The exchange of ideas lies at the heart of politics, and it seems especially appropriate for Eagleton – the respected education and research center at the state s flagship university specifically dedicated to the study of politics – to offer a lively exchange of ideas in a highly visible forum to demonstrate how politics matters. We believe this program would offer an attractive naming opportunity for an individual donor.

In celebration of its 50th anniversary, the Eagleton Institute of Politics organized a major lecture series around our anniversary theme, “Because Politics Matters.” While the Institute has a long history of bringing prominent political thinkers to its home, Wood Lawn, this is the first time we have planned a series of programs for larger campus venues and aimed to attract much wider audiences. In the ongoing series, high-visibility speakers on American politics are addressing historical and contemporary views of our democracy. Restricted support from the Laurie Foundation and the New Jersey Council for the Humanities for some aspects of the series has made these anniversary-year programs possible.

Already the series has met with great success, with substantial crowds on hand and interest in the first three speakers, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, Newark Mayor Cory Booker, and New York Times columnist David Brooks. Thanks to broad media, email and direct mail outreach we have undertaken, we are finding widespread positive response, both from people who have long attended Eagleton programs and from others who have only now discovered that Eagleton and Rutgers programs serve both the campus and the broader New Jersey community. Rutgers has already benefitted from the recognition afforded by the visits of such prominent guests, with audience members learning about not only this series, but other programs of interest at the University.

Through the process of organizing this year’s lecture series, we have been reinforced in our observation that many people, both within and beyond the University, are hungry for thoughtful programs featuring skillful orators addressing contemporary issues from broad, well-informed perspectives. Many members of our audiences have taken the time to let us know how much they welcome these programs. As one indicator, while Eagleton programs have historically been offered at no charge, we are finding that many people are willing to pay more than a token amount to secure reserved seating for these lectures.

Thus, as we complete our anniversary celebrations, we propose to carry the anniversary theme into a permanent annual named lecture series. Endowment support, combined with a fee schedule that offers both free and paid/reserved seating, would allow us to extend the series, continuing to bring to the campus speakers whose fees would otherwise render them beyond our reach.

Ultimately, the health of our democracy depends on and demands open, public discussion of varying viewpoints. Consistent with Eagleton s history of fostering thoughtful discussion of complex topics, the ongoing series would feature speakers addressing the challenges facing our republic in light of increasing polarization and partisan divisions. We would include a mix of prominent national figures, each approaching the overall theme from a different perspective.
We hope to create a highly visible ongoing series that will attract substantial audiences and media attention for Rutgers. Our goal is to provoke thought and discussion not only on our campus, but among guests drawn from a wider area and, through media attention and online publication of transcripts where permitted, on an even broader scale.