DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
The presidency of Barack Hussein Obama was historic in many ways. Born in Hawaii in 1961 to two college students, Kenyan economist Barack Hussein Obama Sr. and Kansas anthropologist Stanley Ann Dunham (whose parents moved to Hawaii when she was in high school), Barack Obama became the country’s first Black American president in 2009. From his hard-fought battle to secure the Democratic presidential nomination over a widely expected front-runner, to his mobilization of youth voters to win the presidential election, President Obama’s victory represented an accelerated path to the White House that many of his supporters had anticipated eventually, but not in 2008. With the United States at a crossroads in facing the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, as well as ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq plus concerns over domestic policy needs, President Obama faced high expectations for transforming American politics.
Hofstra University’s 13th Presidential Conference: The Barack Obama Presidency – Hope and Change presents a multifaceted analysis of the Obama presidency, including expectations, achievements, and challenges. The subtitle “Hope and Change” is from Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign and provides an instructive overview for assessing Obama’s career through two presidential terms, to his legacy for the American presidency and U.S. politics.
Hofstra’s presidential conferences began in 1982 with a conference on the presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and have examined every presidential administration since then up to Barack Obama. The presidential conferences are renowned nationally and internationally for producing a unique institutional record of the modern presidency that brings together scholars, administration officials, and journalists to assess a president’s leadership, policymaking, and legacy. Subsequent analyses may expand our understanding of the Obama presidency and its place in American politics, and the broad, interdisciplinary approach and multiple perspectives in this conference will inform those analyses.
As the Hofstra presidential conferences have moved toward recent administrations, they are scheduled approximately five years after a president has left the White House, or after at least one presidential election has taken place. (Planning for the Obama Conference began in November 2019, as the conference was originally scheduled for 2021. However, it was moved back by two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.) A frequent question about the presidential conferences is whether they take place too close to a presidency. Would the passage of time and ability to view long-term results of policy choices permit more complete analyses? Hofstra continues to hold conferences near that five-year time span because of the importance of developing an early, interdisciplinary assessment that brings together scholarly research with perspectives from administration and other public officials, as well as journalists.
This conference examines several major topics in the Obama presidency through plenary events, scholarly panels, and special exhibits. Plenary events with scholars, administration officials, and journalists address Obama’s Election and Presidency; Media Coverage of the Obama Presidency; White House Communications and Policymaking; Obama’s Leadership, Policymaking and Legacy; Foreign Policy Choices and Priorities; Executive Branch Policymaking; The Leadership and Legacy of First Lady Michelle Obama; Enacting the Affordable Care Act; and Evaluating the Legacy of the Obama Presidency.
Fifteen panels in which scholars present research on the Obama administration examine the following topics: Campaigns, Elections, and Agenda Setting; Foreign Policy Leadership and Policymaking; The Public Presidency; Communication and Leadership; Domestic Policy: Economy, Trade, and Veto Power; Judicial Politics; Foreign Policy: Great Power Politics and Military Intervention; Health Care Policy; U.S.-Transatlantic Relations in the Obama Administration (a special panel that is co-sponsored with an Erasmus+ Jean Monnet
conference
hofstra university 13th presidential
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Module Grant from the European Union); Education Policy; Executive Power; The White House/Executive Branch/Vice Presidency; Domestic Policy: Political Opportunity and Policymaking; Party Politics, Public Support, and Policymaking; and Presidential Leadership: Goals and Strategies.
The Hofstra University Museum of Art is hosting two exhibitions that examine several topics of major importance in the Obama presidency. Through photographs, editorial cartoons, facsimile documents, and objects on loan from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and the Barack Obama Presidential Library, The Barack Obama Presidency: Hope and Change exhibition addresses the following subjects: the 2008 and 2012 elections, Great Recession; Health Care; Immigration; War in Iraq; Combating Terrorism; Climate Change and the Environment; and Race Relations. We encourage people to view this exhibition in the lobby of the President’s Suite on the second floor of the Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library. The When We All Stand exhibition examines how artists mobilize grassroots action to address policy debates and injustices, such as immigration, gender issues, reproductive rights, mass incarceration, voting rights, racial bias, gun violence, and promises unfulfilled. We encourage people to view this exhibition in the Museum’s Emily Lowe Gallery.
Development of the conference program and exhibition benefited significantly from several organizations affiliated with the Obama presidency. The National Archives and Records Administration’s (NARA’s) fully digital Barack Obama Presidential Library contains many highly instructive images, documents, and artifacts for scholarly analysis. We thank the Obama Library’s senior leadership for their helpful assistance with Hofstra’s conference exhibition, especially Collections Manager and Registrar Erin R. McKeen; Supervisory Archivist Jill Zawacki; and acting Obama Presidential Library Deputy Director and Director of the Gerald R. Ford Library and Museum Brooke Clement.
