History and Mission
The Cohen Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies is much more than a resource center, though that is how it began in 1983. At that time, we were charged by our founder, Dr. Charles Hildebrandt, “To Remember…and to Teach.” Located at Keene State College in southwestern New Hampshire, the Cohen Institute is a leading educational and research center in the field of Holocaust and genocide studies.
Mission
The mission of the Cohen Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Keene State College is two-fold: 1) cultivating actionable, interdisciplinary research to advance the fields of Holocaust and genocide studies and 2) equipping current and future leaders — including students — with knowledge about the genocidal process and how to combat the root causes of mass violence. By activating and engaging a network of experts (locally and across the globe), the Institute provides a crucial space for fostering analysis of past and present genocides, innovative teaching, and high-impact events and programs. Each component of the Cohen Institute’s work is mutually reinforcing so that research, praxis, and education are intrinsically linked.
Our mission is realized through ongoing initiatives in Holocaust and genocide education, public-facing programs with partners on and off campus, and close work with colleagues in the Department of Holocaust and Genocide Studies and other areas across campus to support the College’s distinctive academic programs.
Vision
The Cohen Institute provides a solid but flexible structure that allows for integrated work between (what was formerly) the Cohen Center, the KSC Department of Holocaust and Genocide Studies and other departments across campus, and other partners both internal and external to the college.
Housed within Keene State College, a public liberal arts college that was originally founded as a teacher’s college, the Institute believes in interdisciplinary collaboration to produce innovative research and the power of education to transform societies.
Genocide is the result of many complex risk factors (sociological, environmental, economic, and more), which means that all academic disciplines and members of society can play a role in understanding the genocidal process and combatting the root causes of mass violence.
Thus, the Cohen Institute activates and engages a wide network of affiliates — students, community members, scholars, educators, elected officials, practitioners, and others — to promote cutting-edge work both locally and across the globe.
The Cohen Institute is a hub that connects people who share a commitment to creating a world that is free from genocidal violence. Affiliates who join us in this work become part of a thriving network of scholars, practitioners, and other professionals. This network shapes, inspires, and sustains our affiliates as we collectively confront realities that are both complex and dynamic.
Cohen Institute History
The Cohen Institute was originally established in 1983 as one of the oldest Holocaust resource centers in the United States. In alignment with his commitments to racial, ethnic, and religious diversity, Prof. Charles Hildebrandt undertook a sabbatical in fall 1982 with the express purpose of establishing this Center at Keene State College, to develop a course on the Sociology of the Holocaust, and to become a subject matter expert in this area for his colleagues and for friends of the College in the community. After accruing more than 200 books during his sabbatical, Prof. Hildebrandt opened the Holocaust Resource Center at Keene State College in January 1983.
The Center evolved greatly over the next few decades. In 2000, the Holocaust Resource Center was renamed as the Center for Holocaust Studies. A year later, in 2001, it became the Cohen Center for Holocaust Studies when the College received a transformative gift from Jan and Rick Cohen to underwrite significant portions of the Center’s work and to name the center in honor of Rick’s parents, Lester and Norma Cohen. Those who wish to learn more about the early phases of the Cohen Center’s work may wish to read A Holocaust Center at Keene State College: The First 24 Years, 1983-2007, which was written by former director Dr. Paul Vincent. In September 2009, our name changed to the Cohen Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies to account for the expansion of the Center’s mission to include genocide studies. The dedication of a new building in 2019 to house the Cohen Center as well as the Department of Holocaust and Genocide Studies further strengthened the relationship between the two.
Most recently, in September 2024, a new gift from Rick and Jan Cohen allowed the Cohen Center to expand to the level of an Institute with a wider scope of work, additional opportunities for students, and a new research division that actively advances the field of Holocaust and Genocide Studies.
The new Cohen Institute retains core events and programs that have been crucial to our mission for decades, such as the annual Holocaust Memorial Lecture in the fall semester and the Genocide Awareness Lecture in the spring. In a typical year, our team coordinates dozens of free events and programs that are open to everyone.
Additionally, we now offer funded internship opportunities for students, graduate fellowships, and other sustainable student-centered offerings such as trips to museums and other sites for experiential learning. Although the Institute is separate from the Department of Holocaust and Genocide Studies (the academic program), we partner closely with faculty and students in HGS and across campus to create and implement high-impact offerings.
Core to the Cohen Institute’s past and present work is its longstanding commitment to educational outreach. Through professional development workshops, a biannual Summer Institute for Educators, and the development of open-access resources and curriculum, the Institute works to support teachers at the elementary, middle, and high school levels and beyond.
The Cohen Institute also houses a limited art collection of both permanent and loaned works, as well as more than 6,000 books and media items. We also hold access to both the Shoah Foundation’s Visual History Archives and Yale University’s Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies. In addition, students and community members are able to access the Archives and Special Collections at Keene State College. Our special collection in Holocaust and genocide studies houses hundreds of original documents, photographs, and artifacts.
The Cohen Institute’s dedication and investment in tomorrow have been acknowledged through the New England Higher Education Excellence Award (2008) and through recognition as a Center of Excellence by the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous. Today, the Institute maintains a strong catalytic presence on campus and in the many communities it serves by providing a variety of programs and services for the College, city, region, and beyond.
Support the Institute
Please visit our online giving page if you would like to make a gift to support the Cohen Institute’s work.
