Dear Students and Colleagues,
I write to invite you to a special campus event on Wednesday, October 4: two former United States Senate majority leaders, Tom Daschle (D-South Dakota) and Trent Lott (R-Mississippi) will be on campus to jointly appear at the annual Edmund Fusco Contemporary Issues Forum.
The focus of their talk will be “Overcoming Our Broken Politics in Washington and Across America.”
The forum will take place October 4 at 7:30pm in the Student Union Theatre on the Storrs Campus.
The entire university community and guests are welcome. Both senators will deliver remarks and participate in a moderated Q&A.
The subject matter could not be timelier. Senators Daschle and Lott are Washington insiders with keen historical knowledge of the U.S. Congress and American politics. They will bring vital insights on the absence of bipartisanship in our national politics and what can be done to restore it, breaking the endless gridlock that has come to define Washington, D.C. in the eyes of many Americans. They can answer one of the critical questions of our time: no matter where you stand politically, how can we make our democratic institutions work again?
About Senator Daschle: he was an architect of President Obama’s healthcare plan, an outspoken advocate for reform, and a well-connected voice between the healthcare industry and Washington policy-makers. His book, Critical: What We Can Do About the Healthcare Crisis, offered exciting new solutions to changing America’s healthcare system and provided a detailed explanation of the framework for President Obama’s plan. In his book, Getting It Done: How Obama and Congress Finally Broke the Stalemate to Make Way for Health Care Reform, he revealed how President Obama and Congress dramatically changed the healthcare system. Most recently, he co-wrote the book Crisis Point with Senator Lott.
About Senator Lott: he represented the people of Mississippi in Congress for 35 years and is one of a handful of officials to have held elected leadership positions in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. During his 16 years in the House and 19 years in the Senate, he worked closely with seven presidential administrations and was regarded as a savvy coalition builder and dealmaker. He is the author of two books, including 2016’s Crisis Point: Why We Must – and How We Can – Overcome Our Broken Politics in Washington and Across America, which draws on his political experience to suggest a solution to Washington’s increasing partisanship.
Again, the event is free and open to students, faculty, staff, and guests.
The Edmund Fusco Contemporary Issues Forum brings outstanding scholars, leaders, and policy-makers to the UConn campus to share their knowledge and perspectives with the community.
The program is sponsored by the Fusco family of New Haven, who created the contemporary issues forum at UConn through a philanthropic gift to celebrate their family’s 90th year in business, as well as the 90th birthday of Edmund Fusco. Through these forums, members of the UConn community are given the opportunity to challenge and expand their views on topics of profound and lasting influence.
Feel free to e-mail any questions you would like to see Senators Daschle and Lott answer during the forum to president@uconn.edu.
I hope to see you there!
Susan Herbst
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