By the view Staff Article published May 4, 2005
Raul Hilberg, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Vermont and a towering international figure in the discipline of Holocaust studies, was elected as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences on April 26. Membership in the academy, which was founded in 1780 by John Adams, James Bowdoin, John Hancock and other scholar-patriots, is one of the nation’s most prestigious intellectual honors and is reserved for leading scientists, scholars, artists, business people and public leaders.
Hilberg, who retired from teaching at the university in 1991, was a young UVM professor when he published his 1961 landmark volume, The Destruction of the European Jews, a foundational piece of research that precisely documented the Holocaust and brought it “back to life” with a rigor and authenticity previously unseen. His honors and achievements are legion, including inspiring the university’s flourishing Center for Holocaust Studies, which was established to celebrate and perpetuate his achievements.
“This great honor reinforces the considerable pride we take in the accomplishments of Professor Emeritus Hilberg, whose relentless scholarship established a foundation of knowledge for generations of Holocaust scholars to follow,” said President Fogel. “Over the course of three decades here, Professor Hilberg excelled as a classroom teacher as well as a scholar, leaving an indelible impression on the 10,000 students who took his courses and his field of study.”
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences named 196 new fellows and 17 new foreign honorary members to its ranks this year. Along with Hilberg, new members include Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist; Academy Award-winning actor and director Sidney Poitier; journalist Tom Brokaw; Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page; and architect, sculptor, and designer of the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial in Washington, Maya Lin.
Hilberg is the fourth UVM faculty member recognized with membership in the academy. Bernd Heinrich, professor emeritus of biology, was elected last year. Previously inducted were Susan Lowey, professor of molecular physiology and biophysics; and former Vermont Gov. Madeleine May Kunin, distinguished visiting professor of political science.
For more information on the academy, go to American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