We also convey our deep gratitude to the Barack Obama Foundation for its strong support of the conference, particularly Chief Executive Officer Valerie Jarrett, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Impact Officer Tina Tchen, and their wonderful staffs. We deeply appreciate the strong support for the conference from The Office of Barack and Michelle Obama, and particularly the constructive and friendly advice and guidance from Chief of Staff Anita Decker Breckenridge and Director of Operations Emily Blakemore.
The complementary perspectives of scholars, public officials, and journalists to assess a presidency are a defining and unique feature of Hofstra’s presidential conferences, and we thank all of the program participants for their insightful commentary and contributions. The full titles for participating public officials are included in the conference schedule, and we would like to recognize them by name here: Kara Alaimo, Nancy-Ann DeParle, Honorable Steven J. Israel, Valerie Jarrett, Kate Leone, Honorable Jacob J. Lew, Wendell Primus, Benjamin J. Rhodes, Philip M. Schiliro, Tina Tchen, and Shawn Turner. We deeply appreciate the extensive and painstaking efforts by Hofstra alumnus Phil Schiliro (Political Science, ’78), who currently is a Senior Presidential Fellow in Hofstra’s Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency, for bringing so many distinguished speakers to campus for the Obama conference.
We also thank the following plenary speakers (all identified with full titles in the conference schedule) for sharing their scholarly, political, or news reporting expertise in the conference: Peter Baker, Douglas Brinkley, Laurie Buonanno, Ann Compton, George C. Edwards III, Michelle Egan, Karen Finney, John Harwood, Jennifer Mercieca, Michael Nelson, Barbara A. Perry, Elizabeth Saunders, and Chris Whipple. We are delighted that this conference includes more than 40 presentations of scholarly research, and we thank scholars for sharing their important work on the Obama presidency. We also thank the European Union’s ERASMUS+ Jean Monnet Module Grant for supporting conference scholarship on U.S.-Transatlantic Relations in the Obama administration. We are delighted that Joseph G. Astman Distinguished Conference Scholar Dr. Melissa Harris-Perry will share her insights about the Obama presidency’s leadership, policymaking, and legacy, as well as participate in seminar discussions with students and conference scholars.
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From the start of conference planning in 2019, Hofstra administrators, faculty, staff, and students have generously shared their time, thoughts, expertise, and enthusiasm for presidency studies to make this conference possible. Without leaving out anyone who has participated in this University-wide collaboration, we would like to give special acknowledgment to the following individuals and departments:
• Hofstra University President Susan Poser, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Charles G. Riordan, and Acting Dean of Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Daniel E. Seabold for their strong support of this presidential conference and presidential studies.
• Mr. Peter S. Kalikow, founder of Hofstra’s Peter S. Kalikow School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs, Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency, and Peter S. Kalikow Chair in Presidential Studies for his unending dedication to advancing scholarly and public understanding of the American presidency and American politics, and his continuing encouragement, counsel, and assistance in organizing this conference.
• Conference Associate Director Richard Himelfarb and Conference Research Director Paul B. Fritz for their tireless work in planning this conference; unending patience with multiple meetings; unfailing good cheer in addressing conference scheduling requirements; and firm dedication to informed, respectful dialogue about presidential studies.
• Hofstra University Museum of Art Director Karen T. Albert and her wonderful staff for their painstaking work to develop the highly engaging and instructive Obama Presidency exhibition as well as the exhibition on artists and grassroots mobilization for policy change.
• The Office of Special Collections in Hofstra’s Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library, particularly Debra Willett and Michael O’Connor, for preparing a richly informative library exhibit of books about the Obama presidency; reviewing countless files from Hofstra’s 2008 and 2012 presidential debate programs to identify possible images for display at the conference; and highlighting Hofstra’s historic legacy of presidential conferences with program images in Axinn Library.
• Hofstra’s Division of Student Enrollment, Engagement, and Success, especially Assistant Vice President Zaibis Muñoz-Isme, Director of Student Leadership and Engagement Severino Randazzo, and Director of Communications Colin Sullivan, for their multiple efforts to engage students in active conference participation. Special thanks to Rabinowitz Honors College Senior Associate Dean and Professor of Rhetoric and Public Advocacy Tomeka Robinson for seamlessly coordinating the large number of student hosts for the conference.
• Administrators, faculty, and staff on the Obama Conference Committee, all of whom generously shared their time, expertise, and recommendations over the past three and a half years to develop a highly informative and engaging conference program. Special thanks to conference committee members and additional Hofstra faculty who graciously accepted conference responsibilities as moderators or discussants for conference scholarly panels or plenary forums.
• Hofstra’s dedicated student hosts, who cheerfully volunteered their time to greet conference guests, direct them to events, and discuss the Obama presidency and Hofstra.
• Hofstra’s Office of Marketing and Communications, especially Vice President Terry Coniglio, Assistant Vice President Karla Schuster, Senior Director for Public Relations Ginny Greenberg, Assistant Vice President for Creative Services Francis Rizzo III, Creative Director Kelvin Fonville, Event Manager Johanna Farrell, Associate Editor Daria Hong for their assistance with the conference.
