Thomas J. Dodd Research Center


The Thomas J. Dodd Research Center is a University of Connecticut center which supports programming, educational initiatives, and events dedicated to the theme of human rights. The Dodd Center also houses several University of Connecticut departments and centers, including Archives & Special Collections, a unit of the University of Connecticut Library, the Human Rights Institute, and the Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life.

History

Ground was broken for the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center on October 10, 1993, and the finished building was dedicated by President Bill Clinton on October 15, 1995. It is named for the late Senator Thomas Joseph Dodd whose son, Senator Christopher J. Dodd, played a crucial role in the Center's development. The dedication ceremony inaugurated "The Dodd Year", a year-long series of special events, speakers, exhibits, and colloquia. Devoted to the theme of human rights, The Dodd Year recalled Thomas Dodd's participation as a senior prosecutor in the International Military Tribunal, the first of the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials.
The Dodd Year program brought an array of world figures to campus including Madeleine Albright, Elie Wiesel, and Oscar Arias and concluded in the fall of 1996 with an address by Mikhail Gorbachev.

Programs

The Thomas J. Dodd Research Center hosts a number of ongoing programs and events.
The Raymond and Beverly Distinguished Sackler Lecture in Human Rights is held twice a year. Past speakers include Dorothy Q. Thomas, Adam Fairclough, Charlotte Bunch, Harold Koh, Patricia Wald, Samantha Power, Michael Ignatieff, George Mitchell, and James Crawford.
The Thomas J. Dodd Prize in International Justice and Human Rights, first awarded in 2003, is given biennially to an individual or organization which has made a significant contribution towards international justice and human rights. The 2009 Dodd Prize will be awarded to the Committee to Protect Journalists on October 5, 2009.
The Edwin Way Teale Lecture Series brings a variety of distinguished speakers to the University of Connecticut to speak on various aspects of nature and the environment.