USC Center for the Political Future

The Center for the Political Future (CPF) is a non-partisan center housed in the University of Southern California's Dornsife College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The center was established in order to combat uncivil political discourse and promote bipartisan, fact-based dialogue on national issues.[1][2]

About the center

Leadership

The center's Director is Robert Shrum and its Co-Director is Mike Murphy. Shrum is a longtime Democratic strategist and speechwriter for politicians, including Ted Kennedy, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and John Kerry. Murphy is a veteran Republican campaign strategist and has worked for candidates Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jeb Bush, John McCain, and Mitt Romney.[3][4] The center's Executive Director is Kamy Akhavan, former CEO of ProCon.org.[5]

Mission

The Center for the Political Future brings political professionals together from both sides of the aisle and models bipartisan discussions for students and the national political stage.[6][7][8]

The center's stated mission is to “combine rigorous intellectual inquiry, teaching, and practical politics to advance civil dialogue that transcends partisan divisions and explores solutions to our most pressing national and global challenges.”[9]

History

In 1978, before it was called the Center for the Political Future, USC founded the USC Institute of Politics and Government. A little more than a decade later, in 1987, it was renamed the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics after the late California state politician, Jesse M. Unruh.[10] In 2018, long-time political strategists and friends Robert Shrum (D) and Mike Murphy (R) expanded the Unruh Institute of Politics by creating the Center for the Political Future.

Organization

The center has several departments and initiatives that further its mission: the Unruh Institute of Politics,[11] the USC Dornsife/LA Times Poll,[12] weekly programming through their Political Conversations series,[13] a Fellows Program,[14] and large-scale conferences.[15]

Unruh Institute of Politics

The Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics, named after long-time California politician Jesse M. Unruh, is a component of the Center for the Political Future. Its focus is on engaging students at USC in politics and public service. It achieves this goal by providing students with internships and practical experiences in politics.

Student programs include immersive professional experiences at the Iowa Caucuses, in California state politics in Sacramento, a leadership conference for LA-based high school women, and related coursework in these areas.

The Unruh Institute has two affiliated student groups, Unruh Associates and VoteSC, which promote student engagement in voting and politics.[16][17][18]

USC Dornsife/LA Times Poll

The USC Dornsife/LA Times poll is maintained by USC’s Center for Economic and Social Research and conducted in partnership with the Center for the Political Future and the Los Angeles Times. The purpose of the probability-based online panel is to track respondents changing attitudes and preferences for political candidates over time.[19][20][21]

Political Conversations

The Center for the Political Future hosts a regular conversation series called Political Conversations, in partnership with the Political Science Department at USC. The Center brings in guests from the world of politics, journalism, and other related fields to expose students to practitioners in journalism, politics, and public policy.[13]

Past guests include:

Fellows Program

The Center for the Political Future hosts visiting Fellows each semester to teach classes pertaining to politics, public policy, and journalism.

Fellows have included:

  • Mimi Walters - Former United States Representative from California's 45th district (Fall 2020)[39]
  • Barbara Boxer - Former United States Senator from California (Fall 2020)[40]
  • John Chiang - Former California State Treasurer and State Controller (Fall 2020)[41]
  • Ben Rhodes - Former Deputy National Security Advisor under President Obama and Co-Host of “Pod Save the World” (Spring 2020) [42]
  • Jeff Greenfield - Senior Political Correspondent for CBS (Spring 2020) [43]
  • Dr. David Hill - GOP Pollster and Strategist (Spring 2020) [44]
  • Ron Christie - Former Special Assistant to President George W. Bush (Fall 2019)[45]
  • Ann Klenk - Former Senior Producer of Hardball with Chris Matthews (Fall 2019)[46]
  • Adam Nagourney - Los Angeles Bureau Chief of the New York Times (Fall 2019)[47]
  • Symone Sanders - Senior Advisor to Vice President Joe Biden (Spring 2019)[48]
  • Mike Madrid - GOP strategist (Spring 2019)[49]
  • Dan Schwerin - Director of Speechwriting for Hillary Clinton (Fall 2018)[50]
  • Gentry Collins - Former National Political Director at the Republican National Committee (Fall 2018)[51]