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• The Hofstra Cultural Center, especially Executive Director Athelene A. Collins, Manager of Conferences and Events Carol D. Mallison, Senior Assistant to the Director Jeannine Rinaldi, and Event Coordinator
Amy Trotta, for their diligence, dedication, expert organization, and attentiveness in handling countless emails and reworking the conference schedule throughout the three-and-a-half-year planning process. Their perseverance in making University events appear effortless is deeply appreciated.
Organizing this conference has been a unique and highly rewarding educational experience. A scholarly conference that incorporates perspectives from scholars, public officials, journalists, students, and the community brings distinct and historically significant opportunities for dialogue and reflection, and we welcome the discussions.
MEENA BOSE
Conference Director, Hofstra’s 13th Presidential Conference: Barack Obama – 44th President of the United States Executive Dean, Public Policy and Public Service Programs Director, Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency
Peter S. Kalikow Endowed Chair in Political Science Professor of Political Science
Peter S. Kalikow School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Hofstra University
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Hofstra University Museum Of Art Exhibitions
When We All Stand
Emily Lowe Gallery, Behind Emily Lowe Hall, South Campus
The exhibition, When We All Stand, focuses on the collective power of the arts to address complex issues in society and demonstrates the ability of art and artists to chart a path for social change. Artists often lead the charge and expose truths that may otherwise be ignored. The artists in this exhibition take a stand and call out injustices through their art and activism on issues such as immigration, gender issues, reproductive rights, mass incarceration, voting rights, racial bias, gun violence, and promises unfulfilled. They take action by creating national campaigns for justice, organizing public art protests, connecting with their local community, or joining forces with national organizations. Some make demands on government, politicians, policies, or institutions while others make demands on society and individuals to join them in the fight for justice; still others focus on cultural development as a process that cultivates democracy and unity. The artists all combine the making of art with public service that has a grassroots approach in the hope of mobilizing their communities and the nation to ignite movement, create awareness, and inspire others to stand with them.
The Barack Obama Presidency: Hope and Change Lobby, President’s Suite
Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library, Second Floor, South Campus
The exhibition focuses on issues and topics from the Obama administration: the 2008 and 2012 elections, Great Recession, Health Care, Immigration, Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Combating Terrorism, Climate Change and the Environment, and Race Relations. It includes photographs, facsimile documents, and objects on loan from the National Archives and Records Administration and the Barack Obama Presidential Library. Editorial cartoons by Mike Keefe, Steve Kelley, and Signe Wilkinson further illustrate the themes. In addition, items related to the Presidential Debates at Hofstra University in 2008 and 2012, on loan from the University Archives, will be on view.
The Hofstra University Museum of Art’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library Exhibitions
Pride and POTUS: Barack Obama at Hofstra Axinn Library, Main Floor Showcase
On the Main Floor
View Obama memorabilia in the Main floor showcase and a book display that commemorates the Barack Obama Presidency.
On the Lower Level
Hofstra University art students, guided by Professor James Lee, will present eight original works of art spanning the Barack Obama Presidency. Also on display are several easels displaying past Hofstra Presidential Conferences.
BARACK OBAMA CONFERENCE EXHIBITIONS
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BARACK OBAMA
H44th president of the united states
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
April 19, 20, 21, 2023
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 2023
8 a.m.-6 p.m. CONFERENCE REGISTRATION AND COFFEE
Multipurpose Room
Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center, North Campus
PLENARY FORUMS
9:30-10:45 a.m.
The Promise of Hope and Change - Obama’s Election and Presidency
11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Media Coverage of the Obama Presidency - Challenges and Opportunities
1-2:15 p.m.
From White House Communications to Policymaking - Planning and Strategies
STUDENT CENTER THEATER
2:45-4 p.m.: Concurrent Scholarly Panels
Campaigns, Elections, Foreign Policy Leadership The Public Presidency and Agenda Setting and Policymaking
PLAZA ROOMS
GUTHART THEATER
STUDENT CENTER THEATER
4:15-5:30 p.m.: Concurrent Scholarly Panels
Communication and Domestic Policy: Economy, Judicial Politics Leadership Trade, and Veto Power
GUTHART THEATER
STUDENT CENTER THEATER
PLAZA ROOMS
6:30-8 p.m.
KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Joseph G. Astman Distinguished Conference Scholar
Melissa Harris-Perry, PhD Mayo Angelou Presidential Chair Wake Forest University
JOHN CRANFORD ADAMS PLAYHOUSE
13th presidential conference
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10 hofstra university 13th presidential conference
8 a.m.-6 p.m. CONFERENCE REGISTRATION AND COFFEE
Multipurpose Room
Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center, North Campus
9-9:30 a.m. WELCOME AND OPENING REMARKS
Student Center Theater
Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center, North Campus
Susan Poser President
Hofstra University
Charles G. Riordan
Provost
Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Hofstra University
Meena Bose Conference Director
Executive Dean for Public Policy and Public Service Programs
Director, Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency
Peter S. Kalikow Chair in Presidential Studies
Professor of Political Science
Peter S. Kalikow School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs
Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Hofstra University
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 2023
hofstra university 13th presidential conference 11
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 2023
9:30-10:45 a.m. PLENARY FORUM:
THE PROMISE OF HOPE AND CHANGE – OBAMA’S ELECTION AND PRESIDENCY Student Center Theater
Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center, North Campus
The Honorable Steven J. Israel
Director, Institute of Politics and Global Affairs, Cornell University
U.S. House of Representatives (D-NY), 2001-2017
Chair, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, 2011-2015
Michael Nelson
Fulmer Professor of Political Science, Rhodes College
Senior Fellow, Miller Center, University of Virginia
Editor, Landmark Presidential Decisions Book Series, University Press of Kansas
Barbara A. Perry
Gerald L. Baliles Professor and Director of Presidential Studies
Co-Director, Presidential Oral History Program
Miller Center, University of Virginia
Moderators: Meena Bose Conference Director
Richard Himelfarb Conference Associate Director
Professor of Political Science
Peter S. Kalikow School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs
Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Hofstra University
hofstra university 13th presidential conference 12
11 a.m.-12:15 p.m. PLENARY FORUM: MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE OBAMA PRESIDENCY –CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Student Center Theater
Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center, North Campus
Kara Alaimo
Associate Professor of Communication
Fairleigh Dickinson University
Spokesperson for International Affairs, United States Department of the Treasury, 2011-2012
Ann Compton
White House Correspondent, ABC News, 1974-2014
President, White House Correspondents’ Association, 2007-2008
Karen Finney
CNN Political Commentator and Democratic Strategist
Spokesperson and Director of Communications, Democratic National Committee, 2004-2008
John Harwood
CNN White House Correspondent, 2020-2022
CNBC Chief Washington Correspondent, 2006-2019
Moderator: Mark Lukasiewicz
Dean, The Lawrence Herbert School of Communication
Hofstra University
12:15-12:45 p.m.
LUNCH [on your own]
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 2023
hofstra university 13th presidential conference 13
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 2023
1-2:15 p.m. PLENARY FORUM:
FROM WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS TO POLICYMAKING – PLANNING AND STRATEGIES
Student Center Theater
Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center, North Campus
Shawn Turner
Professor of Strategic Communication
Michigan State University
Deputy White House Press Secretary for National Security, 2014-2015
Director of Communication, U.S. National Intelligence, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, 2011-2014
Assistant Press Secretary for Foreign Affairs, National Security Council, 2010-2011
Public Affairs Officer, Central Command/Middle East, U.S. Department of Defense, 2009-2010
George C. Edwards III
University Distinguished Professor of Political Science
Jordan Chair in Presidential Studies Emeritus
Texas A&M University
Jennifer Mercieca
Professor of Communication and Journalism
Texas A&M University
Moderator: Philip Dalton
Associate Professor of Political Communication
Director, Center for Civic Engagement
Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Hofstra University
2:15-2:45 p.m. COFFEE BREAK
hofstra university 13th presidential conference 14
2:45-4 p.m.
CONCURRENT SCHOLARLY PANELS
CAMPAIGNS, ELECTIONS, AND AGENDA
SETTING
Plaza Rooms
Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center, North Campus
Moderator: Richard Himelfarb
Conference Associate Director
“The Transformation of Presidential Fundraising During the Obama Years”
Brendan J. Doherty, United States Naval Academy
“Domestic Policy Prioritization in the Obama Administration: An Initial Look at Barack Obama’s Political Project”
Jack B. Greenberg, Yale University
“‘Be a Part of Something Great!’: College Activism and the Campaign to Elect Barack Obama”
James G. Liska, The Brookings Institution
Discussant: Michael Nelson
Fulmer Professor of Political Science, Rhodes College
Senior Fellow, Miller Center, University of Virginia
Editor, Landmark Presidential Decisions Book Series, University Press of Kansas
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 2023
hofstra university 13th presidential conference 15
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 2023
2:45-4 p.m.
