Sylvia Panetta Congratulates Graduates from the Panetta Insitute’s Master of Public Policy Program

Sixteen participants in the Panetta Institute’s Master of Public Policy program received their degrees on Saturday, May 21. Before the commencement ceremony each student presented policy presentations at the annual Spring Policy Forum. Mrs. Panetta gave the keynote address at the forum and congratulated the students on their achievement. Her remarks are below.

Thank you for inviting me to join you at the sixth annual Master of Public Policy Forum. I am delighted to be here to salute you as you finalize your studies.

First, my congratulations to you on your achievement. I know if Leon could have joined us today he would be very proud of all that you have learned and have accomplished.

I’d like to talk to you about education, service and the responsibility of citizenship. As you may know, these are busy times to be a Panetta. Leon is preparing for a new position and for new challenges. The Panetta Institute is working to continue expanding and improving our programs and we are working to reach more and more men and women and inspire them to lives of public service.

In the busy days that have followed the recent events in Washington and overseas, one of the questions I am asked again and again, was whether Leon wouldn’t prefer to come home, to be back here on the Peninsula working at the Institute and participating in the programs and mission he helped develop. I know that I look forward to the day when he does come home, but I also know that fundamentally, Leon and I have always understood that when you are called to serve, you must respond to that call with commitment and with enthusiasm. It’s what we teach our students at the Panetta Institute and it’s what you learned in your studies in the Master of Public Policy program.

Our democracy is not just a government designed for the people. It is a government of and by the people. Our democracy does not exist to provide or to control, instead it is a system that functions only through participation — through hard work and through service. The health and quality of our democracy and our nation is directly linked to the actions of our citizens. It is up to all of us to determine the quality of government we receive and the quality of democracy we leave for future generations.

Our country founders created not just a nation and a Constitution, they created an obligation in each of us to serve this nation and honor that Constitution. And following that we were each given a duty to fulfill the most important moral covenant we have — to care for each other.

Little more than 48 years ago, a young president embraced that moral covenant of our forefathers. He reached out to my generation by challenging us to “ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.” A generation responded to this call. Leon and I responded to this call.

In our own service, we have always been cognizant of two truths. First, no one can effect change working independently. Second, one must never underestimate the important role you play as an example of service for others and for future members of our democracy. Reflecting on what is now approaching a fifty-year career in public service, Leon and I know that it is because we have understood these truths that we have been successful in our work in the past, the present, and in the years to come.

Each of the Panetta Institute programs provides significant opportunity for community involvement and for a model of service.

For instance, responding to the U.S. President’s call to meet the needs of children, we established the Monterey County Reads program. Under the Institute’s administration, this unique program provides a means for the community to step in and provide reading assistance to selected students. Now almost fourteen years later, Monterey County Reads has recruited, trained and placed more than 2,000 volunteers who have logged more than 95,000 hours reading one-to-one with children in kindergarten through third grade.

Not only does Monterey County Reads prepare our youngsters to become strong readers, it also provides these children and our community with an example of service. We tell all our volunteers that they are role models of good readers — that their enthusiasm for reading and for books is an inspiration to the youngsters with whom they work. And, indeed, they are also role models of good citizenship. Their commitment to service is also an inspiration. The children recognize that these adults have taken the time to give back, to help, and ultimately to make an improvement in their communities.

The same principle appears in our other programs. The Panetta Institute Lecture Series exists as a means of engagement and education for our local community. And, the lecture series’ afternoon program for the surrounding areas high school and college students, gives our youth the opportunity to interact with national leaders to see examples of balanced and respectful debate. The Leadership Seminar and the Congressional Internship Program bring interested young people together and present to them the principles behind leadership and the path of public service.

Of course, our Master of Public Policy program also represents these principles of service, community involvement, and the lasting benefit of leading by example. When Leon was in Congress, we saw first-hand the spirit, resourcefulness and civic-mindedness of the residents of this region. However, we also saw in their efforts and enthusiasm a source of untapped potential. We saw that there was no real means for these kinds of individuals to learn the skills that would make them the most effective. There was no formal educational structure put in place that could train these individuals and prepare them for effective advocacy and leadership in the fields of their choice.

