Sandra Day O'Connor Institute

The Sandra Day O'Connor Institute is a non-profit organization based in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, whose mission is to "continue Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s legacy and lifetime work to advance civics education, civic engagement and civil discourse".[1] The institute was established with the retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor from Arizona in 2009.[2] Leaders and luminaries who have spoken at the O'Connor Institute include General Colin Powell,[3] President George W. Bush[4] and the former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev.[5]

Sandra Day O'Connor Institute
Formation2009
HeadquartersBeus Center for Law and Society, 111 E Taylor Street
Location
President and CEO
Sarah Suggs
Websitewww.oconnorinstitute.org

History

The institute, a non-profit, nonpartisan organization, was originally founded as O'Connor House to oversee saving and preserving O'Connor's historic 1958 adobe family home, which was slated for demolition. The house in Paradise Valley, Arizona, was painstakingly dismantled brick by brick and successfully reassembled in a new location in Tempe's Papago Park near the Arizona Historical Society in 2009. The O'Connor Institute conserves the house.[6] In 2015, Justice O'Connor and the organization's Board of Directors authorized the renaming from O'Connor House to the Sandra Day O'Connor Institute to better represent the broader spectrum of programs and emphasis on civil discourse, civic engagement and civics education.[7] In 2019, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Sandra Day O'Connor House.[8]

Programs

Distinguished Speakers Series

The O'Connor Institute Distinguished Speakers Series features prominent individuals who have fostered civil discourse in their careers. Past speakers have included the former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the former President of South Africa and Nobel Peace Prize recipient F.W. de Klerk,[9] the former Finnish Minister of Defense Elisabeth Rehn,[10] the Pulitzer Prize winner David McCullough, the Human Rights Foundation chairman and past world chess champion Garry Kasparov,[11] the retired Admiral and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe James Stavridis,[12] the former CIA Director James Woolsey[13] and First Lady Laura Bush.[14]

Annual History Dinner

The O'Connor Institute Annual History Dinner presents educational dinners highlighting historic figures, with a notable speaker. Past dinners have showcased Abraham Lincoln (with the Pulitzer Prize winner Doris Kearns Goodwin),[15] Thomas Jefferson (with the Pulitzer Prize winner Jon Meacham)[16] and John F. Kennedy (with Ambassador Caroline Kennedy).[17]

Camp O'Connor

Conceived in 2014 by O'Connor, the goal of Camp O'Connor is to "educate, inspire and encourage the next generation of citizens…to develop a deeper understanding of our democracy".[18] The O'Connor Institute delivers this five-day "democracy boot camp" for middle school students each summer in Phoenix.[19] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Camp O'Connor 2020 was postponed to 2021.[20]

Camp O'Connor Civics Challenge


Camp O'Connor Civics Challenge

In 2020, the O'Connor Institute launched the Camp O'Connor Civics Challenge, a national competition for 6th - 9th grade students. For the Challenge, "Students will...choose one civics topic from a list of options, receive instructions, and then produce a creative video on that topic, three minutes or less in length. Winners will be awarded Apple products." The Civics Challenge launched together with the Institute's online education initiative known as O'Connor U.[21]

Digital Library and Resource Center

The Sandra Day O’Connor Digital Library "showcases Justice O’Connor’s historic accomplishments across her decades of work in public service"[22] and "catalogs the life and work of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman to serve on the United States Supreme Court."[23] According to the Institute, the launch of the Digital Library has meant that, "For the first time, Justice O’Connor’s body of work across her decades in public service is available in an easily accessible, searchable format." The Library is the "world's most comprehensive online collection of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's life and work.[24]

Issues and Answers Forums

The institute hosts debates about various policies featuring speakers from all sides of each issue. Past topics have included independent expenditures, anonymous campaign finance contributions, so-called "dark money",[25] legalization of recreational marijuana,[26] and water and drought in the American Southwest.[27]

Sandra Day O'Connor Scholarship

Each year, the institute provides a competitive scholarship for a promising law student at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law.[28]

Emerging Leaders Network

The Emerging Leaders Network (ELN) hosts guest speakers, organizes social events, and produces informational materials on civic engagement for young adults ages 18-40.[29] Past speakers at ELN events have included Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich and Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone.[30]

