely limited.

Questions? Please contact University Events and Conference Services at rsvp@uconn.edu or by calling 860-486-1038.

About The Dodd Center

The Dodd Center for Human Rights honors the public service and human rights legacies of Thomas J. Dodd and Christopher J. Dodd. Beginning with Thomas Dodd’s service as executive trial counsel to the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg and carrying through to Christopher Dodd’s leadership in the drafting and adoption of the Dodd-Frank Act and the Affordable Care Act, father and son have worked to advance justice and dignity for over 60 years.

The Dodd Center for Human Rights is home to the UConn's world-class human rights research, academics, and outreach programs. Dodd Human Rights Impact, which was recently created with the support of Senator Dodd, fosters a culture of human rights at UConn, in Connecticut, and around the world. Dodd Impact is part of the Human Rights Institute which supports interdisciplinary inquiry into the most pressing human rights questions and prepares the next generation of human rights advocates across a range of fields. HRI offers an undergraduate major and minor – the largest at a public university in the United States – and a graduate certificate and Master of Arts program. HRI supports research by over 40 faculty in the fields of law, social work, education, the humanities, social sciences, fine arts, and others.

In addition to its human rights focus, the Dodd Center for Human Rights will continue to house the Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life and the University Libraries’ Archives and Special Collection, further underscoring the dynamic, multidisciplinary nature of the space.

Learn More About The Dodd Center

President Bill Clinton receives an honorary degree after his address in Gampel Pavilion on the occasion of the opening of the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center in October 1995. Lewis Rome, left, chairman of the Board of Trustees, presents the degree, as U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd looks on. (Peter Morenus/UConn Photo)

History of The Dodd Center

The building was originally dedicated as Thomas J. Dodd Research Center in 1995 by President William J. Clinton and Senator Christopher J. Dodd to honor Thomas Dodd’s service as executive trial counsel in the International Military Tribunal, the first of the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials. In the year that followed, known as the Dodd Human Rights Year, UConn hosted an international conference examining the events surrounding the Holocaust and Nuremberg Trials and offered programming dedicated to human rights violations in Latin America, Tibet, and Cambodia, disability rights in North America, the internment of Japanese-Americans during the Second World War, and the plight of African Americans involved in the Tuskegee Study. The Dodd Year began with an address from Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel and concluded with a speech from former president of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev. Over the past 25 years, the building has become a center of archival research and UConn’s diverse human rights programs.

Headlines Over the Years

Bill Clinton speaks at the dedication of the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center

The Dodd Center: A Home for the Discussion of Human Rights

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The Thomas J. Dodd Research Center was opened by incumbent President Bill Clinton 16 years ago, establishing a focal point for the study of human rights at the University and in the state.

Thomas J Dodd Nurembourgh Trials

Historic Nuremberg Papers of Sen. Thomas Dodd Go Digital

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Some 50,000 pages of documents from the Nuremberg Trials will be made available to scholars from around the world.

Thomas J. Dodd speaks at the Nuremberg trials.

Reflections on the Dodd Center’s Namesake 75 Years After Landmark War Crimes Trials

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Sen. Chris Dodd reflects on his father's service as a prosecutor in the Nuremburg war crimes trials 75 years after they began.