Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, will participate in a conference on January 19-21, 2007, at the University of Georgia to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Carter’s inauguration as president.
A town hall meeting and keynote dinner address by Carter will be part of a three-day symposium titled, “The Carter Presidency: Lessons for the 21st Century.” The events, sponsored by UGA’s School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) and the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, are expected to attract leading scholars, Carter administration officials and journalists to the UGA campus to discuss the lessons learned from the Carter years on such enduring issues as energy policy, the Middle East, Islamic fundamentalism, environmental concerns and human rights.
“Rosalynn and I were honored when leaders at the University of Georgia asked us to participate in a conference hosted by the university commemorating the 30th anniversary of my inauguration. We are pleased that the format not only will be reflective, but also will focus on applying lessons and experiences from my presidency to contemporary issues and challenges,” said Carter.
“I am looking forward to a robust discussion of these issues among former members of my Administration, Republicans who sometimes supported and opposed our policies, historians, policy experts, journalists and others.”
Carter will be the second former chief executive to visit the campus within a ten-month period. President George H.W. Bush visited in April to dedicate the Paul C. Coverdell Center.
“President Carter pays high honor to the university by participating in this significant event on our campus,” said UGA President Michael F. Adams. “The university looks forward to this extraordinary event through which our faculty may interact with these respected national leaders and our students will have an important learning opportunity.”
“After serving Georgia as a legislator and as governor, President Carter served honorably and effectively as our 39th president. In retirement from elected office he has been a champion of human rights and a magnificent citizen of the world-joining Martin Luther King Jr. as one of only two Georgians to have received the Nobel Peace Prize,” said SPIA Dean Thomas P. Lauth.
John A. Maltese, a Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor of political science in the School of Public and International Affairs, will direct the three-day commemoration. Maltese has worked closely on this project with Hamilton Jordan, Carter’s White House Chief of Staff, who is affiliated with UGA’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government.