Panetta Institute Announces Line-up for 2012 Lecture Series – Revolutions of the 21st Century: Changing Our Way of Life

The Panetta Institute is proud to announce its fifteenth annual Panetta Institute
Lecture Series. This year’s series will focus on the theme Revolutions of the 21st Century: Changing Our Way of Life. Topics include U.S. foreign policy and the Middle East, the economy, the presidency and the Internet. Featured speakers are Dennis Ross, Fran Townsend, Robert Reich, Alan Simpson, Michael Beschloss and David Brinkley. Commenting on this year’s season Institute Director Sylvia Panetta remarked, “From the Occupy Wall Street movement to the protests across the Middle East new voices are being heard and old assumptions are being challenged. New technology and a developing global economy add to this phenomenon and heighten the speed of change. In the face of this momentum how can we know if what we are seeing is true progress and how can we protect the ideals of both freedom and democracy in this new age? We’ll discuss these issues with top experts in balanced and illuminating discussions.” For more information about this year’s season click here.

Gates, Rivlin and Blitzer Receive Jefferson-Lincoln Award at Twelfth Annual Evening to Honor Lives of Public Service

The Panetta Institute presented its 2011 Jefferson-Lincoln Awards on Saturday, November 7, 2011. The annual award which celebrates citizens whose careers exhibit strong dedication to the key principles of our democracy and the preservation of our nation was awarded to former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates; former Office of Management and Budget director Alice Rivlin; and CNN lead political anchor Wolf Blitzer. The honorees each gave brief remarks as they accepted the awards in front of a sold-out crowd of more than 400 supporters. The awards ceremony was part of the Panetta Institute’s annual Jefferson- Lincoln Awards: An Evening to Honor Public Service that features a four-course dinner from celebrated chefs from across the nation as well as outstanding Monterey County wines.

Institute director Sylvia Panetta remarked, “A number of guests commented on the inspirational nature of this program. At a time when our nation faces so many challenges, it is essential that we celebrate public servants who rise above the interest of political parties or commercial interests and choose instead to protect the best interests of the country and our democracy. They serve as examples for their colleagues, for all of us and for the students of the Panetta Institute.” Click here for more information on this annual fundraiser.

Monterey County Reads Expands Volunteer Base with Additional Recruitment Efforts in Under-Served Areas

Now in its fifteenth year, the Panetta Institute’s literacy initiative Monterey County Reads, continues its effort to enlist a wide spectrum of community members in its work to have children in Monterey County reading at grade level by the end of third grade. In recent months, the Panetta Institute has placed an even greater emphasis on expanding volunteer recruitment in the Salinas and Salinas Valley areas. The program has recruited new volunteers from the Alisal Rotary, Madonna del Sasso Church and Santa Barbara Bank & Trust in Salinas as well as Rabobank in Gonzales. To date, Monterey County Readshas recruited, trained and placed more than 2,200 volunteers. These volunteers have logged more than 98,000 hours reading one-to-one with children. Click here to learn more about this program and how you can help.

Panetta Institute Interns Wrap Up Semester in Washington, DC

Twenty-three college students from The Panetta Institute for Public Policy returned to California in November after working for more than two months in offices of California delegation members of the United States House of Representatives in Washington, D.C.

Unique features of this program include the scope of experts who are invited to give weekly seminars on policy issues and different aspects of government policy that are provided while the interns are in Washington, D.C. This year’s class attended seminars with such noted authorities as Chief of Staff to the President of the United States William Daley; former Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta; U.S. Representative Sam Farr; U.S. Representative Dan Lungren; former U.S. Representatives Bill Lowery and Marty Russo; U.S. House Parliamentarian John Sullivan; senior advisor to the Senate Finance Committee John Angell; former Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs Pat Griffin; White House correspondent for the New York Times Jackie Calmes; president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget Maya MacGuineas; National Public Radio correspondent for legal affairs Nina Totenberg; and Politico journalist Charles Mahtesian.

The students for this thirteenth annual program were nominated by the presidents of the California State University campuses, as well as the presidents of Santa Clara University and Dominican University of California, for their exemplary scholastic achievements and their interest in politics and policy.

Commenting on her experience in the program, Angelica Sagum from CSU Los Angeles reflected: “Washington is far from being a perfect place and in times like these when we are at a stalemate—issues not being solved or even negotiated—faith in one’s country can be disheartening. However, through participating in this internship, I have developed a desire to serve the people and do whatever it is I can do to help our nation’s well being. Thank you for this opportunity.”

Click here for more information on the Panetta Institute’s Congressional Internship Program.