About CEWS

Established in 1998 through an anonymous gift to the college, the Center for Ethics and World Societies facilitates discussion of issues arising from the interactions of different nations, peoples and communities, with an emphasis on the ethical aspects of those issues. Committed to no ideological platform or goal, the center offers a forum for intensified study and inquiry that supplements the intellectual life of the Colgate campus and curriculum. The center uses an interdisciplinary approach to draw from the expertise of both distinguished visitors and Colgate faculty members who have produced significant work in a range of fields stretching across the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences.

Through its activities, which include lectures, exhibitions, theatrical and film events, colloquia, and conferences, the center seeks to develop in Colgate students an intellectual and ethical orientation and to help bring about a vital connection between campus life and the world outside. While serving the campus community, the center also seeks to engage local, regional, and national communities in its considerations of these issues, and its events are free and open to the public.