The Bob Graham Center for Public Service provides a wide variety of programs for students and the larger public on topics related to public service, public leadership and civic engagement.
President Jimmy Carter
In a last-minute switch, former President Jimmy Carter stepped in for his wife Rosalynn Carter (who came down with a bug) and appeared at the University of Florida Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. The topic of the speech remained as planned, a discussion on mental illness. President Carter spoke about his wife's book, Within …
China: Doing Business with the Giant with Kamal Latham
How do you "do business" with the second largest economy in the world when political, economic, and cultural dynamics are quite different than those in the United States? Kamal I. Latham - a former career diplomat at U.S. Embassy Beijing who helped negotiate a multi-billion dollar trade deal with China - provided an insightful discussion …
Five Years Later: Lessons Learned from the Deepwater Disaster
Although the Deepwater Horizon oil spill occurred five years ago, the effects of devastation remain. A panel of experts convened and discussed the continued impacts, recovery initiatives and lessons learned for future disaster and recovery efforts. The event was held at the Bob Graham Center’s Pugh Hall Ocora on Monday, April 13.Panelists included: Marc …
Innovating Citizenship with the Ancient Athenians
Cynthia Farrar, a scholar and civic entrepreneur from Yale University, spoke on Thursday, April 16 at the University of Florida’s Pugh Hall Ocora. Her lecture analyzed the history and theory of democracy in ancient Athens. In her talk, “Start-up Democracy: Innovating Citizenship with the Ancient Athenians,” Farrar discussed the impact of changing technologies on our …
Land and Water Conservation Forum
The Gainesville Sun held a forum on land and water conservation, including a discussion of how state lawmakers are planning to spend Amendment 1 money. The forum took place on March 19 at 7 p.m. at the University of Florida’s Pugh Hall. The event included a panel discussion featuring Ramesh Buch, who manages the Alachua …
Pants on Fire: Misinformation in American Politics
Katie Sanders is a PunditFact staff writer based in St. Petersburg, Fla. Before PunditFact, Sanders wrote for PolitiFact for the Tallahassee bureau of the Tampa Bay Times and Miami Herald. Sanders spoke at the Bob Graham Center on Thursday, Sept. 10 at 6 p.m. in the Pugh Hall Ocora before a crowd of nealy 100. …
Standardized Testing: Education Policy and Politics
Standardized testing dominates the discussion surrounding public education. Nathan Crabbe, editorial page editor from the Gainesville Sun, moderated an in-depth and lively panel discussion on this important issue, Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 6 p.m. in the Pugh Hall Ocora. Panelists included: Alachua County Schools Superintendent Owen Roberts, local League of Women Voters President Sue Legg, …
Florida’s Energy Future
Ted Kury, director of energy studies for the Public Utility Research Center (PURC) at the University of Florida, and Amy Stein from the Levin College of Law, whose legal focus is on clean energy, climate change and the environment, examined Florida's current energy policy and the need to diversify energy options in order to secure …
X: A Novel with Ilyasah Shabazz
Ilyasah Shabazz, the daughter of the late activist Malcolm X, spoke to a standing-room only crowd on Monday, Sept. 28 at 3 p.m. in the Pugh Hall Ocora. The African American Studies Program and the Bob Graham Center for Public Service co-sponsored her visit. Ms. Shabazz discussed her new book, X: A Novel, which is a fictional account …
Refugee Crisis in Europe: Facts and Contexts
The United Nations says more than 300,000 migrants have attempted to cross the Mediterranean Sea this year. The majority of these refugees are Syrians, but also in the mix are migrants fleeing from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Nigeria and Kosovo. On Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 6 p.m. in the Pugh Hall Ocora a panel of faculty members …