February 03, 2012
Simon institute announces spring schedule
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The upcoming state and presidential elections, Illinois’ continuing financial and ethical issues, and a focus on women in politics comprise part of the spring schedule for Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute.
The Institute will also be a partner with the SIU Carbondale Humanities Forum and other groups for two lectures that look at issues that affect returning veterans. Nancy Sherman, a distinguished professor at Georgetown University and nationally recognized expert in military ethics and the history of moral philosophy, will present a lecture later this month on the moral costs of war and war’s impact on returning veterans. In April, author and clinical psychiatrist Jonathan Shay will look at emotional problems that returning combat veterans encounter.
The spring schedule includes five of the Institute’s popular “Pizza and Politics” series, where leading political figures, educators, journalists, government officials and others discuss their careers with students and the community. Speakers this spring are Gloria Campos of Murphysboro, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Nicaragua who is a leader within the Republican National Hispanic Assembly; the Rev. Ryan Burge, a two-degree SIU Carbondale graduate who studies religion and politics in his work; First Circuit Judge Carolyn B. Smoot; Bobbie Steele, the first woman to chair the Cook County Board; and political consultant Nancy Bocskor, who is with the Center for American Women in Politics at Rutgers University, and who began her career working for then-freshman congressman and current Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich.
“Our program this spring reflects the many interests of the Institute,” said David Yepsen, Institute director. “We are continuing our ongoing ‘Pizza and Politics’ focus on bringing experts to campus who can help women, particularly younger women, get involved in politics and run for office. We’ll also continue our ongoing focus on Illinois’ ethical and financial troubles. And we’re especially excited that Charlie Cook, one of the nation’s leading political experts, will be on campus at the end of March to offer some forecasts about the 2012 election and the factors at work in it.”
The events are free and Institute officials encourage SIU Carbondale students and the general public to take advantage of these opportunities.
For each of the “Pizza and Politics” sessions, contact Institute project coordinator Carol Greenlee at 618/453-4078 or by email at cgreenlee@siu.edu.
The current schedule is:
• Wednesday, Feb. 8 -- 5 p.m., Institute lobby. Gloria Campos, Jackson County businesswoman and political activist. Campos will present “Women in Politics: “Winning the Women’s Vote.” It is one of the Institute’s “Pizza and Politics” sessions.
• Feb. 15 -- 7 p.m., Student Center Ballroom D. Nancy Sherman, distinguished professor at Georgetown University and nationally recognized expert in military ethics and the history of moral philosophy. Sherman will present “The Moral Cost of War: Shame, Guilt, and Self-Empathy.
• Feb. 16 -- 5 p.m., Institute lobby. The Rev. Ryan Burge, senior pastor, First Baptist Church of Mount Vernon. A two-degree SIU Carbondale graduate and post-doctoral fellow at the Institute, Burge will present “Religion’s Role in the 2012 Presidential Election.” It is one of the Institute’s “Pizza and Politics” sessions.
• Feb. 21 -- 5 p.m., Institute lobby. Judge Carolyn Smoot, First Judicial Circuit. A 1983 graduate of the SIU School of Law and former director of the SIU Carbondale paralegal studies program, Smoot will present “Women in Politics: Perspectives of the First Female Circuit Judge in Williamson County.” It is one of the Institute’s “Pizza and Politics” sessions.
• March 6 -- 11:30 a.m., Student Center Ballroom B. Rupert Borgsmiller, executive director, Illinois State Board of Elections. Borgsmiller, a Murphysboro native and graduate of the University’s Master’s of Public Administration program, will present “Assuring Fair Elections in Illinois.” Free registration is required to participate in the lunch portion of the event, and open seating will be available for those who wish to only listen to the speech and not be included in the meal. Contact Carol Greenlee at 618/453-4078 or by email at cgreenlee@siu.edu by March 2 to register.
• March 26 -- 7 p.m., SIU Student Center Auditorium. Charlie Cook, founder and editor of the Cook Political Report, will present, “Forecasting the 2012 Elections.”
• April 13 -- 11:30 a.m., Institute lobby. Bobbie Steele, former president of the Cook County Board, will present a lecture on her two-decade experience in government, including her work on public health policies for the poor. Steele was interim president of the Cook County Board from August to December 2006, and at one time was the longest-serving African American woman in county government. It is one of the Institute’s “Pizza and Politics” sessions.
• April 18 -- 7 p.m., Student Center Ballrooms. Jonathan Shay, clinical psychiatrist. Shay, a 2007 MacArthur “Genius” Grant recipient, and author of “Odysseus in America: Combat Trauma and the Trials of Homecoming,” will discuss problems that returning combat veterans encounter.
• April 19 -- 11:30 a.m., Institute lobby. Nancy Bocskor, Center for American Women in Politics and Rutgers University, will present “Go Fish: How to Catch and Keep Contributors.” Bocskor is also on the board of “Running Start,” an organization that encourages young women to enter public service. The lecture is one of the Institute’s “Pizza and Politics” sessions.
On March 31, the Institute will also hold the 12th annual “Youth Government Day” at the Illinois State Capitol complex in Springfield. The event is a free civic leadership development program for high school students. For more information, contact Carol Greenlee at 618/453-4078 or by email at cgreenlee@siu.edu.
For more information on any of these programs, contact the Institute at 618/453-4009 or visit paulsimoninstitute.org/