# Fall 2023, Volume 38 Number 1 ## expand\_more ![Centerpiece Fall 2023 cover.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/wcfia/files/centerpiece-fall2023-cover-300px.jpg?itok=6K4unWRI) The fall 2023 issue of *Centerpiece* highlights the Center's recent activities, including program updates, feature articles, new books, and more. Weatherhead's new executive director, Erin Goodman, shares Center updates in the [Message from the Executive Director](/publications/centerpiece/fall2023/executive-director "Message from the Executive Director") column. Our regular [Dispatches](/publications/centerpiece/fall2023/dispatches "Dispatches: Undergraduate Researchers in the Field") column features four of our Undergraduate Associates sharing their travel experiences abroad, in Bolivia, Syria, Rwanda, and England. For our [second feature](/publications/centerpiece/fall2023/feature_jodidi "How Can Universities Address the Crisis in Democracy?"), we excerpted a portion of our recent Jodidi Lecture delivered by Dame Louise Richardson, who shares the ways universities can work to mitigate the decline of democracies worldwide. Antonia Maioni, William Lyon Mackenzie King Visiting Professor of Canadian Studies, describes the timely seminar series the [Canada Program](/publications/centerpiece/fall2023/prog_canada "Canada Program") launched this semester. Our newest research cluster on [identity politics](/publications/centerpiece/fall2023/cluster_identity-politics "Weatherhead Research Cluster on Identity Politics ") had a busy semester, and we share details from their many events. We announce the newly awarded Kenneth I. Juster Fellows in our [student programs](/publications/centerpiece/fall2023/prog_student "Student Programs") update. Finally, we reflect on the role [Henry Kissinger](/publications/centerpiece/fall2023/in_memoriam "In Memoriam") played as a founding member of our Center. **Download**: [Fall 2023, Volume 38 Number 1](/file_url/6921) \[ PDF: 1.6 MB \] ### [Message from the Executive Director](/publications/centerpiece/fall2023/executive-director "Message from the Executive Director") *by Erin Goodman* Beyond the walls of the Weatherhead Center, much of the world is roiled by instability. As the effects of the war in the Middle East reverberate around the globe, including on Harvard’s campus, we continue to strive to make a positive contribution through our expansive network of scholars, students, and practitioners across borders and disciplines. Our Weatherhead Forum series, *The War in Israel/Palestine*, aims to bring together people with different perspectives to provide context on current events. The first part of the series took place on December 4, and additional events will be held during the spring semester.... ### [How Can Universities Address the Crisis in Democracy?](/publications/centerpiece/fall2023/feature_jodidi "How Can Universities Address the Crisis in Democracy?") *by Dame Louise Richardson* On Wednesday, November 8, 2023, Dame Louise Richardson delivered the annual Samuel L. and Elizabeth Jodidi Lecture at Harvard University. She spoke about declining democracy around the world, sharing sobering statistics from the UK and US in particular. Richardson made the case that universities can alter outcomes and secure positive change to address this multifaceted crisis, but it will require courage, determination, and a united response... ### [Dispatches: Undergraduate Researchers in the Field](/publications/centerpiece/fall2023/dispatches "Dispatches: Undergraduate Researchers in the Field") Every spring, a select group of Harvard College students receive travel grants from the Weatherhead Center to support their thesis field research on topics related to international affairs. We selected exceptional undergraduates whose research we will support financially as well as in other ways, from helping revise research methods to planning projects that don’t require travel... ### At the Center - [Of Note](/publications/centerpiece/fall2023/of_note "Of Note") - [New Books](/publications/centerpiece/fall2023/newbooks "New Books") - [Student Programs](/publications/centerpiece/fall2023/prog_student "Student Programs") - [Canada Program](/publications/centerpiece/fall2023/prog_canada "Canada Program") - [Weatherhead Research Cluster on Identity Politics](/publications/centerpiece/fall2023/cluster_identity-politics "Weatherhead Research Cluster on Identity Politics ") - [In Memoriam](/publications/centerpiece/fall2023/in_memoriam "In Memoriam") - [Photo Gallery | Events](/file_url/6921) ### Recently on *Epicenter* - [Social Technology for Aging Societies](https://epicenter.wcfia.harvard.edu/episodes/ep14-social-technology-for-aging-societies) - [What Bridgerton Tells Us about Elites and Status Politics](https://epicenter.wcfia.harvard.edu/blog/what-bridgerton-tells-us-about-elites-and-status-politics) - [The (Un)Documented Immigrant](https://epicenter.wcfia.harvard.edu/blog/undocumented-immigrant) - [Who Can Stop a Dictator? Resistance to the War in Ukraine](https://epicenter.wcfia.harvard.edu/podcast/ep13-who-can-stop-a-dictator) - [American Protectionism: Can It Work?](https://epicenter.wcfia.harvard.edu/blog/american-protectionism-can-it-work) - [The Deal That Keeps the Oil Flowing](https://epicenter.wcfia.harvard.edu/blog/deal-keeps-oil-flowing) --- Attachments- [ picture\_as\_pdf Centerpiece Fall 2023 ](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/wcfia/files/centerpiece-fall2023-lowres.pdf) --- See also:- [ Centerpiece ](/content-types/centerpiece) - [ Centerpiece: Fall 2023 ](/newsletter-issues/centerpiece-fall-2023)