Tag Archives: Clinton School Speaker Series

Civic Hope is focus of Clinton School program today at noon

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“Civic Hope: How Ordinary Americans Keep Democracy Alive” is the topic of Roderick P. Hart’s discussion today (February 14) at noon at the Clinton School.

Civic Hope is a history of what everyday Americans say – in their own words – about the government overseeing their lives. Based on a highly original analysis of 10,000 letters to the editor from 1948 to the present published in twelve U.S. cities, the book overcomes the limitations of survey data by revealing the reasons for people’s attitudes.

While Hart identifies worrisome trends – including a decline in writers’ abilities to explain what their opponents believe and their attachment to national touchstones – he also shows why the nation still thrives. Civic Hope makes a powerful case that the vitality of a democracy lies not in its strengths but in its weaknesses and in the willingness of its people to address those weaknesses without surcease. The key, Hart argues, is to sustain a culture of argument at the grassroots level.

Roderick Hart is one of the most successful deans in the history of the Moody College at the University of Texas at Austin and is among its most renowned scholars and teachers. An expert of politics and the mass media, he has taught in the Communication Studies Department since 1979 and is the author of 12 books. He has taught courses on political communication, rhetoric, and government and is a member of UT’s Academy of Distinguished Teachers. He founded the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life, a research and outreach center committed to reversing civic and political apathy. From 2004 to 2015, he served as dean of the Moody College of Communication.

All Clinton School Speaker Series events are free and open to the public. Reserve your seats by emailing publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu or by calling (501) 683-5239.

Rock the Oscars 2019: Geena Davis

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On February 7, 2012, Academy Award-winning actor Geena Davis spoke in Little Rock.  She was hosted by the University of Arkansas Clinton School for Public Service and the William J. Clinton Foundation.

Davis founded the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media in 2004. The institute is the only research-based organization working within the media and entertainment industry to engage, educate and influence the need for gender balance, reducing stereotyping and creating a wide variety of female characters in entertainment. Davis won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in “The Accidental Tourist” in 1988.

She was again nominated for an Academy Award and Golden Globe for her performance as Thelma in Ridley Scott’s “Thelma and Louise,” in which she co-starred with Susan Sarandon.  She received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress for her portrayal of baseball phenomenon Dottie Hinson in “A League of Their Own.”

Geena Davis is the founder of the non-profit Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media and its programming arm See Jane, which engages film and television creators to dramatically increase the percentages of female characters — and reduce gender stereotyping — in media made for children 11 and under.  In 2015, she founded the Bentonville Film Festival.

Tonight at the Clinton School – Little Rock Central High 1957-59 and Beyond: A Black and a White Perspective

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This evening at 6pm, the Clinton School Speaker Series offers another insightful, timely discussion: Little Rock Central High 1957-59 and Beyond: A Black and a White Perspective.

John Bilheimer and Henry Jones bring the civil rights movement to life, offering a first-hand account of what life was like for a black teen and a white teen in the Deep South in the late 1950s.

Bilheimer, who is white, and Jones, who is black, discuss their experiences growing up in Little Rock during the height of the battle over school desegregation from 1957-1959. The two grew up near one another before leaving the state to pursue their education. Billheimer earned undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Arkansas and Harvard University; Jones attended Yale University and the University of Michigan. The pair did not meet until adulthood while working at Arkansas’ first integrated law firm.

All Clinton School Speaker Series events are free and open to the public. Reserve your seats by emailing publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu or by calling (501) 683-5239.

Intersection of Athletics and Higher Education is focus of Clinton School program tonight

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Image result for john wolohanThe Intersection of Athletics and Higher Education is the focus of a Clinton School program this evening.  It starts at 6pm at Sturgis Hall.

Attorney John Wolohan is a professor of Sports Law in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics at Syracuse University.

Wolohan is one of the lead editors of the book “Law for Recreation and Sport Managers” by Cotten and Wolohan, as well as being the author of the “Sports Law Report” a monthly article that appears in Athletic Business. Wolohan has also published numerous articles and book chapters in the areas of athlete’s rights, intellectual property and antitrust issues in sport in such Journals as the Marquette Sports Law Journal, Seton Hall Journal of Sports Law, Villanova Sports & Entertainment Law Journal, University of Missouri-Kansas City Law Review, Educational Law Reporter, International Sports Law Journal, Journal of the Legal Aspects of Sport and the Journal of Sport Management.

In addition, Professor Wolohan has made numerous presentations in the area of sports law to such organizations as the American Bar Association, Asser Sports Law Institute, Athletic Business, Australian & New Zealand Sports Law Association, European Association for Sport Management, International Sports Lawyers Association, North American Society of Sport Management, Sport and Recreation Law Association, US Indoor Sports Association and the United States Sport Congress.

Professor Wolohan, who is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association, received his B.A. from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, and his J.D. from Western New England University, School of Law.

All Clinton School Speaker Series events are free and open to the public. Reserve your seats by emailing publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu or by calling (501) 683-5239.