Conferences

The Center for the Political Future conducts several annual conferences. The conference themes range from climate change and political tribalism to immigration and elections.[52][53][54]

Featured speakers have included:

References
  1. Skelton, George (2018-09-10). "Capitol Journal: Two longtime political street fighters have a new cause: restoring civility to Trump-era public discourse". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
  2. Marinucci, Carla; White, Jeremy B.; Parthasarathy, Maya. "BROWN signs landmark climate bill -- COX's radio ads channel TRUMP -- BECERRA targets gangs and fraud -- MOONVES saga roils Hollywood -- TRAVIS ALLEN to run for state GOP chair?". POLITICO. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
  3. "Robert Shrum". theaapc.org. Retrieved 2019-12-19.
  4. "USC Center for the Political Future". dornsife-center-for-political-future.usc.edu/staff/mike-murphy/. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
  5. "USC Center for the Political Future". dornsife-center-for-political-future.usc.edu. Retrieved 2019-12-24.
  6. Nagourney, Adam; Stevens, Matt (2018-09-04). "California Today: A New Home for the Study of Politics". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
  7. Nolan, Conan. "NewsConference: USC Center to Bring Bipartisan Dialogue". NBC Los Angeles. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
  8. Michaelson, Elex. "The Issue Is". FOX 11 Los Angeles. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
  9. "USC Center for the Political Future". dornsife-center-for-political-future.usc.edu. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
  10. "USC Center for the Political Future". dornsife-center-for-political-future.usc.edu. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
  11. "About: Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics". dornsife-center-for-political-future.usc.edu/unruh-institute/about-the-unruh-institute/. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
  12. "About the Poll". dornsife-center-for-political-future.usc.edu/polls/about-the-poll. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
  13. "Overview: About our events". dornsife-center-for-political-future.usc.edu/programming/about-our-events/. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
  14. "Fellows Program". dornsife-center-for-political-future.usc.edu/fellows/fellows-program. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
  15. "Programming: Past Conferences". dornsife-center-for-political-future.usc.edu/programming/past-conferences/. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
  16. "Unruh Student Groups". dornsife-center-for-political-future.usc.edu/unruh-institute/unruh-student-groups/. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
  17. "Unruh Associates". unruhassociates.org. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
  18. "About: VoteSC". VoteSC.com. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
  19. "Democrats see Biden, Warren as close fits ideologically, view Sanders as more extreme". Los Angeles Times. 2019-09-11. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
  20. Deane, Claudia; Kennedy, Courtney; Keeter, Scott (2019-11-19). "Election 2020 Polling Field Guide". Pew Research Center Methods. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
  21. Gee, Kristopher. "What Role Do Polls Play in Presidential Races?". spectrumnews1.com. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
  22. Lemas, Matt (2015-02-10). "Nancy Pelosi visits USC, talks political gridlock". Daily Trojan. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
  23. Speier, Mia (2018-09-07). "Former Obama adviser speaks about politics". Daily Trojan. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
  24. Wiles, Katherine (2018-04-18). "Unruh Institute hosts veteran strategist". Daily Trojan. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
  25. Carson, Stuart; Varma, Tanvi (2018-02-14). "Former governor discusses current political climate". Daily Trojan. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
  26. USC Unruh Spring 2018 - Political Conversation: Pedro Sanchez 1/25/18, retrieved 2019-12-17
  27. De Soto, Juan Vega. "Rep. Joe Kennedy III discusses Sen. Warren, the Green New Deal and winning in 2020 during USC visit". Annenberg Media. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
  28. Vera, Breanna De (2019-09-18). "Journalists discuss role of media in politics". Daily Trojan. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