FOREIGN POLICY LEADERSHIP AND POLICYMAKING
Leo A. Guthart Cultural Center Theater
Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library, First Floor, South Campus
Moderator: Paul Fritz
Conference Research Director
Associate Professor of Political Science
Interim Chair (Spring 2023), Department of Political Science
Peter S. Kalikow School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs
Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Hofstra University
“The Obama Legacy on Nuclear Weapons, Arms Control, and Nonproliferation”
David W. Kearn Jr., St. John’s University
“Obama, Operation Neptune Spear, and the Specter of Failure”
Adam M. McMahon, The College of New Jersey
Discussant: Takashi Kanatsu
Professor of Political Science
Peter S. Kalikow School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs
Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Hofstra University
hofstra university 13th presidential conference 16
2:45-4 p.m. THE PUBLIC PRESIDENCY
Student Center Theater
Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center, North Campus
Moderator: Victoria Semple
Associate Professor of Journalism, Media Studies, and Public Relations
The Lawrence Herbert School of Communication Hofstra University
“The Obama Public Presidency: Lessons and Legacies”
Lori Cox Han, Chapman University
“Responsiveness vs. Management: Exercising Public Leadership Online”
Diane J. Heith, St. John’s University
“Obama, the Pen, and the Phone”
Donna R. Hoffman, University of Northern Iowa
Alison D. Howard, Dominican University of California
Discussant: Shawn Turner
Professor of Strategic Communication
Michigan State University
Deputy White House Press Secretary for National Security, 2014-2015
Director of Communication, U.S. National Intelligence, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, 2011-2014
Assistant Press Secretary for Foreign Affairs, National Security Council, 2010-2011
Public Affairs Officer, Central Command/Middle East, U.S. Department of Defense, 2009-2010
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 2023
hofstra university 13th presidential conference 17
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 2023
4:15-5:30 p.m.
CONCURRENT SCHOLARLY PANELS
COMMUNICATION AND LEADERSHIP
Student Center Theater
Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center, North Campus
Moderator: Jingsi Christina Wu
Associate Professor of Media Studies
The Lawrence Herbert School of Communication
Hofstra University
“The Genius of America and the Model Immigrant: Barack Obama’s Rhetorical Characterization of DACA Recipients”
Ann E. Burnette and Wayne L. Kraemer, Texas State University
“Actions Speak Louder Than Words: President Barack Obama’s Reaction to the 2016 Trump Win”
Jennifer Hopper, Southern Connecticut State University
“Her Words: An Oratorical Analysis of the First Lady”
Patricia Rossi, Attorney
Discussant: Jennifer Mercieca
Professor of Communication and Journalism
Texas A&M University
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4:15-5:30 p.m. DOMESTIC POLICY: ECONOMY, TRADE, AND VETO POWER
Plaza Rooms
Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center, North Campus
Moderator:
Boonghee Yoo
RMI Distinguished Professor in Business Professor, Department of Marketing, International Business and Legal Studies
Frank G. Zarb School of Business
Hofstra University
“Hoping for Change: The Legislative Record of the Obama Presidency”
Samuel B. Hoff, Delaware State University
“The Failures of the Recovery From the Great Recession”
Michael Meeropol, Western New England University
Jared Ragusett, Central Connecticut State University
“International Trade Policy Under President Barack H. Obama”
Shahruz Mohtadi, Suffolk University
Discussant:
George C. Edwards III University Distinguished Professor of Political Science
Jordan Chair in Presidential Studies Emeritus
Texas A&M University
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 2023
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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 2023
4:15-5:30 p.m.
JUDICIAL POLITICS
Leo A. Guthart Cultural Center Theater
Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library, First Floor, South Campus
Moderator: David M. Green
Professor of Political Science
Peter S. Kalikow School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs
Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Hofstra University
“Developing a Bench: President Obama’s Judicial Appointment Legacy”
Nicholas O. Howard, Auburn University at Montgomery
Mark Owens, The University of Texas at Tyler
“Senate Obstruction of President Obama’s Judicial Nominees”
John Anthony Maltese, University of Georgia
Discussant: William P. Schaefer
Adjunct Professor of Political Science
Peter S. Kalikow School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs
Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Hofstra University
Assistant United States Attorney, Organized Crime Strike Force, Northern District of California, 1992-2004
Trial Attorney, Organized Crime & Racketeering Section, U.S. Department of Justice, 1991-1992
Assistant District Attorney, Suffolk County, New York, 1989-1991
Clerk to United States District Court Judge Raymond Broderick (Eastern District of Pennsylvania), 1987-1989
5:30-6:15 p.m. DINNER [on your own]
20 hofstra university 13th presidential conference
6:30-8 p.m.
KEYNOTE ADDRESS
John Cranford Adams Playhouse, South Campus
“How Did the Obama Presidency Transform American Politics? Leadership, Policymaking, and Legacy”
Moderator:
Joseph G. Astman Distinguished Conference Scholar
Melissa Harris-Perry, PhD
Maya Angelou Presidential Chair
Department of Politics and International Affairs, and Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and the Program in Environment and Sustainability
Wake Forest University
Host and Managing Editor, The Takeaway, National Public Radio
Meena Bose
Conference Director
Executive Dean for Public Policy and Public Service Programs
Director, Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency
Peter S. Kalikow Chair in Presidential Studies
Professor of Political Science
Peter S. Kalikow School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs
Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Hofstra University
8-8:45 p.m.
HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY MUSEUM OF ART EXHIBITION VIEWING AND RECEPTION
Emily Lowe Gallery, behind Emily Lowe Hall, South Campus
WHEN WE ALL STAND
The exhibition focuses on the collective power of the arts to address complex issues in society and demonstrates the ability of art and artists to chart a path for social change.
