CAPTAIN JOSH SWARTSEL WINS HAROLD KELLER AWARD AT STUDENT CONGRESS

In 2006, the Stennis Center created the Harold Keller Public Service Leadership Award to honor Keller’s leadership in the growth and success of Student Congress.  Beginning in 2007, the Keller Award has been presented annually to a former Student Congress competitor who has made significant contributions to his or her community, state, or nation through public service leadership.  The 2012 winner is Captain Josh Swartsel, a native of Orlando, FL and a 2007 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point.  In addition to being a decorated soldier, as a Student Congress competitor from 1999 to 2003, Josh won championship rounds at Wake Forest, the Blue Key Invitational, and the 2003 NFL House National Championship.

STENNIS STUDENT CONGRESS HELD IN INDIANAPOLIS

Since 1991, the Stennis Center has sponsored the John C. Stennis National Student Congress as part of the National Forensic League’s (NFL) National Speech Tournament.  This year the country’s top high school debaters assembled June 10-15 in Indianapolis to compete for the honor of the nation’s best.

USS STENNIS AWARD WINNERS VISIT WASHINGTON, D.C.

The 2011 and 2012 winners of the leadership awards on the USS JOHN C. STENNIS aircraft carrier visited the nation’s capital with their families on June 20-23, 2012.  The Stennis Center’s leadership awards programs on aircraft carriers recognize distinguished officers and senior-enlisted personnel who have demonstrated exceptional leadership on board their respective aircraft carriers. The winners are selected through a ship-wide competition.

STENNIS FELLOWS HOLD SYNTHESIS RETREAT

The Stennis Congressional Staff Fellows of the 112th Congress met in Shepherdstown, West Virginia on June 1-2, 2012 for their synthesis retreat to review the group’s findings from previous sessions addressing the overall theme of "Moving Beyond Political Polarization."  Pictured above is one of the small discussion groups.

FORUM BRINGS CITIZENS TOGETHER TO DISCUSS INTERNET PRIVACY

The MSU Libraries, the Stennis Center for Public Service and the Stennis Institute of Government held their third National Issues Forum on June 5, 2012 on the campus of Mississippi State University.  The forum, What Should Go on the Internet? Privacy, Security and Freedom Online, was facilitated by Phil Hardwick of the Stennis Institute.  This forum is part of a nationwide effort by the Kettering Foundation and the Association of Centers for the Study of Congress to create pathways for citizens to engage with each other over public problems.

ANNUAL MEETING OF THE ASSOCIATION OF CENTERS FOR THE STUDY OF CONGRESS

The Stennis Center helped with programming at the annual meeting of the Association of Centers for the Study of Congress on May 24-26, 2012 at the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies on the campus of the University of Georgia.  Pictured above, Brother Rogers  of the Stennis Center hosted a panel of former Members of Congress:  Matt McHugh (center) of New York and Martin Lancaster (right) of North Carolina.  In addition, the Stennis Center brought in Sid Salter, journalist-in-residence at Mississippi State University (MSU), to discuss the opening of the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library at MSU.

CIVIL MILITARY DINNER WITH SENATORS AND ADMIRAL MCRAVEN

U.S. Senators met with Admiral William McRaven, Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command, on Wednesday, May 9, in The Capitol to discuss national security issues.  Senators Jack Reed and Roger Wicker have led a series of discussions that bring together leaders of the military and first-term Senators, as part of the Stennis Center’s Civil-Military Leadership Program.  From left to right:  Frank Sullivan, Senators John Boozman (R-AR), Rob Portman (R-OH), Jack Reed (D-RI), John Hoeven (R-ND), and Kay Hagan(D-NC), Admiral William McRaven, Senators Roger Wicker (R-MS), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Chris Coons (D-DE), and Colonel Bill Coultrup.

CONGRESS TO CAMPUS PROGRAM IN CALIFORNIA

Student Leaders Cat Tran, Elisa Namdar and Kolby Keo moderate a panel discussion with Former Members of Congress Sam Coppersmith, Orval Hansen and Jerry Patterson at Orange Coast College in Orange County California.  Coppersmith and Hansen visited on April 22-24 as part of the Congress to Campus program.  Patterson serves on the college’s Board of Trustees.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES HOLDS ANNUAL MEETING IN DC

The Board of Trustees of the Stennis Center met on April 18 in the Longworth House Office Building.  Attendees included (pictured left to right) executive director Rex Buffington, U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, former U.S. Rep. Travis Childers, and former Mississippi Governor William Winter.  The Stennis Center is governed by a Board of Trustees appointed by the Democratic and Republican leaders in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives.

STENNIS FELLOWS DISCUSS POLITICAL POLARIZATION

The 112th Congress Stennis Fellows met at the University of Virginia March 30-31 to examine the impact of rules and procedures on polarization in Congress and to explore whether the polarization America is currently experiencing is a reflection of citizens or is generated by politicians.  Distinguished guests who met with the Fellows were former Virginia Governor Gerald L. Baliles, director of the Miller Center of Public Affairs at UVA; Ted Carmines of Indiana University; Larry Evans of the College of William and Mary; John Fortier of the Bipartisan Policy Center; Frances Lee of the University of Maryland; and Nolan McCarty of Princeton University.