Newswise — Saint John's University announces the creation of the Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement. The McCarthy Center was named after the late Sen. Eugene J. McCarthy, a 1935 honors graduate of Saint John's and is being announced on the 40th anniversary of McCarthy's declared presidential candidacy.
The McCarthy Center integrates educational and practical experiences in the area of public policy and public affairs and empowers students to further contribute to the quality of communities in which they live and work. Whether they seek careers in politics, in the non-profit industry or simply strive to be engaged citizens, students will bring the compassion and intellect to positively impact organizations and institutions through civic engagement.
"In this day of 'Crossfire' political reasoning and 'us vs. them' political rhetoric, many young people are steering away from political engagement," said Matt Lindstrom, associate professor of political science, and director of the Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University. "As a result, the faculty and core group of students from the center will work diligently to create venues for constructive, responsible and interesting civic debate and engagement in community affairs."
According to Lindstrom, the creation of the Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement is a statement that Saint John's and Saint Benedict are wholly committed to integrating on- and off-campus learning to prepare students to advance the public good. "It builds on a strong foundation in the academic exploration of public policy, governance and citizenship and our record in bridging the classroom to the wider world," he said.
Establishing the McCarthy Center builds on an extensive track record of engagement, opportunity and outreach in and beyond the campuses including the Eugene McCarthy Lecture Series, the Washington D.C. Summer Study Program and the John E. Robson Scholars.
A track record of collaboration among the institutions' faculty members in political science, history and economics goes back even further with a program established in the late 1960s by former political science professor Ed Henry, with the aid of a Ford Foundation grant. Professor Henry founded the first small-city research center in the nation " the Center for the Study of Local Government " which operated at Saint John's from 1968-1979.
Center Honors Former Senator Eugene J. McCarthy
Saint John's University received a $5 million gift pledge for the creation of the Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement at Saint John's and Saint Benedict from Dan and Katharine Whalen. The Whalens sought to name the center after Sen. McCarthy because of McCarthy's extraordinary record as a public servant and his deep connections to Saint John's. This generous commitment builds on several gifts the Whalen have already made to fund academic priorities in public policy: two teaching professorships named for emeriti political science professors at CSB and SJU " the Joe Farry and Ed Henry Professorships " a public policy residency and support for the endowment for the annual McCarthy lectureship.
After serving in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1949-1959, Sen. McCarthy was elected to the U. S. Senate in 1958. He served in the U. S. Senate from 1958-1971. In 1968, he ran for the Democratic presidential nomination. Sen. McCarthy died in December 2005. Saint John's University chose to honor one of its most distinguished alumnus by establishing the McCarthy Lecture Series in January 2006.
In learning about the naming of center after their father, two of Sen. McCarthy's children, Michael McCarthy and Ellen McCarthy Howell, provided this statement: "The scope of center's activities promises to stimulate the kind of thoughtful discussion our father sought to promote in his public and private life - discussion informed not just by policy and politics but also by poetry, philosophy and by concerns of the people, whose voice too often goes unheeded."
For more information on the Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement and its activities, visit http://www.csbsju.edu/publicpolicy.
The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University are two nationally leading liberal arts colleges whose unique partnership provides students with a highly engaged and integrated learning experience preparing them for leadership and service in a global society. The student experience is enlivened by Catholic and Benedictine tradition and an extraordinary sense of place and community.
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