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Scholar Jeffrey Rosen to lead Constitution Center

Jeffrey Rosen, a professor of law at George Washington University, legal-affairs editor for the New Republic, and a fellow at the Brookings Institute, has been named president and chief executive of the National Constitution Center, according to NCC officials.

Jeffrey Rosen won praise as "a constitutional scholar, journalist, and an educator." He takes over June 3.
Jeffrey Rosen won praise as "a constitutional scholar, journalist, and an educator." He takes over June 3.Read more

Jeffrey Rosen, a professor of law at George Washington University, legal-affairs editor for the New Republic, and a fellow at the Brookings Institute, has been named president and chief executive of the National Constitution Center, according to NCC officials.

In making the announcement Monday, Jeb Bush, the center's chairman, praised Rosen as "a constitutional scholar, journalist, and an educator." Rosen was an adviser during the planning of the center, which opened on the July Fourth weekend in 2003, and served as a visiting scholar throughout that summer.

In a statement, Rosen, 49, said he looked forward "to working with the center to host [policy and civic] debates in Philadelphia, on the Internet and around the world."

Doug DeVos, chairman of the center's executive committee, emphasized the "fresh perspective" Rosen would bring to the center on Independence Mall, which has hit choppy fiscal waters in recent years, resulting in some layoffs and resignations. For instance, an exhibition about Bruce Springsteen, expected to attract substantial crowds, failed to achieve blockbuster status in 2012.

On the other hand, the center's ambitious, self-curated "American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition," which closed April 28, achieved critical and popular success and will travel across the country.

Amy Gutmann, president of the University of Pennsylvania and a center trustee, said in a statement that Rosen's "stature, passion, and vision are a perfect match for the National Constitution Center, which seeks to draw connections between the Constitution and current events, and inspire lively intellectual exchange among people of all ages."

Rosen comes to the center with a 31-page resumé that includes an undergraduate degree from Harvard, a stint as a Marshall Scholar at Balliol College, Oxford, and a degree from Yale Law School, where he served as senior editor of the law review.

As head of the Brookings Project on Technology and the Constitution, Rosen helped raise nearly $1 million to study the constitutional challenge posed by rapidly advancing technologies.

He is also author of several books, including The Naked Crowd: Reclaiming Security and Freedom in an Anxious Age, and The Unwanted Gaze: The Destruction of Privacy in America.

Rosen takes up his duties June 3. He succeeds David Eisner, who resigned in October 2012. Eisner's salary in 2011 was $398,000.