The Henry Koerner Center is a remarkable, perhaps unique, part of Yale University, designed for the benefit of emeritus faculty, who if they wish may become Koerner fellows. Both a physical facility and a series of programs, the center was made possible by a generous gift from Lisbet Rausing and Joseph Koerner ’80, who thereby honored Joseph’s father, the artist Henry Koerner. The center opened in 2003 and has been a huge success, the envy of other universities.

Intellectually the center offers a rich and vibrant series of lectures, seminars, and autobiographical talks. It also programs a variety of other special events and offers group visits to theaters, art galleries, museums, and artistic events, in New York and locally. Many of the intellectual events are generated by the fellows themselves, which gives the center an air of spontaneity. An atmosphere of loyal friendship prevails, and interdisciplinarity, usually so hard to achieve, is a living experience.