1954-1971: rapid expansion

Under the dynamic leadership of Jacques Chapsal and Jean Touchard, the Foundation took full advantage of the sweeping expansion in the university system which began in the late 1950s. A new building was opened, at 30, Rue Saint- Guillaume, and a large number of staff were recruited for the documentation center, the newly-formed research facilities and the general services.

The Centre for International Studies and Research (CERI), then known as the Centre d’étude des relations internationales and headed by Jean-Baptiste Duroselle and Jean Meyriat, was set up; it was followed by CEVIPOF (Centre d’étude de la vie politique française contemporaine, directed by François Goguel and Jean Touchard), which has since become the Centre for Political Research. The two centres were initially set up with funds from the Rockefeller and Ford Foundations and were gradually consolidated during the period 1956-1957. The CNRS (national center for scientific research) played its part by allocating research posts to the new centres and by granting them the status of associated laboratories in 1967.

The documentation facilities were also modernized during this period. In 1946, they possessed 70,000 books and were receiving 340 periodicals annually. By 1971 the collection of books had risen to 400,000 and 4,000 periodicals were being received. The documentation facilities were complemented by a publishing service set up by Louis Bodin.

With the aid of Jacques Chapsal, Jean Touchard devoted himself to the creation of a post-graduate curriculum in political studies, which was then the first doctoral course of its kind in social and political studies in France. Its first permanent directors of studies and research were Alfred Grosser and René Rémond.