"Civics for Life" Podcast

The O'Connor Institute's monthly podcast features interviews with guests in public service or academia whose work intersects with the Institute's focus on civil discourse, civics education, and civic engagement. Guests have included Governor of Vermont Phil Scott, former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry, and former President of Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberga.[31]

References
  1. "Mission Statement". Sandra Day O'Connor Institute. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  2. "Sandra Day O'Connor Institute announces future home at Arizona Center for Law and Society". ASU Now: Access, Excellence, Impact. 20 October 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  3. "Powell to discuss leadership at event". northcentralnews.net. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  4. "Traveling exhibit of artwork by President George W. Bush coming to Arizona". August 15, 2018.
  5. "Michael Bidwell Flies". bizjournals.com. 2012. Retrieved 2019-07-21.
  6. "Sandra Day O'Connor's former house, a center of civility in Tempe, gets flung with mud". azcentral. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
    - Kara G. Morrison (March 24, 2010). "Historic O'Connor house rebuilt in Papago Park". The Arizona Republic.
  7. "O'Connor House becomes Sandra Day O'Connor Institute". March 30, 2015.
  8. O'Sullivan, Serena. "Sandra Day O'Connor's house in Tempe added to the National Register of Historic Places". azcentral. Retrieved 2019-11-05.
  9. "F.W. De Klerk encourages support for ethical leaders at ASU event". ASU Now: Access, Excellence, Impact. 26 September 2016. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  10. "Yhdysvaltain ex-suurlähettiläs: "Suomalaiset ovat valtavan ennakkoluulottomia luomaan uutta"". suomenkuvalehti.fi. 22 October 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  11. "Garry Kasparov, Russian Pro-Democracy Leader, to Speak in Phoenix".
  12. "Leadership Voices: James Stavridis on "Global Diplomacy and Security"".
  13. News, Sonoran (29 November 2017). "Former CIA Director James Woolsey to speak in Phoenix". sonorannews.com. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  14. "Former first lady speaks at inaugural Legacy Luncheon". paradisevalleyindependent.com. 6 June 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
    - "Past Distinguished Speakers". Sandra Day O'Connor Institute. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  15. "Author Doris Kearns Goodwin to speak at O'Connor Institute". paradisevalleyindependent.com. 30 January 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
    - "'Dinner with Lincoln' raises $500,000 for Sandra Day O'Connor Institute". December 5, 2017.
  16. McBride, Jessica (5 December 2018). "Jon Meacham: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". heavy.com. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  17. "History Dinners". Sandra Day O'Connor Institute. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  18. "Camp O'Connor offers free civics camp to middle-school students June 5–9".
  19. "ASU Law to host 'Sandra Day O'Connor Day' at Downtown Phoenix campus". ASU Now: Access, Excellence, Impact. 21 September 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  20. admin (2020-05-22). "Sandra Day O'Connor Institute launches online O'Connor U". Raising Arizona Kids Magazine. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
  21. "O'Connor U launched by Sandra Day O'Connor Institute". Your Valley. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
  22. "Sandra Day O'Connor Institute launches extensive digital library to honor Justice's 90th birthday". 12news.com. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
  23. "Research Library and Archives by The Sandra Day O'Connor Institute". Sandra Day O'Connor Institute. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
  24. Institute, Sandra Day O’Connor. "Sandra Day O'Connor Digital Library Launched". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
  25. "O'Connor Institute to host panel discussion on 'Dark Money'". March 1, 2018.
  26. https://asuevents.asu.edu/content/issues-answers-forum-regulation-and-taxation-marijuana,
  27. "Forum Planned To Address Arizona's Water Issues". KJZZ's The Show. December 6, 2018.
  28. "Supreme Evening of Jazz benefits O'Connor scholarship". July 24, 2017.
    - "Sandra Day O'Connor Law Scholarship - The O'Connor Institute". Sandra Day O'Connor Institute.
  29. Ciaramella, Sierra (2019-01-30). "Program set to engage and encourage younger voters". Chamber Business News. Retrieved 2019-11-05.
  30. "Events". O'Connor Emerging Leaders Network. Retrieved 2019-11-05.
  31. "ELN Civics for Life". Spotify. Retrieved 2019-11-05.
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