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.
The Future of Religion and Political Mobilization with Brian Calfano
Brian Calfano is a professor of political science at Missouri State University, policy advisor for the City of Los Angeles Human Relations Commission, and coauthor of a new and riviting book titled, God Talk: Experimenting with the Religious Causes of Public Opinion. Dr. Calfano brought his expertise on the intersection of religion and politics to the …
Global Islam and the Quest for Public Space with John L. Esposito
John L. Esposito, professor of Religion and International Affairs and of Islamic Studies at Georgetown University, spoke at the Bob Graham Center for Public Service on Sept. 18, offering the keynote address marking the opening of the UF Center for Global Islam. Esposito, Founding Director of the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding …
Medical Marijuana Forum #FLMedPot
The debate over medical marijuana is coming to the University of Florida in a panel discussion later this month. The Pot Predicament: Is Marijuana Good Medicine? was held Sept. 30 at 6 p.m. in the Pugh Hall Ocora. It featured a lively panel discussion on Amendment 2, the proposed Florida constitutional amendment that would legalize medical …
West African Ebola Epidemic – Panel Discussion
The recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa is breaking records as the largest epidemic of Ebolavirus in history. The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that the reports of more than 3,000 Ebola-related deaths may be underestimated. The first case to be diagnosed in the United States was recently reported on Sept. 24. Ebola virus was first identified in 1976, but previous outbreaks …
Steve Baines: Religious Liberty – What it REALLY Means
Steve Baines is Assistant Field Director for Religious Outreach of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a nonpartisan educational organization dedicated to preserving the constitutional principle of church-state separation. AU works in the courts, in Congress and state legislatures, at the White House and in the arena of public opinion to address an …
The American Jewish Community: Current Pictures, Future Possibilities with Laurence Kotler-Berkowitz
The Pew Research Center’s 2013 Survey of U.S. Jews has sparked widespread discussion about the current state of the American Jewish community and its future direction. The survey’s results paint a picture of a diverse community, with alternative signs of continuing cohesion, assimilation and division. Given today’s patterns, what might the future look like? Laurence …
ISIS and the Question of Islamic Militancy: A Public Conversation
On Wednesday, Oct. 22 at 5:30 p.m. in the Pugh Hall Ocora, The Center for Global Islamic Studies, in cooperation with the Bob Graham Center for Public Service and the University of Florida International Center, hosted a panel discussion on ISIS and the Question of Islamic Militancy. The rise of ISIS in Syria and Iraq …
I Am A Millennial
The Hispanic Student Association, Students Taking Action Against Racism and the Bob Graham Center for Public Service hosted "I Am A Millennial: The Importance of the Youth & Minority Vote" on Thursday, Oct. 23 in Pugh Hall Ocora. A diverse group of panelists discussed the importance of the student vote in the upcoming midterm elections. …
Hedrick Smith: Who Stole the American Dream?
Hedrick Smith spoke at the Bob Graham Center on Wednesday, October 29 at 6 p.m. in Pugh Hall. Smith, a Pulitzer Prize-winning former New York Times reporter and editor and Emmy award-winning producer/correspondent, discussed the perspectives articulated in his best-seller, “Who Stole the American Dream.” The book is a startling and revealing portrait of the …
Science Journalist Jennie Erin Smith
This fall, the College of Journalism and Communications launched its Science Journalist in-Residence program to bring some of the nation’s most accomplished science writers to UF. On Nov. 5 in Pugh Hall, the Bob Graham Center co-sponsored the first lecture by Jennie Erin Smith titled “Reptiles, Smugglers and Skullduggery: Environmental Reporting in the Underworld.” Smith …