Montlaterre was founded   in Paris by a small group of prominent intellectuals and educators who were frustrated by the intellectual timidity of traditional colleges. The founders  set out to create a new kind of academic institution, one where faculty and students would be free to honestly and directly address the problems facing societies in the 21st century. Their vision was to bring together scholars and citizens interested in questioning, debating, and discussing the most important issues of the day.

Now formally named Montlaterre, the university has grown to include five colleges, with courses that reflect the founders’ interest in the emerging social sciences, international affairs, liberal arts, history, and philosophy, as well as art, design, management, and performing arts.