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Visit the National Agenda 2017 photo album.
JANUARY 2018―As
I reflect on my third run as director of the National Agenda speaker
series, I’m truly grateful to the speakers, the students, and all who
took part in this eye-opening series. We developed the seventh annual
edition, “As We Stand | Divided,” with an eye toward revealing the many
seemingly insurmountable gaps facing Americans in 2017. But we didn’t
stop there. It’s not enough to pull back the curtain on gender,
geographic, religious, cultural, and political rifts. At the CPC, we
seek to demonstrate and promote civil dialogue for all Americans—even
those with whom you may disagree.
Each fall, nationally known speakers from many different backgrounds visit the University to talk about important issues in today's political landscape, and the series of public events at Mitchell Hall is only one part of the National Agenda program. Earlier in the day, the two dozen students enrolled in the course meet with each speaker, asking questions in an intimate setting.
On the last day of class, there were tears of joy and sadness, as the students acknowledged the end of a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Together, they had engaged in classroom discussions about guns and mass shootings, the impact of historical milestones—like the primary process—that have shifted politics in their generation, and the moral foundations that drive our beliefs, values, and behaviors, among many other topics. And, of course, they hung out with former Vice President Joe Biden for three-and-a-half hours over UDairy ice cream! That is not something every UD student can say they’ve experienced.
