private sector partner. Working closely with the Director of the FDR Library and her staff,
FERI conducts or supports a variety of educational and public programs:
Conferences, lectures, and exhibits on significant historical and contemporary issues
such as Social Security, World War II, the United Nations, the American Response to the Holocaust,
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and FDR's relationship to the Roman Catholic Church and
the Vatican. FERI publishes papers from many of these conferences in the FERI / St. Martin's Press
Series on Diplomatic and Economic History.
The New Deal Network
(http://newdeal.feri.org), a research and teaching resource on the
New Deal devoted particularly to the New Deal public works and arts projects. Funded by
the National Endowment for the Humanities, NDN has been recognized as one of the best sites
on the Internet for education in the humanities.
The Franklin D. Roosevelt Library
and Digital Archives (http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu).
In 1939, President Roosevelt created the nation's first presidential library to preserve
the records of his Administration and make them accessible to the public. The
Franklin D.
Roosevelt Library and Digital Archives is America's first digital presidential archive. A
joint project of the Library, Marist College, and IBM, the FDRL Digital Archives will
vastly enhance the public's access to the Library's rich collection of documents,
photographs, sound and video recordings, finding aids, and other historical materials.
Educational programs at the Library for K-12 students and workshops and summer institutes
for high school teachers on "Teaching with Documents" and the history of the Roosevelt period.
Grants-in-Aid to historians to support their research at the Library and internships for
college students.
In 1999, FERI launched Remembering Greatness: A Campaign for the Roosevelt Legacy
to secure
funds for the construction on an orientation, conference and education center adjacent to
the FDR Library and to renovate the Library and its museum exhibits (see Plans for an
Orientation, Conference and Education Center).
In addition, FERI is a founder and supporter of three overseas centers to promote research on the
Roosevelt period and discussion of contemporary issues: The Roosevelt Study Center
in Middelburg,
the Netherlands, The FDR Foundation for United States Studies at Moscow State University in Russia;
and The Roosevelt International Center at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea.
FERI recently completed restoration of Top Cottage,
the hilltop retreat FDR designed for himself on his Hyde Park estate in 1938. The cottage is one of
the first homes designed to meet the needs of a wheelchair user. In June 2001, the restoration was
completed and the day-to-day management of the site was turned over to the National Park Service.
From May through October, the building will be open to the public for scheduled NPS tours.
Because of FDR's role in the founding of the United
Nations and
Eleanor Roosevelt's leadership in the drafting of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights,
FERI conducts programs to strengthen American understanding and commitment to the UN and human
rights. In 1998, FERI organized a coalition of more than 125 human rights and social justice
organizations to work together to promote the goals of a national human rights agenda. The
tools of the "In Your Hands" campaign, as it was called, included a Community Action Guide
and the UDHR50 Web site (http://www.udhr.org).
FERI makes a number of prestigious awards:
The Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Awards
are presented to outstanding individuals who
have demonstrated a life-long commitment to the ideals set forth in FDR's address to Congress
on January 6, 1941: Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want, and Freedom
from Fear. Winners of the Four Freedoms Medals include such notable persons as Archbishop
Desmond Tutu, Katherine Graham, Senator Ted Kennedy, the Dalai Lama, and Congressman John Lewis.
The Franklin D. Roosevelt International Disability Award,
established in 1995 by FERI and the World
Committee on Disability, is awarded each year at a ceremony at the United Nations to a
nation that has made significant progress in promoting the full and equal participation
of persons with disabilities in the nation's economic and social life.
The Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. Award in
American History and Public Commentary was
established by admirers of FERI's chairman emeritus to honor his 80th birthday. This award
recognizes individuals who, through scholarship and participation in public debate,
have made an impact on the events of their times.
Contact Information and other services for the Media
Through the conferences and educational programs it sponsors,
FERI has developed a vast network of connections and can provide the Media with contact
information on a host of FDR/ER scholars, public figures and former associates, as well as
members of the extended Roosevelt family.
Via the resources of the FDR Library, FERI can also provide the
Media with audio clips and video footage in Beta quality formatting for use on television and
radio.
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