APRIL 19, 2023
WEDNESDAY,
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Credit: Michele Pred (Swedish-American, born 1966), Love as Activism, 2021, Neon on plexi, Edition 2 of 3, 26 x 26 x 5 inches, courtesy of Nancy Hoffman Gallery
8 a.m.-6 p.m.
BARACK OBAMA
H44th president of the united states
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
April 19, 20, 21, 2023
THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2023
CONFERENCE REGISTRATION AND COFFEE
Multipurpose Room
Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center, North Campus
PLENARY FORUMS
9:30-10:45 a.m.
Foreign Policy Choices and Priorities in the Obama Administration
STUDENT CENTER THEATER
11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.: Concurrent Scholarly Panels
Foreign Policy: Great Power
Politics and Military Intervention
PLAZA ROOMS
Health Care Policy
GUTHART THEATER
PLENARY FORUMS
1-2:15 p.m.
U.S.-Transatlantic Relations in The Obama Administration
STUDENT CENTER THEATER
Executive Branch Policymaking in the Obama Administration
STUDENT CENTER THEATER
2:45-4 p.m.: Concurrent Scholarly Panels
Education Policy
GUTHART THEATER
Executive Power
PLAZA ROOMS
4:15-5:30 p.m.
HOFSTRA ALUMNI ROUNDTABLE
PLAZA ROOMS
7-8:15 p.m.
PLENARY FORUM
The White House/Executive Branch/Vice Presidency
STUDENT CENTER THEATER
The Leadership and Legacy of First Lady Michelle Obama
JOHN CRANFORD ADAMS PLAYHOUSE
13th presidential conference
hofstra university 13th presidential conference 22
8 a.m.-6 p.m. CONFERENCE REGISTRATION AND COFFEE
Multipurpose Room
Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center, North Campus
9:30-10:45 a.m. PLENARY FORUM: FOREIGN POLICY CHOICES AND PRIORITIES IN THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION
Student Center Theater
Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center, North Campus
Benjamin J. Rhodes
Contributor, NBC News and MSNBC
Co-Host, Pod Save the World
Senior Advisor to Former President Barack Obama
Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications, 2009-2017
Peter Baker
Chief White House Correspondent, The New York Times
Author, Obama: The Call of History (2017; updated with expanded text, 2019)
Elizabeth Saunders
Associate Professor, School of Foreign Service
Director, Mortara Center for International Studies
Georgetown University
Moderator:
Paul Fritz
Conference Research Director
Associate Professor of Political Science
Interim Chair (Spring 2023), Department of Political Science
Peter S. Kalikow School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs
Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Hofstra University
THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2023
hofstra university 13th presidential conference 23
11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
CONCURRENT SCHOLARLY PANELS
FOREIGN POLICY: GREAT POWER POLITICS AND MILITARY INTERVENTION
Plaza Rooms
Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center, North Campus
Moderator: Bernard J. Firestone Professor of Political Science
Hofstra University
“Losing the ‘Good War’: Obama and Afghanistan”
Sarah Burns and Michael Vandelune, Rochester Institute of Technology
“The Return of Great Power Politics? The United States and Russia During the Obama Administration”
Paul Fritz, Hofstra University
Conference Research Director
“Why Ask? Presidential Leverage and Obama’s Decision to Seek Congressional Authorization for the Use of Force Against Syria”
Daniel Ponder and Jeffrey VanDenBerg, Drury University
Discussant: Elizabeth Saunders
Associate Professor, School of Foreign Service Director, Mortara Center for International Studies
Georgetown University
APRIL
2023
THURSDAY,
20,
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11 a.m.-12:15 p.m. HEALTH CARE POLICY
Leo A. Guthart Cultural Center Theater
Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library, First Floor, South Campus
Moderator: Katrina Sims
Assistant Professor of History
Peter S. Kalikow School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs
Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Hofstra University
“‘If You Like Your Health Care Plan, You Can Keep Your Health Care Plan’: An Analysis of President Barack Obama’s Most Infamous Statement”
Richard Himelfarb, Hofstra University
Conference Associate Director
“Evolution of Health Reform: The Affordable Care Act”
Walter L. Markowitz, Hofstra University
Discussants:
Renee McLeod-Sordjan
Vice Dean, Chair, Professor of Graduate Nursing
Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies
Associate Professor of Medicine and Science Education
Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell
Director, System Chair
Division of Medical Ethics, Department of Medicine Northwell Health
Philip M. Schiliro
Co-Founder, Co-Equal Project
Senior Presidential Fellow, Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency
Peter S. Kalikow School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs,
Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Hofstra University
President’s Advisor for the Affordable Care Act and Health Policy, 2013-2014
Special Advisor to the President, 2011
White House Director of Legislative Affairs, 2009-2010
THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2023
hofstra university 13th presidential conference 25
11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
U.S.-TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONS IN THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION Student Center Theater
Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center, North Campus
Moderator: Carolyn M. Dudek
Professor of Political Science
Chair, Department of Political Science
Director of European Studies
Peter S. Kalikow School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs
Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Hofstra University
Benjamin J. Rhodes
Contributor, NBC News and MSNBC
Co-Host, Pod Save the World
Senior Advisor to Former President Barack Obama
Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications, 2009-2017
Peter Baker
Chief White House Correspondent, The New York Times
Author, Obama: The Call of History (2017; updated with expanded text, 2019)
“The Future of Europe”
Laurie Buonanno, State University of New York at Buffalo
“Economic Integration and the Transatlantic Marketplace”
Michelle Egan, American University
Panel co-sponsored by the ERASMUS+ JEAN MONNET MODULE GRANT
12:15-12:45 p.m. LUNCH [on your own]
THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2023
hofstra university 13th presidential conference 26
1-2:15 p.m.
