To celebrate its 50th anniversary last month, NYU Paris held a day of commemorative events designed both to provide a view into the past, and to ponder the site’s future, including the potential for new academic opportunities and collaborations. The event brought together key figures involved with different phases of the site’s growth, current and past faculty, students, and staff as well as colleagues from American universities with programs in France,  including the American University in Paris, the University of Chicago, Brown University, and Columbia University. 

Linda Mills, Vice Chancellor and Senior Vice Provost for Global Programs and University Life, kicked off the day by acknowledging the site’s history, and linking the past to the present. “As the second oldest site in NYU’s global network, NYU Paris has been a defining feature of our global identity and has become a key element of what makes NYU the leading global institution it is today,” said Mills. “NYU Paris is a beautiful expression of what the world needs – one that is inextricably tied to its environment, steeped in its host city’s culture and context, offering unparalleled academic and scholarly experiences to a wide range of faculty and students.”

In attendance were several individuals who have played critical roles in the establishment and operation of NYU Paris over the past 50 years: Tom Bishop, professor of French Literature, Thought and Culture, and a driving force in the creation of NYU Paris; Judith Miller, professor of French Literature, who served as Director of the NYU Center in Paris from 1998 to 2003; Benoît Bolduc, also a professor of French Literature, and the Director of NYU Paris from 2015 – 2018; and the current site director, Alfred Galichon, professor of Economics and Mathematics

Recalling the early history of the site, talks during the opening panel focused on memories and reflections on the founding of NYU Paris in 1969, at a time when it was less common to cross an international border while pursuing a degree – and talk of establishing NYU’s global network was still some 40 years away.  Miller, Bolduc, and Galichon, traced the academic roots of the site in the study of French language and culture. 

NYU Paris opened its doors during a “glorious time for French studies, “ said Miller, “many post-war thinkers had not yet been translated to English,” so it was important to understand French. “Knowledge has since shifted from the philosophical terrain to a way of thinking that acknowledges global and digital interactions.” Reflecting this expansion, during her tenure as site director, NYU Paris opened its Anglophone program, “welcoming students who were not French majors but became French minors.”  On the experience of learning a new language and culture in situ, Miller explained, “you learn from a “different” world around you, and have to figure out how to live with it.” 

The panelists emphasized the importance of shaping the minds of global citizens engaging in the local terrain. “We’re sending students to Paris, not the moon,” said Bolduc  “and we need to ensure our academic programming reflects the unique nature of that experience.” Shedding light on current academic and cultural initiatives, Galichon detailed “the expanding academic opportunities at the site, including course offerings that have resulted in new populations of students being drawn to the study of the French language. A good example is computer science students who have traditionally been less likely to even take a course in France. As a result of earning credits for their major in Paris, some computer science students have found that their immersive experiences in France have sparked new interests, with some choosing to complete minors in French. And the number of these types of students is increasing.” 

In a panel later in the day,The Next 50 Years of NYU Paris: What’s Next?, Sana Odeh, Clinical Professor of Computer Science, explained that “Paris’ position as a hub for mathematical and scientific inquiry, combined with the flourishing entrepreneurial culture draws global talent and has created a range of opportunities. Studying in a world capital with an inspiring environment, and taking [Computer Science] special topics and high-level courses makes NYU Paris a wonderful location for computer science students.” 

Galichon also highlighted upcoming initiatives in store for NYU Paris. “In collaboration with colleagues in the French department, and following the masterclass format developed for doctoral students, a new set of masterclasses are on the horizon,” he said, accompanied by panelists who included Phillip Usher, Associate Professor and Department Chair, French Literature, Thought and Culture, François Noudelmann, Professor of French Literature and Director of the Center for French Language and Cultures, and Linda Mills. “French faculty from New York will come once per year,” said Usher, “to deliver short-term intensive courses related to their research. The topics will rotate each semester and the first course will cover cinema, myth, and politics. Increasing engagement with the broader community, enrollment will be opened up to local PhD students from French universities.” 

In conjunction with the celebration, photos that are only rarely viewed outside of the archives were on full display, including those documenting the student experience, staff over the years, and trips taken by the NYU Paris community. The exhibit also included shots of NYU Paris literary events and avant garde activities featuring Eugène Ionesco, and other well known French writers and politicians.The exhibition also included student works, including student-shot videos captured on iPhones in an experimental film class.

The day ended with a cocktail reception at Hotel des Arts et Métiers, which included guests such as NYU President Andrew Hamilton, Gene Jarrett, Dean of the College of Arts and Science, Jeffrey Lehman, Vice Chancellor, NYU Shanghai, Antonio Merlo, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science, and NYU Trustee and President’s Global Council Chair Chandrika Tandon.