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.
Michael Sandel: Doing the Right Thing in Public and Private Life
Author and Harvard University Professor Michael Sandel brought his unique approach to examining the most hotly contested moral and political issues of our times to The Bob Graham Center for Public Service on March 22. He did an interactive talk that illustrated innovative approaches to thinking about controversial topics. Sandel, the Anne T. and Robert …
10 Years Later: Is Our Nation Prepared?
On the 10th Anniversary of the 9/11 attacks the Bob Graham Center for Public Service hosted a special session looking at what many experts consider the real possibility of biological terrorism – the next generation of weapons of mass destruction – and the threat faced by Florida’s major cities. Joining former Florida governor and U.S. …
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor
Justice O’Connor discussed her groundbreaking work to advance civics education in Florida across several platforms, including a successful venture developing cutting-edge, digital civics games for young students. She was joined by former Florida governor and U.S. Sen. Bob Graham and immediate past-president of the ABA Stephen Zack. The event was held at the University Auditorium. …
Jeff Klinkenberg: The Next Florida – Culture Shifts
Jeff Klinkenberg, an author, essayist and one of Florida’s leading newspaper columnists, discussed the profound cultural shifts occurring in the Sunshine State on Monday, Sept. 26 at the University of Florida’s Bob Graham Center for Public Service. Klinkenberg’s appearance kicked off a series of talks on “The Next Florida,” a program looking at the emerging …
Mary Ellen Klas: The Next Florida – Legislative Preview
One of Florida’s leading political journalists shared her thoughts and perspectives on the upcoming legislative session and reflected on the current battles over redistricting at the University of Florida’s Bob Graham Center for Public Service. Mary Ellen Klas, capital bureau chief for The Miami Herald spoke as part of the “Next Florida” speaker series—a partnership …
Tavis Smiley and Cornel West: The Poverty Tour – A Call to Conscience
American families have been falling out of the middle class in record numbers and many folks are homeless and hungry for the first time in their lives. And that means more children are growing up in poverty than at any other time since the Great Depression. What can be done, and how far does the …
Award-winning multimedia journalist Jose Antonio Vargas
Jose Antonio Vargas, an award-winning multimedia journalist, is the founder of Define American, a new campaign that seeks to elevate the conversation around immigration. He's been a journalist for over a decade, writing for some of the most prestigious news organizations in the country. Jose Antonio Vargas spoke at the Bob Graham Center in Pugh …
Journalist Amira Hass: Israel & Palestine – Fear of the Future
Amira Hass, a prominent Israeli journalist and author, mostly known for her columns in the daily newspaper Ha'aretz, spoke about her work in covering the Occupied Territories. She discussed how and why the Israeli occupation of the West Bank became a normal political reality for most Israelis, the implications of this perception, and some possible …
Peace Corps Director Aaron Williams
Aaron Williams, Director of the Peace Corps, spoke at The Bob Graham Center in Pugh Hall on Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 6:00pm. Williams discussed how the Peace Corps fits in today’s world and the importance of global citizenship. The event was co-sponsored by the UF International Center and the Center for Leadership & Service. Parking …
Dr. Pedro Jose “Joe” Greer – Medical Care and the Homeless
One of the nation’s leading humanitarian-physicians spoke at the Bob Graham Center for Public Service at 6 p.m. on March 13 at the University of Florida’s Pugh Hall. Dr. Pedro Jose “Joe” Greer, the assistant dean of academic affairs at Florida International University’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, will discuss his pioneering work delivering medical …