Rutgers Board of Governors inducts Naomi Klein to Gloria Steinem Endowed Chair
Naomi Klein was named the inaugural Gloria Steinem Endowed Chair in Media, Culture and Feminist Studies at yesterday's Board of Governor’s meeting.
Klein is the first occupant of the chair which honors the modern American feminist, Gloria Steinem.
She is a journalist, columnist and author. Her work discusses social, economic and environmental justice, according to her website. She has also been part of the feminist movement since the 1960s, according to an article this month by Rutgers Today.
“Naomi Klein represents intellectual brilliance and innovative thinking about the way inequalities are being perpetuated in our society,” said Jonathan Potter, dean of the School of Communication and Information.
The chair has been funded by more than 400 donors, including Harvey Weinstein who was found guilty on multiple accounts of sexual assault last year. His $100,000 contribution is still being used to help fund the chair, according to The Daily Targum.
The Gloria Steinem chair is a collaboration between the University’s School of Communication and Information, Institute for Women’s Leadership and the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies.
The late Alison Bernstein, who directed Rutgers’ Institute for Women’s Leadership in 2011, originated the idea for the chair in 2014, according to an article from June by Rutgers Today.
Klein will spend the next three years at the University teaching, organizing events and conducting research. She will continue working with topics related to journalism in revolutionary movements, the relationships between new media technologies and racial, gender and economic justice.
“This chair is a testament to Gloria Steinem’s distinguished career as a journalist, public intellectual and women’s rights activist,” said University President Robert L. Barchi in the June article.
There will be an introduction to the new Steinem program with a public discussion on Sept. 21. The conversation will be moderated by journalist, Farai Chideya. It is expected to focus on how culture and power relationships are being changed by information technology and new media. Future issues in progressive movements in the United States are expected to be discussed as well, according to this month's article.
“I am honored to have been chosen for this prestigious position and eager to join Rutgers students in connecting the dots between some of the most critical issues of our time,” Klein said.