So, Leon and I worked with the new campus of CSU Monterey Bay to create a unique graduate course of study. We worked to create a graduate degree program that would be founded in the practical realities of public policy — a course that would include theory and analysis, but that would provide frequent examples of real world public policy challenges. We wanted to offer the course in such a way so that it would be available to both full time students and working professionals. And, we paid careful attention to the students and professors involved in the program to ensure diversity and the balanced representation of varied points of view within each class.

Leon joined an impressive list of campus professors and visiting guest speakers to form the faculty for the program. Together they worked to provide education that was based on practical experience and to create a curriculum where academic discussion was balanced with real-world experts who could provide instruction, guidance and inspiration. In 2003, we welcomed our first class and in May of 2006 we celebrated our first graduating class of 12 students. To date, 91 students have participated in this program. This year’s class of 16 joins with the other 35 students who have completed the course, with two MPP students receiving the prestigious Willis W. and Ethel M. Clark Foundation Scholarship over the years.

As you know, the program that Leon and I first envisioned is undergoing transition and taking a new direction. As the university works to reach out to new students and to create a new course of study, it is essential that we continue to include a focus on policy and the practice of teaching students the fundamental basics of developing and implementing practices from theory. From working in local government to leading a non-profit or government agency, you cannot be successful without an understanding of policy and politics. The MPP program has prepared you with that knowledge. You’ve learned about the politics and policies of the budget process, the complexities of relations between the executive and legislative branches, the need to find consensus in order to solve problems, and the increasingly pervasive and powerful impact of the media. The training you have gained from this course work will make you better advocates, better leaders in your community and better citizens.

Now, it is your turn to take that education and to respond to the call of service. It is your turn to work within your community to form partnerships and to become a symbol of service. You have the energy. You have the idealism. You have the dedication and the commitment to help change the face of America and to make it again a nation of people who care for each other and who are willing to make sacrifices for the greater good.

Just reviewing the projects on which you’ve worked and the policy areas you have decided to study I see awareness and understanding of the complex issues facing our region and the world and the creative and careful evaluation required to find solutions. From education to human resources, to energy policy to hunger, to immigration to the needs of senior citizens, to housing, children’s rights and the threat of piracy you are already taking action to improve your community, your state and your country. In doing so, you are helping fulfill the dream that Leon and I envisioned when we first established the Institute and considered creating a course of study in public policy.

I urge you to continue your work; continue to believe that challenges can become opportunities and that progress is always possible. Continue to study and evaluate which needs are the greatest and how you can best respond. Continue to work with others, to form partnerships, to exchange ideas, to inspire others toward greater involvement. Continue to wholly fulfill your role as citizens of this community, of this nation, and of this democracy. In whatever field you take on, it will be through this work that you will become a full participating member of this society with a government that is of, by and for all people.

I salute you for the accomplishment you have achieved and I encourage you in the work you will continue to do.

Sylvia Panetta Speaks at California Forward Monterey Bay Dialogue

On April 28 Sylvia Panetta joined with George Blumenthal, Chancellor of the University of California, Santa Cruz, to welcome central coast citizens to a public dialogue hosted by California Forward. Below is the complete text of her remarks at the event.

I am pleased to be with all of you this evening as we come together to discuss the state of California.

My husband Leon and I were both born and raised in California. We came from immigrant families and we have seen firsthand the opportunities for growth and success this state provided.

Today, California is in danger of losing the “way” of opportunity that allowed a new beginning for our parents. The light of progress and possibility that this state once represented is dimmed under a daunting set of challenges. It’s for this reason that Leon helped found the organization that sponsors our event tonight — California Forward. An organization committed to creating smart government and providing a means for Californians to come together as citizens to protect the resources and promise of our state.

Without question one of California’s most spectacular resources is its parks. From the serene austerity of our deserts and Death Valley, to the snow capped mountains of the Sierras, our parks are both a draw and an inspiration. And we must work not only to preserve them for future generations, but ensure that they remain open and available to the public for exploration and recreation.

