Dialogue on Civility and Public Service Features Lugar, Hamilton

Two internationally-recognized and respected former Indiana legislators will be the featured speakers at a forum at Taylor University designed to foster public discourse and civility.

Former Indiana Senator Richard G. Lugar and former Indiana Congressman Lee H. Hamilton will be the speakers during Taylor’s Dialogue on Civility and Public Service, Wednesday, October 12, at 1:00 p.m., in the Rediger Chapel/Auditorium. A reception will follow at 2:00 p.m., in the adjoining LaRita Boren Campus Center. The event is open to the public and there is no charge for attendance.

Organizers say the goal of the event is a bipartisan focus on the role of government and responsible public engagement. Lugar and Hamilton served in public office for more than 80 years combined, and each was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Lugar represented the State of Indiana in the United States Senate for six terms—the longest such tenure in state history. During that time, Lugar exercised leadership on issues such as food security, nuclear non-proliferation, energy independence, and free trade. In 1991, he forged a bipartisan partnership with then-Senate Armed Services Chairman Sam Nunn (D-Ga.) to destroy weapons of mass destruction in the former Soviet Union. To date, the Nunn-Lugar program has deactivated more than 7,600 nuclear warheads that were once aimed at the United States.

Before his election to the Senate, Lugar helped manage the family's food machinery manufacturing business in Indianapolis, served on the Indianapolis Board of School Commissioners, and served two terms as mayor of Indianapolis.

Lugar is the President of The Lugar Center, a non-profit organization focusing on global food security, WMD non-proliferation, aid effectiveness, and bipartisan governance. He also serves as a Professor of Practice and Distinguished Scholar at the School of Global and International Studies at Indiana University. Additionally, he is a faculty member at the University of Indianapolis Department of History and Political Science, and leads the Richard G. Lugar Symposium for Tomorrow’s Leaders. 

Hamilton, is one of the nation’s foremost experts on Congress and representative democracy. From 1965-1999, he served the State of Indiana as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. After leaving Congress, he founded the Center on Congress at Indiana University in 1999 and served as its Director until 2015. Hamilton also served as President and Director of the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, D.C., from 1999-2010. He is a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2015).

A leading figure on foreign policy, intelligence, and national security, Hamilton served as Vice Chairman of the 9/11 Commission and Co-Chairman of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group. He is a member of the President’s Homeland Security Advisory Council. Until recently, Hamilton served as Co-Chair of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future with General Brent Scowcroft and as a member of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board.

Hamilton now serves as a Distinguished Scholar in the School of Global and International Studies, and as a Professor of Practice in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University.

“The importance of responsible civic engagement is needed now as much as ever,” said Dr. Michael D. Hammond, Dean of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Biblical Studies at Taylor University. “Representative Lee Hamilton and Senator Richard Lugar are two internationally respected public servants who served Hoosiers and the nation for many years. Their bipartisan spirit and legacy of leadership led to each of them being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. We believe their message is especially relevant today and are excited for this opportunity for our students and the larger community to meet and learn from these two outstanding Hoosier statesmen.”

This lecture is made possible by the generous gift from the Halbrook Family Foundation.