PLENARY FORUM:
Discussants:
2:15-2:45 p.m.
THURSDAY,
EXECUTIVE BRANCH POLICYMAKING IN THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION
Student Center Theater
Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center, North Campus
The Honorable Jacob J. Lew
Managing Partner, Lindsay Goldberg
Visiting Professor, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University
United States Secretary of the Treasury, 2013-2017
White House Chief of Staff, 2012-2013
Director, Office of Management and Budget, 2010-2012
United States Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, 2009-2010
Peter Baker
Chief White House Correspondent, The New York Times
Author, Obama: The Call of History (2017; updated with expanded text, 2019)
Chris Whipple
Author and Documentary Filmmaker
The Fight of His Life: Inside Joe Biden’s White House (2023)
The Spymasters: How the CIA Directors Shape History and the Future (2020);
The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency (2017)
Meena Bose Conference Director
Richard Hayes
Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship
Executive Director, Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Frank G. Zarb School of Business
Hofstra University
James Sample Professor of Law
Maurice A. Deane School of Law
Hofstra University
COFFEE BREAK
Sponsored by the Black and Hispanic Alumni Association of Hofstra University
APRIL 20, 2023
hofstra university 13th presidential conference 27
2:45-4 p.m. CONCURRENT SCHOLARLY PANELS
EDUCATION POLICY
Leo A. Guthart Cultural Center Theater
Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library, First Floor, South Campus
Moderator Andrea Libresco
Leo A. Guthart Distinguished Professor in Teaching Excellence
Professor of Teaching, Learning, and Technology
School of Education
Hofstra University
“College Access Discourse and Policy in the Obama Administration”
Pamela M. Donnelly, Educational Consulting
“President Barack Obama and the School Choice Divide in Education”
Brian L. Fife, Lehigh University
“Grading the Obama-Duncan Education Record”
Alan Singer, Hofstra University
Discussant: Anael Alston (Sociology and English, ’94)
Assistant Commissioner, Office of Access, Equity, and Community Engagement
New York State Education Department
Mainstage Speaker, Inaugural Democracy Forum, The Obama Foundation
Panel co-sponsored by the Black and Hispanic Alumni Association of Hofstra University
THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2023
hofstra university 13th presidential conference 28
2:45-4 p.m. EXECUTIVE POWER
Plaza Rooms
Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center, North Campus
Moderator:
Corinne Kyriacou
Interim Vice Dean and Associate Professor of Population Health
School of Health Professions and Human Services
Hofstra University
“Rethinking Executive Privilege Functionality in the Obama Administration”
Kevin M. Baron, Austin Peay State University
“Competing Conceptions of Obama’s Unilateralism: Too Much, Too Little, or Just Right?
Graham G. Dodds, Concordia University
“Obama’s Domestic Policymaking and the Administrative Presidency”
Andrew Rudalevige, Bowdoin College
Discussants:
Rebecca S. Natow
Professor and Director, Educational Policy and Leadership Program
School of Education
Hofstra University
Philip M. Schiliro
Co-Founder, Co-Equal Project
Senior Presidential Fellow
Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency
Peter S. Kalikow School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs
Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Hofstra University
President’s Advisor for the Affordable Care Act and Health Policy, 2013-2014
Special Advisor to the President, 2011
White House Director of Legislative Affairs, 2009-2010
THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2023
hofstra university 13th presidential conference 29
2:45-4 p.m. THE WHITE HOUSE/EXECUTIVE BRANCH/VICE PRESIDENCY Student Center Theater
Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center, North Campus
Moderator: Scott A. Brinton
Assistant Professor of Journalism, Media Studies, and Public Relations
The Lawrence Herbert School of Communication
Hofstra University
“The Office of the Chief of Staff in the Obama White House”
David B. Cohen, The University of Akron
Karen M. Hult and Charles E. Walcott, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
“The Biden Vice Presidency: Lessons About Obama, Biden, and the Second Office”
Joel K. Goldstein, Saint Louis University School of Law
“Obama’s White House Counsels: Serving the President With No Margin for Error”
Nancy Kassop, State University of New York at New Paltz
Discussant: Nancy-Ann DeParle
Managing Partner and Co-Founder, Consonance Capital Partners
Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, 2011-2013
Counselor to the President and Director of the White House Office of Health Reform, 2009-2011
APRIL 20, 2023
THURSDAY,
30 hofstra university 13th presidential conference
4:15-5:30 p.m.
