Categories:

Sports Illustrated Writer Visits

Grant Wahl (right) visits with guest after his Clinton School lecture. (Photo by Jacob Slaton)

A senior soccer writer for Sports Illustrated, Grant Wahl visited the Clinton School this week to discuss “The State of American Soccer.”

Just back from covering the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Wahl also took time for a private session with Clinton School students where he discussed his experiences in South Africa.

Wahl also signed copies of his New York Times bestselling book, “The Beckham Experiment,” which chronicles English star David Beckham’s stint in American soccer. In his career at Sports Illustrated, Whal has covered 12 NCAA basketball tournaments, five World Cups and three Olympics.

Video of Wahl’s lecture will be posted soon at clintonschoolspeakers.com.

Posted in International, Public Programs, Public Service.

No comments

By Ben – September 3, 2010

VIDEO: The Israeli-Palestinian Peace Talks

With the Obama Administration ramping up its efforts to restart Israel-Palestinian peace talks, the Clinton School hosted a timely lecture last week featuring Jim Gerstein, a public affairs consultant who has worked for a number of years on the advancement of peace talks. In the video below, Gertein discusses current American Jewish public opinion and political dynamics:

Posted in Public Programs, Public Service.

No comments

By Ben – September 2, 2010

VIDEO: Education Sec. Arne Duncan

Here’s video of Secretary Arne Duncan’s speech last week in the Frank and Kula Kumpuris Distinguished Lecture Series:

Posted in Public Programs, Public Service.

No comments

By Ben – September 1, 2010

Class of 2012 Recommended Reading

Continuing a tradition that began with the Clinton School’s second class in 2006, the members of the entering class were asked to select one book they would recommend for others to read. Below is the recommended reading list from the Class of 2012:

“Mandela’s Way” by Richard Stengel – Ryan Adams

“We are All the Same” by Jim Wooten – Ashley Bachelder

“Jayber Crow” by Wendell Berry – Taylor Ballinger

“Dr. Seuss and Mr. Geisel” by Judith and Neil Morgan – Alana Bell

“What is the What” by Dave Eggers – Shenan Boit

“Christ & Culture” by H. Richard Niebuhr – Heath Carelock

“Tao Te Ching” by Lao-tzu – Kathryn Cawvey

“The Lunatic Express: An Entertainment in Imperialism” by Charles Miller – Dustin Choate

“American Gods” by Neil Gaiman – Greg Cooper

“Ordinary Men” by Christopher Browning – Fernando Cutz

“Community: The Structure of Belonging” by Peter Block – Nicky Hamilton

“Brothers and Keepers” by John Edgar Wideman – Heidi Justice

“The Long Shadow of Little Rock” by Daisy Gatson Bates – Tabitha Lee

“The Assault on Reason” by Al Gore – Andrew Lewis

“Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools” by Jonathan Kozol – Nathan Looney

“An Ordinary Man” by Paul Rusesabagina – Spencer Lucker

“To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee – Molly McGowan

“At Home on the Street: People, Poverty and a Hidden Culture of Homelessness” by Jason Adam Wasserman and Jeffrey Michael Clair – Dixon McReynolds

“Infidel” by Ayaan Hirsi Ali – Jasmine Medley

“Chasing the Flame: Sergio Vierra de Mello and the Fight to Save the World” by Samantha Power – Andrew Morgan

“Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe – Shamim Okolloh

“It’s Kind of a Funny Story” by Ned Vizzini – Marc Peters

“Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite” by Paul Arden – Alyssa Provencio

“Gladiator: The Strength of a Man” by Eddie L. Long – Derrick Rainey

“Three Cups of Tea” by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin – Jessica Rice

“When Rain Clouds Gather” by Bessie Head – Acadia Roher

“In Defense of Food” by Michael Pollan – Jared Rowell

“Globalization and Its Discontents” by Joseph E. Stiglitz – Anatoliy Shatkovskyy

“Enrique’s Journey” by Sonia Nazario – Erin Stock

“Hindu Kingship, Ethnic Revival, and Maoist Rebellion in Nepal” by Marie Lecomte-Tilouine – Moksheda Thapa Hekel

“The God of Small Things,” by Arundhati Roy – Hilary Trudell

“Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston – Ryan Williams

Posted in Students.

No comments

By Ben – August 30, 2010

Summer in Ethiopia

Clinton School students Mark Lienhart (left) and Ben Kaufman (right) completed their international service projects this summer in Ethiopia where this photograph was taken and where they worked with TOMS Shoes and affiliated organizations. Both have returned to Little Rock where they are working on their Capstone public service projects and completing elective course work. Both are scheduled to graduate with their Master in Public Service (MPS) degree in May 2011.

