Gerhard Casper

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Gerhard Casper 2014

Gerhard Casper (born December 25, 1937 in Hamburg ) is a German constitutional lawyer and law professor . Casper was President of Stanford University in California from 1992 to 2000, and Interim President of the American Academy in Berlin from July 2015 to July 2016 . From August 2019 to January 24, 2020, Casper was Trustee-in-Residence at the American Academy in Berlin.

He is a Senior Fellow of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) at Stanford University and a Senior Fellow of the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR). Casper is also Peter and Helen Bing Professor, Emeritus, Professor of Law, Emeritus, and Professor of Political Science (by courtesy), Emeritus.

Life and academic background

Gerhard Casper studied law at the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg , Yale University and the University of Hamburg . In 1964 he was with the work of Legal Realism and Political Theory in the American legal thought at Freiburg University doctorate .

From 1964 he taught in the USA, first as an assistant professor of political science at the University of California, Berkeley , then as professor of law and political science at the University of Chicago , where he served as provost from 1989 to 1992 . From 1979 to 1987 he was Dean of the Law School at the University of Chicago. From 1992 to 2000 he was President of Stanford University .

He has received several honorary doctorates, including one from Yale University , Uppsala University and one from Leipzig Graduate School of Management . He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences .

Casper's research interests lie in the areas of constitutional law , constitutional history , comparative law, and legal theory . He has published several books and was editor of The Supreme Court Review from 1977 to 1990. In addition, Casper takes part in public education and university policy debates in Germany and the USA.

President of Stanford University

In 1992 Casper became the ninth President of Stanford University in California. During his presidency, he tackled a number of innovations at the university, from rebuilding the campus after the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, to innovations in the curriculum and degree programs, to solving the funding conflict with the federal government of the USA.

Among other things, Casper ensured that financial support was expanded. He restructured the university administration and simplified the bureaucracy. By integrating the alumni network in 1998, Casper was able to improve contacts with graduates worldwide and thus achieved a significant increase in donations to the university.

In addition, Casper significantly improved the infrastructure on campus during his presidency and attracted renowned architects to build new buildings with tenders.

At the same time, Casper introduced grants for graduates (Stanford Graduate Fellowships) in order to attract the best PhD students and to give them the opportunity to conduct their research independently of sponsors. In addition, he promoted the recruitment and contract renewal of faculty members who had achieved outstanding performance in both research and teaching. This has been achieved through research grants at the junior professor level in the three faculties that award undergraduate degrees: Earth Sciences, Engineering, and Humanities & Sciences.

Caspers Commission on Undergraduate Education was the first comprehensive study of education at Stanford in 25 years. The commission and other initiatives of the departments led to a new approach to teaching. The Stanford Introductory Studies (SIS) program provides an introduction to small-group work and initial research experience for students in their first two years of study.

During his tenure as president, the university received a record number of applications and the highest enrollment rate among admitted students. Seven scientists from the university received Nobel Prizes during this period.

In 1993, Casper chose Condoleezza Rice as Provost. Her successor was John L. Hennessy, who replaced Casper in 2000 as the tenth president of the university. Casper wrote a book about his tenure as President of Stanford University, Cares of the University (Stanford, CA, 1997), in which he addressed many problems facing universities and the higher education system. In 2014 his book "The Winds of Freedom: Addressing Challenges to the University" was published by Yale University Press .

University of Chicago

Gerhard Casper was Provost at the University of Chicago from 1989 to 1992 . From 1979 to 1987 he was Dean of the University of Chicago Law School .

American Academy in Berlin

Since August 2019, Gerhard Casper has been Trustee-in-Residence of the American Academy in Berlin , a cultural and research institution that promotes cultural and academic exchange between Germany and the USA. Casper became a member of the Board of Trustees in 2000 and served as interim president of the institution from July 2015 to July 2016.

The American Academy in Berlin was founded in 1994 on the initiative of the then American ambassador in Berlin, Richard Holbrooke . The independent and privately financed institution based in Berlin is committed to maintaining long-term intellectual, cultural and political relationships between Germany and the USA. Since the Academy opened in 1998, it has built an extensive network in academic, cultural, political and economic circles. The intercultural and interdisciplinary environment and the creative program have made the Academy a prestigious center. The German weekly magazine Der Spiegel declared the American Academy in Berlin to be the “most important center of American intellectual life outside the USA”.

Establishment of the new Technical University of Nuremberg

Casper has been a member of the commission for the development of the new Technical University of Nuremberg since 2017. He is committed to ensuring that at the new TU Nürnberg great value is placed on a strong connection between research and teaching and that digital learning is promoted. Furthermore, Casper is striving for a professor-student-supervisor relationship based on the American model at the Technical University of Nuremberg.

Speeches and publications

Gerhard Casper is the author of numerous academic articles in German and English. His latest book is The Winds of Freedom: Addressing Challenges to the University, published in 2014 by Yale University Press . His first publication was "Legal Realism and Political Theory in American Legal Thought" in 1967.

Casper speaks on a variety of subjects related to higher education and constitutional law. For example, he gave a speech at the state ceremony to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Federal Constitutional Court on September 28, 2001 in Karlsruhe.

