"Two of our speakers also have Delaware tiesDan
Pfeiffer grew up in Delaware, and Chris Christie received his bachelor's
degree from the University of Delaware. We're looking forward to a
rigorous and open discussion around the state of this nearly
250-year-old uniquely American experiment that is democracy."
The
National Agenda series, held each year during fall semester, is also an
academic course in which students have the opportunity to host and
interact with the nationally known speakers during their visits to
campus and learn some of the operations involved in staging a political
event.
The speaker series is supported by the Office of the Provost.
This year's speakers and their topics are:
Sept. 4, Dan Pfeiffer, "Speaking from the Left." Author of the bestseller Yes We (Still) Can: Politics in the Age of Obama, Twitter and Trump,
Pfeiffer pioneered the use of digital and social media platforms in
political campaigns when he served as communications director for the
Obama campaign. Pfeiffer is a Delaware native and graduate of Wilmington
Friends School.
Sept. 11, Rob Rogers, "Drawing Democracy." Rogers
is an award-winning, nationally syndicated editorial cartoonist
formerly with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. His book, Enemy of the People: A Cartoonist's Journey, talks about the importance of satire in today's political climate.
Sept. 25, Jamelle Bouie, "Contextualizing Culture." A New York Times columnist, CBS News political analyst and former Slate magazine
chief political correspondent, Bouie covers politics, public policy,
elections and race, taking his audiences to the front lines of the
nation's most significant news events.
Oct. 2, Tara Setmayer,
"Speaking from the Right." Setmayer is a CNN political contributor,
media commentator, podcast host and former Republican communications
director on Capitol Hill. She became well-known nationally as a CNN
political commentator during the 2016 presidential election cycle.
Nov.
6, Chris Christie, "Deciphering Political Power." Christie, a UD
alumnus (CAS84) and former U.S. attorney for New Jersey, served as the
state's two-term governor from 2010-18 and was a candidate for the 2016
Republican presidential nomination. He describes his political career in
a new book, Let Me Finish: Trump, the Kushners, Bannon, New Jersey, and the Power of In-Your-Face Politics.
Nov.
20, John Della Volpe, "Measuring Millennials." The director of polling
at the Harvard Kennedy School's Institute of Politics, Della Volpe is
the founder of SocialSphere, a public opinion and analytics company. The
Washington Post has called him one of the world's leading authorities on opinion, especially among Millennials.
An opportunity for UD students to speak out
In conjunction with National Agenda, the CPC is holding its third annual audio essay contest for UD students, titled "Speak Up!"
All
students are eligible to join the campus-wide conversation by sharing
their own views on American democracy in a two- to four-minute recorded
audio essay.
"The contest brings to light the viewpoints of our
students and how they feel about democracy and their place in defining
its direction," Karibjanian said. "Their voices and their honest
opinions will extend the dialogue of National Agenda, bringing these
questions about our country to a personal level."
Entries are now
being accepted, with a submission deadline of Friday, Dec. 6. Finalists
will be recognized at a public event in the spring, and monetary prizes
will be awarded.
For details, visit the Speak Up! webpage.
Published Sept. 3, 2019