Posted in International, Public Service, Students.

No comments

By Ben – August 27, 2010

Meet the Secretary

Sec. Arne Duncan with the Clinton School students. (Photo by Jacob Slaton)

Clinton School students Wednesday met briefly with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan before he spoke as part of the Frank and Kula Kumpuris Distinguished Lecture Series.

Posted in Education, Public Programs, Public Service, Students.

No comments

By Ben – August 26, 2010

Speaker Featured in NY Times

Anderson speaking at the Clinton School. (photo by Jacob Slaton)

Dave Anderson, a Little Rock-based photographer who spoke at the Clinton School last week about his new book chronicling a New Orleans neighborhood’s post-Katrina recovery, gets a glowing feature in today’s New York Times.

The book, “One Block: A New Orleans Neighborhood Rebuilds,” is a photo essay following a single block in the aftermath of the devastating hurricane.

Below is an excerpt the Times piece.

After the disaster, Mr. Anderson, who lives in Arkansas, brought his camera and hi humane photographic approach to New Orleans. In such a shattered place, he was initially reluctant to do the kind of portraiture that is his specialty. “I didn’t feel right taking pictures of people,” he said. “It was such a brutal time.”

He decided instead on a project that would take in the place and its people, in details small and large.
Mr. Anderson focused on a block in the Lower Ninth Ward, the largely poor neighborhood that suffered some of the most catastrophic flooding in the city. At first, he said, he resisted shooting in that area “because it was so overexposed.”

But he found himself falling in love with a block bounded by Chartres Street, Douglas Street, Caffin Avenue and — yes — Flood Street. It was a racially mixed neighborhood with lovely homes and not-so-lovely ones. “It seemed to represent ethnically what New Orleans was like, to a degree,” Mr. Anderson said. “And they hadn’t gotten so much water that they had absolutely no chance of making it back. There was a chance the neighborhood could recover — but it certainly wasn’t a sure thing.”

Posted in Public Programs, Public Service.

No comments

By Ben – August 26, 2010

Duncan Makes News in Lecture

Arne Duncan (Photo by Jacob Slaton)

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan made news at Wednesday’s Kumpuris Lecture by calling on states and school districts to track and publish data related to teacher performance and other measures.

“The truth is always hard to swallow, but it can only make us better, stronger and smarter,” he said. “That’s what accountability is all about — facing the truth and taking responsibility.”

School districts in America should publish student test scores and information about funding, facilities, attendance, graduation rates and other measures, Duncan said.

The lecture was part of the Frank and Kula Kumpuris Distinguished Lecture Series, hosted by the Clinton School, the Clinton Foundation and AT&T.

Duncan told a crowd of education officials, teachers and lawmakers that more information is needed to “help us highlight our remarkable success and help us understand why too many of our children are underprepared.”

Duncan is the first sitting cabinet member to participate in the lecture series. Before the event, Duncan took time to meet briefly with Clinton School students.

Video of the lecture will be posted soon at www.clintonschoolspeakers.com.

Posted in Arkansas, Education, Public Programs, Public Service, Students.

No comments

By Ben – August 26, 2010

Do-Gooders

As we mentioned below, the Foundation for the Mid South launched its new “Do-Gooders” campaign at the Clinton School on Thursday, encouraging people in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi to nominate individuals and nonprofits to receive up to $300,000 in grants.

“As we celebrate our 20th anniversary, we want to highlight the great work that is making a difference in our communities,” said Dr. Ivye L. Allen, President of Foundation for the Mid South. “Foundation for the Mid South Do-Gooders is our opportunity to recognize those whom are devoted to improving the lives of people in our region.”

Clinton School Dean Skip Rutherford, a member of the foundation’s board, spoke at the event and encouraged people to nominate those “unsung heroes” who are making a difference in their communities. The Foundation for the Mid South has been a close partner with the Clinton School Center on Community Philanthropy.

Click here to learn more about the program and to nominate a “Do-Gooder” in your community.

The event was highlighted in KTHV Channel 11′s “Hero Central” segment on last night’s news cast. Click here to watch.

Posted in Arkansas, Public Service.

No comments

By Ben – August 25, 2010

Lithgow Wins Emmy

Actor John Lithgow won his fifth Emmy Award recently for a role he played in the hit Showtime Series “Dexter.” A past guest in the Clinton School speaker series, Lithgow spoke in February 2008 about the role of art in public service. Here’s video of Lithgow’s Clinton School speech:

Posted in Public Programs, Public Service.

No comments

By Ben – August 24, 2010