John Jay College Of Criminal Justice | The City University of New York

   

December 4, 2014, New York, NY– In commemoration of the 50^th anniversary of John Jay College of Criminal Justice, the College will unveil a sculpture of its namesake, John Jay – the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, second Governor of the State of New York, author of the Federalist Papers and architect of the Treaty of Paris that ended the Revolutionary War. Joining the festivities on Monday, December 8 at 1:30 PM, will be descendants of John Jay and members of StudioEIS team that created the sculpture. The statue will be unveiled in the Lynn and Jules Kroll Atrium of the new campus building on 524 West 59^th Street between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues.

“During this milestone year, it is important to honor our history and our powerful mission of ‘educating for justice.’ The installation of the John Jay statue will ensure that we and future generations remember the legacy of our namesake – one of the greatest New Yorkers who helped shape our democracy,” said Jeremy Travis, President. “With input from the College community, StudioEIS has shown depth and integrity in its historical research on John Jay to create this impressive artwork.”

Under the direction of Studio EIS founder and director Ivan Schwartz, the making of the bronze sculpture took approximately one year from conception to installation. As many as 20 people worked on the project, including costumers, historians, foundry specialists and, notably, portrait artist Stuart Williamson and head sculptor Jiwoong Cheh. StudioEIS, located in Brooklyn, NY, has produced more noteworthy historical sculptures than any studio in American history including statues of Abraham Lincoln in President Lincoln's Cottage at the Soldier's Home in Washington, D.C., Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln at the New-York Historical Society, Theodore Roosevelt at the American Museum of Natural History, and the founding fathers at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.

“Our job is less about making art than it is about ‘activating the past,’” said Schwartz. “This is our cultural raison d’être.”

John Jay College has a unique history. In the early 1960s, a small group of individuals representing the City University of New York and the New York City Police Department were united by a bold vision to create a liberal arts college with an emphasis on the study of criminal justice. Briefly named The College of Police Science, founding faculty affirmed their broader vision for the college by renaming it John Jay College of Criminal Justice, after a statesman who played a critical role in the country’s struggle for independence and who devoted his life to the pursuit of justice. A half century later, the College’s more than 50,000 graduates and renowned faculty have made significant contributions to the public good.

Learn more about John Jay – the man – in supplemental material below.

Established in 1964, John Jay College of Criminal Justice of The City University of New York is an international leader in educating for justice. It offers a rich liberal arts and professional studies curriculum to upwards of 15,000 undergraduate and graduate students from more than 135 nations. In teaching, scholarship and research, the College approaches justice as an applied art and science in service to society and as an ongoing conversation about fundamental human desires for fairness, equality and the rule of law. For more information, visit www.jjay.cuny.edu.

Facts about John Jay – first Chief Justice of the United States

1777-78

First Chief Justice of New York

1778-79

President, Second Continental Congress

1783

Negotiator with Benjamin Franklin and John Adams of the Treaty of Paris, ending the Revolutionary War and recognizing American independence

1784-89

Secretary of Foreign Affairs

Co-Author, with Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, of the Federalist Papers

1789-95

First Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States

1795-1801

Governor of New York

Short Biography
John Jay’s six-year tenure as America’s first Chief Justice was just one of many high-water marks in a long and eventful life of public service. He played significant roles in the drive toward American independence and the birth of a new nation. Swept up in politics at age 28 as colonial relations with Great Britain worsened, Jay initially advocated a course of moderation that at once set him apart from both the loyalist and radical separatist factions. As the revolution unfolded, Jay became a staunch patriot and advocate of independence, and went on to fill one key role after another as a legislator, executive, jurist, diplomat and political essayist. He helped negotiate the treaty that formally ended the war and secured British recognition of the United States; was instrumental in drafting New York State’s first constitution; authored a number of the Federalist Papers, which helped secure ratification of the new U.S. Constitution; and served as Chief Justice of both his country’s and his state’s highest courts.