TINY HOUSE NATION focus of Clinton School talk this evening

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Image result for tiny house nation tvIn “Tiny House Nation,” renovation experts and hosts, John Weisbarth and Zack Giffin, travel across America to show off ingenious small spaces and the inventive people who live in them, as well as help new families design and construct their own mini-dream home in a space no larger than 500 square feet.

This evening (February 1) at the Clinton School at 6:00pm, Weisbarth and Giffin with discuss Tiny House Nation.

From a micro-apartment in New York City to a caboose car turned home in Montana to a micro-sized mobile home for road tripping – this is a series that celebrates the exploding movement of tiny homes. From pricey to budget friendly, “Tiny House Nation” is not a typical design show, but one that proves size doesn’t always matter – it’s creativity that counts.

With more than a decade of live television experience and six regional Emmy Awards to his name, host John Weisbarth brings his high energy and award-winning style to Tiny House Nation.

Giffin is a professional skier and contractor who is co-host of Tiny House Nation. He has so much love for tiny homes that he built a mobile tiny ski house for himself, and has lived in it full-time for years.

Zack manages each project and build crew and his innovative tricks of the tiny trade always wow. For each home Zack designs a special build project that is tailored to the homeowner’s needs, and his creations are not only super space saving inventions, they’re works of art too.

All Clinton School Speaker Series events are free and open to the public. Reserve your seats by emailing publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu or by calling (501) 683-5239

Skip Day! Happy Birthday to Skip Rutherford!

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Though a native of Batesville (and a proud booster to this day), James L. “Skip” Rutherford has lived in Little Rock for many years. While he was a student at the University of Arkansas, he probably never envisioned the impact he would have on the cultural scene of Little Rock.

After moving to Little Rock, Skip (and his wife Billie) became civic boosters which often involved attending or promoting cultural events.  However, by the mid-1990s, this moved into a whole new realm.

Skip was one of the visionaries behind the creation of a Central High Visitors Center.  His interest in this project combined his interests in public service, public policy, and public schools. This was an extension of his work as an aide to Senator David Pryor from 1979 to 1983 and a Little Rock School Board member from 1987 to 1991.  As the 40th anniversary of the integration of Little Rock Central High approached, Skip worked with Mayor Jim Dailey and others to plan the 1997 commemoration activities as well as the 1998 recognition of the Women’s Emergency Committee.

A few weeks after the Central High 40th anniversary events in September 1997, President Clinton announced that Little Rock would be the site of his Presidential Library.  As President of the Clinton Foundation, he was involved in the planning for not only the construction of the building but also the grand opening festivities.  Through his efforts, the City’s major cultural institutions all had events in conjunction with the opening of the Clinton Presidential Center.

In 2006, he followed Sen. David Pryor in the role of Dean of the Clinton School of Public Service.  Among his accomplishments in this role has been the expansion of the Clinton School Speaker Series. This free series of lectures and public discussions has added immensely to Little Rock’s cultural life. Topics range from foreign relations to domestic policy, from social services to community philanthropy, The lecture series has also focused on productions at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, guest artists with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, books by historians, and many other cultural topics over the years.

That he would oversee the expansion of this lecture program should not be a surprise.  He is also the founder (in 1983) of the Political Animals Club. While the original, non-partisan group still meets regularly in Little Rock, several other affiliates have been created in other portions of the state. He has always been one for civil, civic dialogue.

In April and May 2018, Skip was one of the civic leaders who stepped up to promote efforts to save the Arkansas Repertory Theatre. He was also involved in the planning and promotion of the Elizabeth Eckford Bench which was installed near Little Rock Central High School in September 2018.  Later that month, he presided over an event celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Women’s Emergency Committee.

Earlier this month, the Clinton School partnered with UA Little Rock Downtown for the a Clinton School program which discussed the 1930s mural which has been restored and now hangs in the new UA Little Rock space.  2019 will offer more opportunities for his civic and cultural boosterism, as well.

Clinton School Speaker at noon today – UA Little Rock Bowen Law Professor John DiPippa on recent Affordable Care Act Ruling

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Image result for john dipippaWhile his SCOTUS previews are a highlight of Clinton School programming in the the early fall, legal scholar John DiPippa will be making a special return to the Clinton School Speaker Series in January.

In December, a federal judge in Texas said that the Affordable Care Act’s individual coverage mandate is unconstitutional and that the rest of the law therefore cannot stand. The ruling throws into doubt the future of health coverage for millions of Americans, and sets up another cliffhanger in which the fate of the law will likely once again lie with the Supreme Court.

John DiPippa is a constitutional law scholar who served as a William J. Clinton Distinguished Lecturer at the Clinton School and Dean Emeritus at the UA Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law. He is an Inaugural Professor of Public Service at the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service and teaches two core courses: The Foundations of Public Service and The Legal and Ethical Dimensions of Public Service.

All Clinton School Speaker Series events are free and open to the public. Reserve your seats by emailing publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu or by calling (501) 683-5239.