May 2013

Newsletter



Legacy Cities of Upstate New York

In February, The American Assembly released Revitalizing the Legacy Cities of Upstate
New York -- a report documenting revitalization strategies for upstate cities, based on a
recent Assembly-sponsored meeting of urban policy and economic development experts.
The report emphasizes several approaches, including partnerships among municipal
governments and local anchor institutions, the development of regional export plans and
venture funds, and maximizing opportunities afforded by the new Regional Economic
Development Councils (see WBFO interview). It proposes the creation of a statewide
export czar to organize and coordinate these efforts.

Legacy Cities on Facebook



Participant cartoons in this gallery were made by Pablo Arrieta / @xpectro.
The 2nd Global Congress on Intellectual Property and the Public Interest

In December 2012, The American Assembly co-organized the 2nd Global Congress on Intellectual Property and the Public
Interest in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Congress brought together 250 participants from 40 countries to promote the development
of a 'positive agenda' for public-interest intellectual property policy. In March, the Global Congress group released a report
summarizing research and public interest agendas for the next year. The next Congress will be held in December 2013, in Cape
Town, South Africa.

Global Congress on Facebook




Copy Culture in the United States and Germany

In January, the Assembly published Copy Culture in the US and Germany, a report on
attitudes and practices surrounding digital media consumption and intellectual property
rights. The report was covered by NPR, Bloomberg, The National Review, and Ars
Technica, among other media outlets, and has become a reference point in discussions
about the role of online copyright enforcement.

Download Copy Culture here.




54th U.S. Air Force Academy Assembly

In October, The American Assembly co-sponsored the U.S. Air Force Academy's annual
undergraduate Assembly, which focused this year on "U.S. - China Relations: Conflict or
Cooperation in the 21st Century". Former U.S.-China ambassador, Jon Huntsman, Jr.
delivered the keynote address to students and a group of roughly 100 participants. The US-
China event will be followed by Assemblies on the other 'BRIC' countries (Brazil, Russia,
India and China).

Academy Assembly on Facebook




Next Generation Project Texas

In the late 2000s, The American Assembly co-sponsored a series of discussions about the changing role of the US in the world
among groups of young 'leaders' under 40. This Next Generation Project continues at one of the sponsoring institutions, the
Robert S. Strauss Center at the University of Texas at Austin, where it has been since 2011. In November 2012, the Strauss
Center held an event on the role of Texas in national and international politics, attended by forty Texas Next Generation
Fellows.




The Assembly Welcomes Two New Trustees

In March, The American Assembly Board of Trustees elected two new trustees: Henry
Cisneros, Chairman, CityView; and Pamela Samuelson, Professor at the School of Law,
University of California-Berkeley and and co-director of the Berkeley Center for Law &
Technology. Cisneros, a former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, has
participated in and supported an array of Assembly work on urban affairs. Samuelson is a
leading scholar in copyright law and information policy.





From The Assembly Archives

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and John W. Kluge, CEO, Metromedia, receive
The American Assembly's Service to Democracy Award in 1996.







The American Assembly is a national nonpartisan public affairs forum, devoted to advancing public policy
discussions on the major challenges of the day.