ISAW Newsletter

The Institute for the Study of the Ancient World (ISAW) Newsletter, 01/08

ISAW came into existence in the summer of
2007, as a center for research and graduate
education in the cultures of the ancient world
(see our mission statement on back). It was
the result of a vision of scholarship developed
over many years by Shelby White and the
late Leon Levy, and was tested and refined
through several years of planning. As ISAW’s
first director and first faculty member, I have
been privileged to guide it through the hectic
first year, in which we have tried to bring as
many of its programs to life as quickly as
possible. This process has involved heroic
efforts from many people. These are reflected
in the first part of this first Newsletter, where
four senior members of my staff describe the
work of their divisions: Academic Programs,
Exhibitions, Library, and Digital Programs. But
many other people, inside and outside New
York University, have played a part in thinking
through our programs and making them a
reality. Above all, ISAW’s Founder, Shelby
White, has been my constant companion
and support at every step, and the six other
members of our Advisory Committee (Glen
Bowersock, Daniel Fleming, David O’Connor,
Holly Pittman, Wu Hung, and Paul Zanker)
have given enormously of their time, particularly
in the search for our faculty. And finally,
John Sexton and David McLaughlin, president
and provost of NYU, have been ready to help
us throughout the developmental process.