  29. Peterson, Noah (2018-02-21). "Joe Trippi shares insight on Alabama special election". Daily Trojan. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
  30. Agustin, Francis; 2018. "Entertainment Politics with Dee Dee Myers and Jon Macks". Annenberg Media. Retrieved 2019-12-17.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  31. "Race, Diversity and Politics | C-SPAN.org". www.c-span.org. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
  32. Yaacoub, Sarah (2019-12-04). "Anthony Scaramucci talks 2020 during third campus visit". Daily Trojan. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
  33. USC Unruh Fall 2017- Political Conversations: The Fights Ahead and Is There Any Compromise? 10/18/17, retrieved 2019-12-17
  34. Grubb, Briana (2019-01-31). "Columbia professor discusses apolitical polarization". Daily Trojan. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
  35. Cherner, Julia (2017-03-08). "Journalists discuss Trump's effect on media". Daily Trojan. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
  36. Pederson, Anna. "Political strategist Stanley Greenberg predicts that the Democratic Party will win the 2020 election". Annenberg Media. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
  37. Taylor, Regan (2018-01-30). "OPINION: Colleges must be open-minded about diversity policy". Daily Trojan. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
  38. "Electoral Reform | C-SPAN.org". www.c-span.org. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
  39. "Fall 2020 Fellows (Mimi Walters)". dornsife-center-for-political-future.usc.edu. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
  40. "Fall 2020 Fellows (Barbara Boxer)". dornsife-center-for-political-future.usc.edu. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
  41. "Fall 2020 Fellows (John Chiang)". dornsife-center-for-political-future.usc.edu. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
  42. "Ben Rhodes". dornsife-center-for-political-future.usc.edu. Retrieved 2019-12-24.
  43. "Jeff Greenfield". dornsife-center-for-political-future.usc.edu. Retrieved 2019-12-24.
  44. "Dr. David Hill". dornsife-center-for-political-future.usc.edu. Retrieved 2019-12-24.
  45. "Ron Christie". USC Center for the Political Future Former Fellows Profiles. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
  46. Vera, Breanna De (2019-09-05). "New fellows to teach courses on politics, media". Daily Trojan. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
  47. "Adam Nagourney". USC Center for the Political Future Former Fellows Profiles. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
  48. Klick, Andrea (2019-01-09). "Dornsife center announces spring fellows". Daily Trojan. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
  49. Stephens, Morgan. "USC panel predicts diversity will be key for Democratic victory in 2020". Annenberg Media. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
  50. "Dan Schwerin". USC Center for the Political Future Former Fellows Profiles. Retrieved 2019-12-19.
  51. "Gentry Collins". USC Center for the Political Future Former Fellows Profiles. Retrieved 2019-12-19.
  52. Pederson, Anna. ""Tribalism in American Politics" explores politicial divisions". USCannenbergmedia.com. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
  53. De Soto, Juan Vega. "John Kerry envisions a carbon-free future during climate speech at USC". Arc Publishing. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
  54. Gersema, Emily. "Experts: It is indeed a women's wave, but is it a 'blue wave'?". dornsifelive.usc.edu. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
  55. De Soto, Juan Vega (April 10, 2019). "John Kerry envisions a carbon-free future during climate speech at USC". USC Annenberg Media. Retrieved 2019-12-24.
  56. "GOP Trump Challenger Sanford: Political Discord Could 'End Our Republic'". 2019-09-27. Retrieved 2019-12-24.
  57. How Technology Has Led Us Into Our Own Corners. USC Panel ft Ana Kasparian, retrieved 2019-12-24
  58. TNH Staff (2018-03-27). "EU Commissioner Avramopoulos Main Guest at USC Event on Migration (video)". The National Herald. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
  59. "Future of Political Parties | C-SPAN.org". www.c-span.org. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
  60. "Trump Administration Domestic Policy | C-SPAN.org". www.c-span.org. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.