The New School for General Studies offered the Dean's Forum as a public programming series during the deanship of Ann-Louise Shapiro, which began in the months immediately following the September 11th World Trade Center terrorist attacks. The audiovisual recordings constituting the collection document guest speakers' responses to global terrorism, the United States' security and military policies, post 9/11 impacts on minorities, and concerns regarding the balance between civil liberties and security, as well as the future of New York City.

The collection consists of audio and video recordings of events sponsored by the Rose and Erwin Wolfson Center for National Affairs at The New School. With the exception of the Center's inaugural semester in Fall 1986, the recordings document the entirety of Center's existence.