A Brief History
The Midwest Consortium for International Security Studies (MCISS), a program of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, was established in June 1986 to foster networking among midwest scholars who study international security. Believing that scholarship can make important contributions to solving world problems, twelve midwest universities with active research and teaching programs related to international affairs organized the Consortium. The founding universities (Chicago, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State) established the first Steering Committee, which was chaired by Harold Jacobson, University of Michigan. Today, there are 18 institutional members including, for example, Kent State University, Texas A & M University, the University of Kansas and the University of Pittsburgh. The co-chairs are Harold Jacobson and Charles Hermann, Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A & M University.
Early MCISS projects focused on east-west conflict and the prevention of nuclear war. Since the demise of the Warsaw Pact and the breakup of the Soviet Union, MCISS scholars have emphasized world security concerns that include social and economic problems, the consequences of global warming, and other environmental problems for all nations. The midwest universities have tremendous research strength in area studies, the social sciences, agriculture, and engineering, disciplines which can bring new dimensions to the study of global security. The inclusion of faculty and senior graduate students in disciplines that have not emphasized the security aspects of their research in the past broadens the community of scholars addressing these problems.
To achieve its goals, the Consortium organizes and has sponsored interdisciplinary, interinstitutional study groups, workshops, and conferences that draw on midwest resources and expand the research on security issues through collaborations among scholars from diverse disciplines across the nation. The inclusion of graduate students as full participants in activities is an important aspect of the program. By bringing together groups that have not traditionally interacted, especially social scientists and natural scientists, MCISS develops new research agendas that expand studies of world security.
For further information about MCISS, contact Anne Moffat at the Midwest Center of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 5801 S. Kenwood Ave., Chicago, IL 60637. The telephone number is 773-753-8162; the fax is 773-702-1115; and the e-mail address is amacad@uchicago.edu
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