Among his many efforts in public service, Leon always recognized the importance of this great resource. Early in his career, he served as chief counsel for the Monterey Regional Park District. Later while in Congress, he worked to protect the beauty of Big Sur through the creation of the Big Sur Multi-Agency Advisory Council. And, one of his proudest accomplishments was the establishment of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Each of these efforts was successful because we worked to engage diverse viewpoints and understood that it is only when all the players are at the table that a true and equitable solution can be discovered.

California Forward is also embracing this philosophy by creating a new community of Californians who are having their voices heard, shared and developed into real positive change. Together we are engaged in this vital effort and in so doing we are inspiring others to join with us.

This same spirit of service, community, education, engagement and inspiration is the foundation of our work at the Panetta Institute. Our mission is to inspire men and women to lives of public service. We work to provide our students with the tools of effective leadership and responsible citizenship. We teach them that in our democracy, we govern either by leadership or by crisis. Today, Californians are being governed by crisis and more than ever we need to reverse this pattern and return to strong, principled leadership.

But most importantly we must remind ourselves of the great wealth of resources we have available to us. The challenges we face in California are more than matched by the resources of this state and its people. I see everyday in the young people I work with at the Panetta Institute, the possibility of meeting these challenges through the next generation. Their optimism and commitment to possibility remains untainted even by today’s environment of divisive politics and economic constraint. I see that same spirit in this room tonight.

There are no easy solutions to the problems we must consider, but it is essential that this work be on-going and that you encourage others to take up this mantle of participation and service.

The common pledge that we all make as citizens is to ensure that our children have a better life. California Forward and the Panetta Institute are committed to that dream of a better California — of a better nation — for our children. With our help, we can continue that dream and strengthen a government of, by and for all people.

Sylvia Panetta Named Citizen of the Year by the Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce

On March 5 the Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce recognized Sylvia Panetta as its 2011 Citizen of the Year. Below are her remarks at receiving the honor.

Receiving this award is very special because this is my home and you are my friends. This is also special because of the award itself, because of those community leaders who decided to give me this award and because of those outstanding award recipients who have preceded me. I am deeply humbled and honored and I would like to thank the Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce for recognizing me.

I share this award with my wonderful family. Our roots are in the Monterey Peninsula. Please let me take a moment to introduce my family members who are here with me this evening: Leon’s brother Joe and his wife Anna; our son Jim and his wife Carrie; and of course, my husband Leon.

There are no words to describe to you how special the Central Coast is to Leon and me. The stunning natural beauty; the warmth and generosity of the people who make up this community; the support we have received in representing this area as well as establishing our public policy institute; and, the rich history of a community that was born in diversity, hard work, faith and patriotism.

The people in this room understand that legacy and the importance of protecting it for our children through creativity, ingenuity, collaboration and most of all through service.

In the forty years I have lived and worked in this area we have all seen many changes: the growth of the hospitality industry; the struggle to protect our special and historic defense institutions; the challenge of transforming Fort Ord into CSUMB, the creation of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary; and the economic challenges facing families, homeowners and cities. And as challenging as all of this has been, we have not just survived, we have thrived. Why? Because of the talents, strength and dedication of the people who live here. I hear time and time again about established and new volunteer efforts where Monterey Peninsula citizens are reaching out and responding to help others and to strengthen our communities. It is exactly this drive and this commitment to service that we instill in our students at the Panetta Institute. We want young people to serve, we want them to give back, we want them to learn from service and to be an inspiration to others to serve as well.

We are working to create new generations of leaders who will be educated, involved and concerned about their communities, their nation and their democracy. What better place for our children to learn about service than right here on the Peninsula, from people like you. Today our youth rely on us, but we must never forget that tomorrow we will rely on them. Because in the end, they will go on to be our employees, our colleagues, our community’s business owners, our teachers, our firefighters and our police officers and our soldiers. They will be tomorrow’s voters and tomorrow’s leaders. We must share with them that we expect them to grow, to participate and to serve. We must ensure that they too will pass on the great legacy of the Monterey Peninsula to their children.

On behalf on those future leaders, who may some day be honored in this way, I accept this award. Thank you for all you do and, again, thank you for this tribute.