Spring Break
Carter conference honors campus
CHRIS CHIEGO For The Red & Black
Issue date: 1/19/07 Section: Opinions
- Page 1 of 1
Finally, the University of Georgia will get press for something other than football, alcohol or fraternity misbehavior when the Carter Conference begins this Friday.
The conference, to be attended by scholars from around the nation, will feature President Carter, along with most of the major figures in the Carter administration, recalling the past and finding lessons for the future.
While hosting this conference is an extremely important achievement, the conference must be critical, more open to the students and part of a long-term focus on public policy.
More than just a nostalgic retrospective, President Carter has graciously asked for a full critique of his presidency - a noble request that should prevent the proceedings from lapsing into panegyrics and will allow attendees get a full and balanced picture of the presidency.
Though Carter faced many problems beyond his control during his presidency, conference attendees should not shy from offering respectful criticism.
Evaluating his administration's decisions fairly will provide valuable information to future generations of policymakers, including many students at the University.
Unfortunately, much of this conference is walled-off from students and the prices for student tickets, even with the discounted rate, will only allow a small fraction of the student body to benefit from attending the conference.
The only public event, an hour-long forum with President Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, will allow barely enough time for an overlong introduction, the obligatory ten-minute rant from an angry audience member and several questions that could be easily answered by consulting a basic factbook.
At the very least, more events such as the opening and closing ceremonies could have been made open to the public or moved to larger venues so more people could attend.
The expensive prices and closed sessions seem rather incongruous for a conference honoring the same president who famously walked among the people to his inauguration.
Fortunately, all University students interested in public policy should benefit from this conference, even if not directly.
To attract students and scholars on a national level, the University needs more events like the Carter Conference to generate positive publicity and increase the University's academic reputation.
As a student interested in public policy, I hope that this conference will strengthen the University's commitment to such programs.
The task of creating future leaders in policy has already been sparked by new policy-centered organizations on campus such as the Roosevelt Institution; more funding for the School of Public and International Affairs could certainly encourage new policy initiatives.
Public policy presents a new and challenging arena for the University to tackle but, as this weekend's conference will hopefully show, it may very well shape the future.
- Chris Chiego is a sophomore from Memphis, Tenn. majoring in history and international affairs
The conference, to be attended by scholars from around the nation, will feature President Carter, along with most of the major figures in the Carter administration, recalling the past and finding lessons for the future.
While hosting this conference is an extremely important achievement, the conference must be critical, more open to the students and part of a long-term focus on public policy.
More than just a nostalgic retrospective, President Carter has graciously asked for a full critique of his presidency - a noble request that should prevent the proceedings from lapsing into panegyrics and will allow attendees get a full and balanced picture of the presidency.
Though Carter faced many problems beyond his control during his presidency, conference attendees should not shy from offering respectful criticism.
Evaluating his administration's decisions fairly will provide valuable information to future generations of policymakers, including many students at the University.
Unfortunately, much of this conference is walled-off from students and the prices for student tickets, even with the discounted rate, will only allow a small fraction of the student body to benefit from attending the conference.
The only public event, an hour-long forum with President Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, will allow barely enough time for an overlong introduction, the obligatory ten-minute rant from an angry audience member and several questions that could be easily answered by consulting a basic factbook.
At the very least, more events such as the opening and closing ceremonies could have been made open to the public or moved to larger venues so more people could attend.
The expensive prices and closed sessions seem rather incongruous for a conference honoring the same president who famously walked among the people to his inauguration.
Fortunately, all University students interested in public policy should benefit from this conference, even if not directly.
To attract students and scholars on a national level, the University needs more events like the Carter Conference to generate positive publicity and increase the University's academic reputation.
As a student interested in public policy, I hope that this conference will strengthen the University's commitment to such programs.
The task of creating future leaders in policy has already been sparked by new policy-centered organizations on campus such as the Roosevelt Institution; more funding for the School of Public and International Affairs could certainly encourage new policy initiatives.
Public policy presents a new and challenging arena for the University to tackle but, as this weekend's conference will hopefully show, it may very well shape the future.
- Chris Chiego is a sophomore from Memphis, Tenn. majoring in history and international affairs
Be the first to comment on this story