Humphrey Institute News on-the-go

The following is a list of upcoming events sponsored by the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. Unless otherwise noted, all events are free and open to the public. Visit the Humphrey Institute online at www.hhh.umn.edu.

Monday, April 2, noon-1:30 p.m.: The Center for the Study of Politics and Governance (CSPG) will kick-off a new program series, "Connecting with Government: Public Forums with Minnesota's Elected Officials," with a policy presentation by Senator Amy Klobuchar. The program will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. Monday, April 2, in Cowles Auditorium. Klobuchar's presentation is free and open to the public. Registration is not required. Click here for more information on CSPG and its activities.

Wednesday, April 4, 5 p.m.: The Women and Politics Reading Group will discuss Republican Women by Catherine Rymph at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 4, in Freeman Commons (205 Humphrey Center). Part of an emerging body of work on women's participation in partisan politics, Republican Women explores the dilemmas that confronted progressive, conservative, and moderate Republican women as they sought to achieve a voice within the Grand Old Party from the initiation of women's suffrage to Barry Goldwater's 1964 bid for president. All are welcome. The reading group is sponsored by the Center on Women and Public Policy.

Thursday, April 5, 7 p.m.: The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have produced a new category of combat injury: the polytrauma. A dramatic number of returning soldiers also suffer from traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. Join Dr. Barbara Sigford, national program director for physical medicine and rehabilitation for the Veterans Administration; Dr. Irving Gottesman, Bernstein Professor of Adult Psychiatry at the University of Minnesota Medical School; and Ardis Sandstrom, executive director of the Brain Injury Association of Minnesota, as they discuss the rewards and challenges of caring for the new wounded. "The New Wounded: The Evolution of War-related Injuries and their Medical, Social, and Economic Impact" will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 5, in Cowles Auditorium. For more information on this Home and Away program, click here.

Monday, April 9, noon-1 p.m.: Congresswoman Betty McCollum will speak at the Humphrey Institute from noon to 1 p.m. on Monday, April 9, in Cowles Auditorium. This event is sponsored by the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance as part of its new series "Connecting with Government." McCollum's presentation is free and open to the public. Registration is not required.

Tuesday, April 10, 10 a.m.-noon: "The Long-term Costs of War: Landmine Abatement in Laos" is another program in the Home and Away series. Congresswoman Betty McCollum and representatives from the U.S. State Department and HDI will discuss the "Laos Back to School Project," a renewed effort to remove Vietnam War-era landmines surrounding schools in this Southeast Asian nation. The panel discussion will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, April 10, in Cowles Auditorium. All are invited to attend this free program.

Tuesday, April 10, 4:30 p.m.: The 2006–2007 Hill Fellow Laura Waterman Wittstock will present her research on "American Indian Giving and Philanthropy: The Overlaid Relationship" at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 10, in Cowles Auditorium. Waterman Wittstock's research has focused on American Indian philanthropy, including the historical relationship between the American public and American Indians. A reception will follow. The symposium is free and open to the public, but registration is requested to hhhdeans@umn.edu or (612) 625-2082 by April 3.

Tuesday, April 10, 8 p.m.: South African political analyst Xolela Mangcu will talk about the future of South African politics at the end of South African President Thabo Mbeki's term. The lecture, sponsored by the Center for Democracy and Citizenship, will begin at 8 p.m. on April 10 in Cowles Auditorium.

Thursday, April 12, 10-11:30 a.m.: First-term Congressman Tim Walz will speak at the Humphrey Institute from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 12, in Cowles Auditorium. This event is sponsored by the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance as part of its new series "Connecting with Government." Walz's presentation is free and open to the public. Registration is not required.

Thursday, April 12, 2-5 p.m.: The Public and Nonprofit Leadership Center will host the inaugural Local Government Innovation Awards from 2 to 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 12, in Cowles Auditorium. Cities, counties, and school districts will be recognized for innovative practices that have fueled new collaborations and have led to greater efficiency and better public service. This event is cosponsored by the Association of Minnesota Counties, the League of Minnesota Cities, and the Minnesota School Boards Association. For more information, contact Jeremy Gordon at (612) 624-7095 or pnlc@umn.edu.

Monday, April 16, noon-1:30 p.m.: The Center for the Study of Politics and Governance will host a panel discussion on "The 1996 Welfare Reform Law and Its Impact Today" from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Monday, April 16, in Cowles Auditorium. Ron Haskins, who helped write the 1996 law and later wrote Work over Welfare, will talk about the origins of welfare reform and its performance over the last decade. He will be joined in discussion by Mitch Pearlstein, founder and president of the Center of the American Experiment, and Humphrey Institute Associate Professor Maria Hanratty, an expert in the economics of poverty and social welfare institutions. Professor Larry Jacobs will moderate. The event is free and open to the public.

Tuesday, April 17, 10:30-3:30 p.m.: The 2007 Freeman Lecture will address "Food or Fuel: The Emerging Competition" with a keynote address by Lester Brown, president and founder of the Earth Policy Institute. Experts from agribusiness, farm organizations and cooperatives, environmental groups, and other non-governmental organizations will participate in the afternoon panel discussion to address policy issues raised from their perspective. "Food or Fuel" will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 17, at the Humphrey Institute. For more information and to register, visit the Freeman Forum online. Please register by April 12. Questions can be directed to (651) 645-9403.

Wednesday, April 18, 12:45-2 p.m.: The State and Local Policy Program will host a discussion with Steve Cramer, chair of the Minnesota Ballpark Authority, from 12:45 to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, April 18, in the Wilkins Room (215 Humphrey Center). Cramer will talk about potential infrastructure and land-use issues related to planning for the Twins stadium. This program is free and open to the public.

Save the date!

May 2-3: "Toward a Global Food and Agricultural Policy for an Open International Economy" will be held May 2–3 to honor recently retired Regents Professor G. Edward Schuh. For more information and to register for this two-day symposium, visit the Schuh Symposium website.

May 3: Bill George, former Medtronic Inc. CEO and chairman, and David Gergen, director of the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, will headline a kick-off celebration for the Center for Integrative Leadership at noon on May 3 at Ted Mann Concert Hall. "The Age of Integrative Leadership: A Conversation with David Gergen & Bill George" is free and open to the public.

May 9: Dr. Steven Miles and University law professor Oren Gross will examine wartime interrogation techniques in "Torture, War, and Medical Ethics." This Home and Away program will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on May 9 in Cowles Auditorium.

May 16: The Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs will host the 2007 Hubert H. Humphrey Public Leadership Awards on Wednesday, May 16, at the McNamara Alumni Center. This year's recipients are Senator John C. Danforth, former U.S. Senator from Missouri and Ambassador to the United Nations; Josie R. Johnson, civil rights leader and educator; Eugene C. Sit, founder and co-chair of the Minnesotans’ Military Appreciation Fund; and Harlan Cleveland, former ambassador to NATO and founding dean of the Humphrey Institute. A reception begins at 6 p.m., and the dinner and program, including remarks from the award recipients, begins at 7 p.m. For tickets to the scholarship fundraiser, contact Lars Leafblad at leafblad@umn.edu or (612) 625-9588. Tickets for the dinner and program are $125, of which $75 is a tax-deductible contribution.

May 30: The Humphrey Institute welcomes Congressman Jim Ramstad from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 30, in Cowles Auditorium. Ramstad will give a policy presentation as part of "Connecting with Government," a program series sponsored by the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance. Ramstad's presentation is free and open to the public. Registration is not required.