NYU's CCPR to Receive $400,000 in Proceeds from 9/11 Commission Report

July 26, 2005 11:22 AM

New York University’s Center for Catastrophe Preparedness and Response – a federally-funded center established in the days after 9/11 to support research to help the United States prevent and better prepare for a major terrorist attack or other catastrophe – today announced it will receive $400,000 from W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., the independent, employee-owned book publishing firm that served as publisher of the authorized edition of The 9/11 Commission Report. Half of the gift, which comes from proceeds of the sales of that highly-regarded report, will support the Center, and half has been designated to support one of its programs, The International Center for Enterprise Preparedness (InterCEP).

Since 9/11, the Center has initiated a number of programs addressing a range of issues from public health preparedness in times of crisis to legal dimensions of counter-terrorism activities. This gift will be used to monitor and track the status of the recommendations offered by the Report and to support an ongoing research agenda that promotes their implementation.

John Sexton, president of NYU, said, “NYU is honored to be the recipient of this generous and public-spirited gift from W.W. Norton. The attack upon the World Trade Center was visible from the heart of NYU’s campus and was watched that day by thousands of members of our community; the impulse to frame a safer future runs deep here at NYU because of it. The spirit of civic-mindedness that was evident in W.W. Norton’s willingness to undertake the duty of publishing the 9/11 Commission’s superb report is echoed in the gifts they are today announcing. Thinking through how our city and our nation might better respond to a large-scale catastrophe requires a wide-ranging approach to problem-solving, and NYU scholars from across many fields participate in the CCPR’s research projects. We are grateful for these funds, which will support that vital effort.”

Drake McFeely, president of W.W. Norton, said, “We were deeply honored to have been selected by the 9/11 Commission as the authorized publisher of the Report. When we undertook the Report’s publication, we did so in a spirit of public service, fully aware that we would shoulder a financial commitment unprecedented for this firm and were unlikely to recover all our expenses. Instead, because of the overwhelming response to the Report, we find ourselves in the privileged position of being able to make donations that, we believe, are broad in scope, aim to serve the interests of all Americans, and reflect the recommendations of The 9/11 Commission.”

Brad Penuel, director of NYU’s Center for Catastrophe Preparedness and Response, said, “The Center was created by Congress in response to the events of September 11, 2001 to produce research that directly improves the safety of our nation. It’s immensely gratifying to have the Center’s achievements acknowledged through this important gift.”

The Center’s mission (http://www.nyu.edu/ccpr/) is to improve the nation’s preparedness and response capabilities to terrorist threats and catastrophic events. Serving as a catalyst for homeland security research across the entire university, CCPR leverages the research capacity of each of NYU’s fourteen schools and functions as a university wide, cross-disciplinary center that coordinates research, disseminates products, and generates policy recommendations. Its projects involve experts and leaders from around the globe and address issues ranging from responding to crises involving up to 1 million casualties to legal issues relating to security to state-of-the-art training for first-responders. The Center is a partnership with the Department of Homeland Security and its Office for Domestic Preparedness.

Bill Raisch, the director of The International Center for Enterprise Preparedness (InterCEP) at NYU -- the world’s first major academic center dedicated to private sector emergency preparedness and risk management, and one of CCPR’s projects -- said, “This is a beginning, not an end. The 9/11 Commission Report is an agenda for action, it is not a history book. One of its key findings was that the private sector, where most of us live and work, is largely unprepared and at significant risk. The portion of this important gift by W.W. Norton intended for InterCEP is an investment in advancing the Commission’s recommendations to increase private sector preparedness, not only for potential terrorist attack but for all hazards, natural and manmade. We accept this gift with a deep sense of responsibility and commitment. We also welcome other businesses and organizations to join us in this critical undertaking.”

W.W. Norton also announced today that it was giving $200,000 to the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, where it will be used to endow Norton-9/11 Fellowships in International Relations.

Thomas H. Kean and Lee H. Hamilton, The 9/11 Commission’s Chair and Vice Chair, announced Norton’s selection as the authorized publisher of The 9/11 Commission Report on May 19, 2004. Norton was selected based on its commitment to adhere to specific criteria in releasing the book: affordability; accuracy; availability; and longevity. The Commission received no advance payment, income, or royalties from Norton, and Norton received no money from the Commission. The authorized edition of The 9/11 Commission Report: Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States was published nationwide on July 22, 2004 To date, the Report has sold more than one million copies.

W. W. Norton & Company is the nation’s largest independent, employee-owned book publishing firm. Founded in 1923, the firm now publishes approximately 450 books each year in its combined Trade, College, and Professional divisions. The firm continues to adhere to its original motto, “Books that Live,” striving to publish works of enduring distinction.

New York University, located in the heart of Greenwich Village, was established in 1831 and is one of America’s leading research universities and a member of the selective Association of American Universities. It is one of the largest private universities, it is a leader in attracting international students and scholars in the U.S, and it sends more students to study abroad than any other U.S. college or university. Through its 14 schools and colleges, NYU conducts research and provides education in the arts and sciences, law, medicine, business, dentistry, education, nursing, the cinematic and performing arts, music, public administration, social work, and continuing and professional studies, among other areas.