Cline Center: Public Engagement: Lincoln SymposiumThe Lincoln Symposium
The Lincoln Symposium is the Cline Center’s latest public engagement initiative. It is an annual, Chicago-based event. The Center’s motivation for initiating it derives from its belief that the vibrancy of American democracy depends on the maintenance of a strong civil society. The crush of competing obligations in modern society makes it difficult for civic leaders to secure the depth of understanding needed to maintain a viable civil sector. The Lincoln Symposium is designed to facilitate this understanding by succinctly providing balanced and informed perspectives on leading public issues in a convenient setting. Attendees will benefit from the insights of a wide range of internationally prominent public intellectuals and policymakers, as well as rich interactions with other civic-minded citizens.
In initiating the Lincoln Symposium, the Cline Center is capitalizing on its long experience with similar events on the Champaign-Urbana campus. The Lincoln Symposium will be similar to both the Cline Symposium and the Northern Trust Forum on Democracy, Globalization and Societal Welfare in that the Center’s core concern will be to facilitate a better understanding of important and challenging issues. However, unlike these other events - which focus on students and alumni - the Center's audience in the Lincoln Symposium is accomplished and respected professionals in the Chicago area. And, unlike our Civic Leadership Program - which focuses on producing the next generation of civic leaders - the Lincoln Symposium is concerned with presenting existing civic leaders with balanced and informative perspectives on contemporary issues and problems.
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