Henry Clay Students Focus on National, International Issues
LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 21, 2012) — “Politics today seems far closer to Kentucky’s Hatfields and the McCoys, than to the spirit of Henry Clay, and that’s dangerous,” University of Kentucky Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce Director Carey Cavanaugh said. “We can’t solve the challenges facing the nation and the world, when our leaders would rather fight than talk, and without a willingness to engage in genuine dialogue and compromise.”
This is the problem being addressed this week on UK’s campus, as university seniors from all 50 states and the District of Columbia take part in the Henry Clay Center for Statesmanship’s annual Student Congress. The program aims to expose students to the ideals of 19th century statesman Henry Clay, including constructive dialogue, debate, compromise and reconciliation.
The students are spending this week in Lexington, starting at Ashland (the Henry Clay Estate) and Transylvania University to learn about Clay’s life, and then visiting Frankfort to learn about state government and begin exploring national concerns. On Thursday and Friday at UK, the focus centers in on national and international issues; the students will be exposed to a dozen exceptional scholars, activists and politicians.
Key speakers include Thomas Mann from the Brookings Institution in Washington and Burmese activist Myo Myint.
“While students may have seen Tom Mann this month on Jon Stewart’s Daily Show or Myo Myint in the HBO documentary ‘Burma Soldier,’ we want them to be able to interact face-to-face,” Cavanaugh said.
Mann and Norman Ornstein’s recent book, “It’s Even Worse Than it Looks,” paint a frightening picture of the state of American political discourse and has set Washington abuzz.
“Myint is a truly inspirational figure,” Cavanaugh said. “Crippled while fighting the Burmese military junta’s civil war, he became a dissident, political activist, political prisoner and eventually a refugee, as he dedicated his life to advancing democracy in his country. His vivid story underscores the importance of justice and the need to promote peace. We intend to bring him back to Lexington this fall to speak to students on campus.”
Other participants include Congressional scholars, a former Illinois governor, a current federal judge, representatives from the Carter Center and the Search for Common Ground, and Patterson School professor Stacy Closson who recently monitored the elections in Egypt. Cavanaugh will talk about his work as a U.S. diplomat and peace mediator before coming to UK.
The Patterson School has been key a supporter of the program since it was established five years ago.
MEDIA CONTACT: Sarah Geegan, (859) 257-5365; sarah.geegan@uky.edu