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The University of Texas at Austin

Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs

21st Century Policy Makers at LBJ School

Eve Richter, Andrea Winkler, Hector Morales, and Jennifer Deegan
Some of the students who took the lead in forming the 21st Century Policy Makers group are (left to right) Eve Richter, Andrea Winkler, Hector Morales, and Jennifer Deegan.

In 2006 students from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs organized the inaugural 21st Century Policy Makers Conference to share their research with other public affairs students throughout the nation. LBJ students are continuing their effort to promote student research and student-organized conferences by participating in the Second Annual 21st Century Policy Makers Conference, which will be hosted by the Clinton School of Public Service at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Jennifer Deegan, a second year LBJ student, along with colleagues led the initiative to organize the first 21st Century Policy Makers conference in 2006.

"Our mission was to create connections between policy students, for the purpose of sharing research and informing the decisions of policy makers," says Deegan.

The first annual conference hosted by the graduate students of the LBJ School focused on one of President Johnson's highest priority policy interests—poverty. Issues of domestic and international poverty were presented by students from universities across the country. It is the founders' goal that student organizers will incorporate their school's ideologies as themes for future conferences.

Every year, students at policy schools conduct research as a part of their program requirements and preparation for life in public affairs. The 21st Century Policy Makers Conference extends the life of this research by providing a forum where student can share their findings, research and policy recommendations with colleagues, practitioners and elected officials, while gaining the practical experience needed for their future careers in public service.

"We were very successful in achieving the goals for our first year and our team feels confident that future generations of policy students will remain enthused about keeping the conference going," added Deegan. "The Clinton School has agreed to host the second annual conference scheduled for March 8 through 10, 2007."

President Bill Clinton's perspective is captured in an online statement of his school saying, "We can't escape each other. Therefore, we have to spend our lives building a global community of shared responsibilities, shared values, [and] shared benefits." Organizers of the conference believe the way to reach this vision is to work collaboratively and then make their research and findings available to the public and to policy makers.

The second annual conference will center on racial, ethnic and religious reconciliation. The theme is central to Arkansas's history as part of the civil rights movement and it was a key issue during Clinton's presidency. It is also relevant to nationally important events: This year is the 50th anniversary of the racial integration at Little Rock Central High School and last year Congress renewed the Voting Rights Act.

Discussions at the conference among citizens, community leaders, and local and state officials will relate the topics to Arkansas, the United States and the world. Policy schools will be represented by delegations of students and faculty.

A number of high profile speakers are expected to attend, including: former U.S. Senator David Pryor; Lynda Bird Johnson Robb, daughter of the late President Johnson; Minnijean Brown Trickey, one of the first nine black students at Little Rock Central High School; United Nations Foundation Senior Advisor Gillin Sorensen: New York University Sociology Professor Dalton Conley; University of Montana Law Professor Raymond Cross: and former Los Angeles Police Commissioner Rose Ochi.

For more information, visit http://www.utexas.edu/lbj/21stcenturypolicy/.

-William Moreno