FORMER MEMBERS OF CONGRESS VISIT MEMPHIS

Former Congressmen Mickey Edwards (R-OK) and Jerry Patterson (D-CA) visited the University of Memphis on March 18-20 for the Congress to Campus program.  The program, a partnership with the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress since 1996, sends two former Members of Congress to college campuses to meet with students and discuss the value of public service and the role of Congress.

MSU DISTINGUISHED SCHOLARS VISIT ATLANTA

The Stennis Center conducted a public service leadership program in Atlanta, Georgia for the 32 Mississippi State University Distinguished Scholars on Friday, March 9, 2012.  It began with a tour of the Carter Presidential Library and Museum.  Lunch featured former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn of Georgia who discussed his Nuclear Threat Initiative and recalled his relationship with Senator Stennis and Stacey Abrams, a Mississippi native and Truman Scholar who is now the Minority Leader in the Georgia House of Representatives.  The program gave the students the opportunity to think about how they might be involved in providing public service leadership through their careers or through volunteer efforts.

USS EISENHOWER AWARD WINNERS VISIT DC

The 2011 Leadership Award Winners from the USS EISENHOWER came to Washington, DC as part of the Aircraft Carrier Leadership Award Winners Program sponsored by the Stennis Center.  Two awards are presented annually to individuals who most exemplify the exceptional vision, integrity, courage, commitment to duty, and hard work that marked the career of President Dwight D. Eisenhower – the Five Star Award is presented to an outstanding Officer and the Waging Peace Award is presented to an outstanding Chief/Senior Chief/Master Chief Petty Officer.

STENNIS FELLOWS CONDUCT ROUNDTABLE

The Stennis Fellows of the 112^th Congress met on January 30, 2012 at the Freedom Forum in Washington, D.C.  to discuss the role of the media and technology in political polarization.  The Fellows met with Deborah Potter, executive director of NewsLab, and Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet and American Life Project.

NIMITZ AND TRUMAN PROSPECTIVE COMMANDING OFFICERS ON CAPITOL HILL

The Stennis Center’s Connecting Carriers to Congress Program brings Prospective Commanding Officers of nuclear aircraft carriers to Capitol Hill for an opportunity to develop mutual understanding between civilian leaders in Congress and the main Fleet units.  Recently, as part of this program, Captains Robert Roth and Jeffrey Ruth, incoming Prospective Commanding Officers of the USS HARRY S. TRUMAN and USS NIMITZ, respectively, met with Congressional staff and staff of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation.

USS ENTERPRISE AWARD WINNERS VISIT DC

Leadership award recipients from the USS ENTERPRISE and their families visited Washington, D.C. November 14-15, 2011 as part of the Stennis Center’s Aircraft Carrier Leadership Awards Program.  They are pictured here at the Pentagon with Admiral James A Winnefeld, Jr, Vice Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff.

NEW SENATORS MEET NEW CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS

General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was the guest at a dinner discussion held on Monday, November 7, 2011, in the U.S. Capitol.  The event, one of a series led by Senator Jack Reed and Senator Roger Wicker, brings together leaders of the military and first-term Senators and is part of the Stennis Center’s ongoing Civil-Military Leadership Program.  The discussion covered a wide-range of national security issues that are currently under consideration in Washington.

SOUTHERN WOMEN IN PUBLIC SERVICE: OKLAHOMA ROUNDTABLE

A bipartisan group of women leaders from Oklahoma gathered on October 28-29, 2011 in Norman, Oklahoma Norman to discuss the progress women have made in breaking down barriers and the efforts needed to continue to strengthen women’s leadership in politics.  The Stennis Center partnered with the Women’s Leadership Initiative of the Carl Albert Center for Congressional Research and Studies at the University of Oklahoma.

STENNIS FELLOWS HOLD ROUNDTABLE

The Stennis Congressional Staff Fellows held their first roundtable discussion on Monday, October 31, 2011 at the National Archives.  The 112th Congress Fellows are looking at how Congress can move beyond polarization in order to best serve the American people.  This session was devoted to examining the history of polarization in the Congress and the Fellows discussed the topic with former U.S. Representative Mickey Edwards, Emory University Professor Alan Abramowitz, and University of Texas (Austin) Professor Sean Theriault.  Future roundtables are planned to focus on other aspects of the polarization issue.

CONNECTING CARRIERS AND CONGRESS

U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss of Georgia met with Commander Randy Van Rossum with Naval Reactors (left) and the Prospective Commanding Officer of the USS CARL VINSON, Captain Kent “Torch” Whalen (right), as part of the Stennis Center’s program Connecting Carriers and Congress.  The program brings the Prospective Commanding Officers of the nuclear aircraft carriers, who are in Washington, DC for a five-week nuclear refresher course, to Capitol Hill for an opportunity to develop mutual understanding between civilian leaders in Congress and the main Fleet units.  The USS VINSON (CVN 70) is the third U.S. Navy Nimitz class supercarrier and is named after Carl Vinson, a former congressman from Georgia.