Cline Center: Public Engagement: Cline SymposiumCline Symposium
The Cline Symposium is an annual public affairs forum that began in 1995. This series has pioneered a unique and engaging format, one that has continually produced a challenging and memorable learning experience for its participants. That format involves a semester-long seminar for invited students and a two-day symposium. The symposium includes a keynote address by an internationally prominent speaker, plenary sessions and six to eight small group discussions led by prominent alumni and friends of the university. The small group discussion leaders are assisted by students who participate in the seminar; these students are normally fellows in the campus’ Civic Leadership Program.
The first day of the symposium includes a working luncheon involving the keynote speaker, invited alumni and friends, and the Civic Leadership Fellows; a roundtable and public forum, a dinner honoring the keynote speaker, and the keynote address. The second day of the symposium involves a breakfast, plenary session, small group discussions, and a wrap-up session over lunch. Participants in the small group discussions benefit from carefully prepared briefing materials that are distributed well in advance of the symposium. The small group meetings, usually involving no more than ten students, are structured by an agenda and a set of discussion questions.
Over the course of its history the Cline Symposium series has established itself as the most visible and prestigious public affairs event on the Illinois campus. It has brought together hundreds of Illinois students and scores of alumni and friends to discuss a wide range of issues. It has also attracted a wide range of prominent public intellectuals who have presided over lively discussions of issues often highlighted by their recent works. These include Robert Putnam (Bowling Alone), Samuel P. Huntington (The Clash of Civilizations), James Q. Wilson (The Moral Sense), Edward O. Wilson (Consilience), Thomas Friedman (The Lexus and the Olive Tree), Kevin Phillips (Wealth and Democracy), and James MacGregor Burns (Transforming Leadership).
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