Awards and honors

Casper is a member of various renowned academic institutes, including a. the American Law Institute , the International Academy of Comparative Law, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences , the American Philosophical Society , the Orden Pour le Mérite for Sciences and Arts, and the American Philosophical Society. In 2006 he also held the Kluge Chair in American Law and Governance at the Library of Congress . Casper has received numerous honorary doctorates. From 1980 to 2010 Casper served on the council of the American Law Institute and is still involved as emeritus.In 2014 he also received an award for outstanding service from the institute.

From 2000 to 2008 he served as a trustee of Yale University. He served as Chairman of the Terra Foundation for American Art Council from 2010 to 2016 . He is trustee of the Central European University in Budapest, Chairman of the International Council of the Israel Democracy Institute and member of the International Advisory Board of the European University of Saint Petersburg and Koç University , Istanbul.

literature

  • Gerhard Casper: Legal Realism and Political Theory in American Legal Thought. Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1967, ISBN 3-428-00294-6 .
  • Gerhard Casper: Freedom of speech and protection of honor - Notes on the basics of the more recent American and German case law. Müller, Karlsruhe 1971, ISBN 3-7880-0038-4 .
  • Gerhard Casper, Richard A. Posner The Workload of the Supreme Court. Chicago, 1976, ISBN 0-910058-78-4 .
  • Gerhard Casper, Hans Zeisel: The lay judge in criminal proceedings. Müller, Karlsruhe 1979, ISBN 3-8114-4077-2 .
  • Willi Paul Adams, Knud Krakau , Gerhard Casper: Germany and America: Perception and historical reality. Colloquium-Verlag, Berlin 1985, ISBN 3-7678-0649-5 .
  • Gerhard Casper: Separating Power. Cambridge, MA, 1997, ISBN 0-674-80140-7 .
  • Gerhard Casper: Cares of the University. Stanford, CA, 1997, OCLC 58947857 .
  • Gerhard Casper: The Karlsruhe Republic. In: Journal for Legal Policy. May 2002.
  • Arnulf Melzer, Gerhard Casper: How do you design top universities? : Answers to international challenges. Bachem, Cologne 2001, ISBN 3-7616-1513-2 .
  • Gerhard Casper: The Winds of Freedom: Addressing Challenges to the University. Yale UP, 2014, ISBN 978-0-300-19691-7 .

Web links

Commons : Gerhard Casper  - Collection of Images

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Elisabeth Binder: American Academy Berlin: Michael P. Steinberg, the new president, introduces himself. In: tagesspiegel.de . April 1, 2016, accessed August 23, 2019 .
  2. ↑ https://cddrl.fsi.stanford.edu/people/gerhard_casper Website of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies
  3. ↑ https://siepr.stanford.edu/people/gerhard-casper website of the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research
  4. ↑ https://gcasper.stanford.edu/
  5. ↑ zeit.de
  6. ↑ Don Kazak: Casper: Time for a 'fresh perspective'. In: paloaltoonline.com. September 17, 1999, accessed August 23, 2019 .
  7. ↑ a b Elaine Ray: Casper to step down as university president Aug. 31, 2000: 9/99. In: news.stanford.edu. August 31, 2000, accessed August 23, 2019 .
  8. ↑ alumni.stanford.edu
  9. ↑ gcasper.stanford.edu (PDF)
  10. ↑ alumni.stanford.edu
  11. ↑ Casper selects Condoleezza Rice to be next Stanford provost. In: news.stanford.edu. November 14, 1954, accessed August 23, 2019 .
  12. ^ Stanford University: Cares of the University by Gerhard Casper. In: web.stanford.edu. Retrieved August 23, 2019 .
  13. ↑ https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300196917/winds-freedom
  14. ↑ https://provost.uchicago.edu/directory/gerhard-casper
  15. ↑ https://www.tagesspiegel.de/kultur/zwist-in-der-american-academy-praesident-mccarthy-gibt-nach-wenigen-monaten-auf/24371912.html Der Tagesspiegel article from May 22, 2019
  16. ↑ americanacademy.de ( Memento from December 9, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF).
  17. ↑ Jan Fleischhauer: GEISTESLEBEN The Networker . In: Der Spiegel . No. 27 , 2008 ( online ).
  18. ↑ "Elite President: What Nuremberg Can Learn from Stanford. Former Stanford head is planning the new Technical University. ” On nordbayern.de from August 15, 2018; accessed on August 19, 2018
  19. ↑ https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300196917/winds-freedom Book page of the Yale University Press
  20. ↑ https://www.duncker-humblot.de/buch/juristischer-realismus-und-politische-theorie-im-amerikanischer-rechtshaben-9783428002948/?page_id=0&typ=buc Book page by Duncker Humblot
  21. ↑ https://web.stanford.edu/group/gcasper_project/cgi-bin/files/papers/karlsruhe.pdf Text by Gerhard Caspers celebratory speech at the state ceremony to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Federal Constitutional Court on September 28, 2001 in Karlsruhe
  22. ↑ orden-pourlemerite.de
  23. ↑ loc. Gov
  24. ↑ ali.org
  25. ↑ news.yale.edu
  26. ↑ terraamericanart.org
  27. ↑ en.idi.org.il
  28. ↑ eu.spb.ru ( Memento from December 8, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
  29. ↑ ku.edu.tr
personal data
SURNAME Casper, Gerhard
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American lawyer
DATE OF BIRTH December 25, 1937
PLACE OF BIRTH Hamburg