Moderator:
HOFSTRA ALUMNI ROUNDTABLE: POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT IN THE OBAMA YEARS AND BEYOND Plaza Rooms
Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center, North Campus
Rosanna Perotti
Professor of Political Science
Director, Legal Education Accelerated Program
Peter S. Kalikow School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs
Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Hofstra University
Mark Atkinson (Rhetorical Studies)
Area Director, Care Portal
Melissa Calderone (Political Science)
Administrative Manager, New York Civil Liberties
Union
Laura Comer (Political Science)
Associate Distributed Organizing Director
NARAL Pro-Choice America
Adrian Culea (Political Science)
Advisor, Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs
Robb Friedlander (Political Science)
Director of Advocacy, Swipe Out Hunger, Brooklyn
Blaise Gibson (Political Science)
Assistant Counsel, New York State
Office of Cannabis Management
Kate Legnetti (Political Science)
Assistant Dean, Academic and Registration Services, NYU Steinhardt School of Culture,
Education, and Human Development
Samuel Rubenfeld (Print Journalism)
U.S. Department of Energy Reporter at MLex
Shakirah De Mesier (Marketing)
John Santucci (Broadcast Journalism)
Technical Assistance Manager, Executive Editorial Producer, ABC News
Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs
APRIL 20, 2023
THURSDAY,
hofstra university 13th presidential conference 31
5:30-6:45 p.m. DINNER [on your own]
6-6:45 p.m. HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY MUSEUM OF ART EXHIBITION VIEWING
Lobby, President’s Suite
Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library, Second Floor, South Campus
THE BARACK OBAMA PRESIDENCY: HOPE AND CHANGE
The exhibition focuses on issues and topics from the Obama Administration: 2008 and 2012 elections, Great Recession, Health Care, Immigration, Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Combating Terrorism, Climate Change and the Environment, and Race Relations.
hofstra university 13th presidential conference 32
Pete Souza, Visiting the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial in Washington, D.C., October 14, 2011, Digital print, Courtesy of Barack Obama Presidential Library, National Archives and Records Administration
7-8:15 p.m. PLENARY SESSION:
Panelists:
Moderator:
THE LEADERSHIP AND LEGACY OF FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA
John Cranford Adams Playhouse, South Campus
Tina Tchen
Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Impact Officer
The Obama Foundation
Chief of Staff to First Lady Michelle Obama, 2011-2017
Executive Director, White House Council on Women and Girls, 2011-2017
Director, White House Office of Public Engagement, 2009-2011
Lisa Merrill
Professor of Rhetoric and Performance Studies
Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Hofstra University
Tomeka Robinson
Senior Associate Dean, Stuart and Nancy Rabinowitz Honors College
Professor of Rhetoric and Public Advocacy
Hofstra University Conference Student Hosts Coordinator
Holly J. Seirup
Professor of Counseling and Educational Leadership School of Health Professions and Human Services
Hofstra University
Susan Poser President
Hofstra University
Panel co-sponsored by the Women in Leadership Advisory Board of Hofstra University
THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2023
hofstra university 13th presidential conference 33
13th presidential conference
BARACK OBAMA
H44th president of the united states
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
April 19, 20, 21, 2023
FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2023
8 a.m.-2 p.m. CONFERENCE REGISTRATION AND COFFEE
Multipurpose Room
Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center, North Campus
PLENARY EVENT
8:45-9:30 a.m.
Hofstra Speech and Debate Team, “Evaluating the Affordable Care Act”
STUDENT CENTER THEATER
9:45-11 a.m.: Concurrent Scholarly Panels
Domestic Policy: Political Opportunity and Policymaking
GUTHART THEATER
Party Politics, Public Support, and Policymaking
STUDENT CENTER THEATER
PLENARY FORUMS
11:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Enacting the Affordable Care Act
STUDENT CENTER THEATER
PLENARY FORUM
1:30-2:45 p.m.
Presidential Leadership: Goals and Strategies
PLAZA ROOMS
Evaluating the Legacy of the Obama Presidency
STUDENT CENTER THEATER
hofstra university 13th presidential conference 34
8 a.m.-2 p.m. CONFERENCE REGISTRATION AND COFFEE
Multipurpose Room
Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center, North Campus
8:45-9:30 a.m. PLENARY EVENT: HOFSTRA SPEECH AND DEBATE TEAM, “EVALUATING THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT” Student Center Theater
Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center, North Campus
Favour Chibuzo-Enwere Class of 2025, Neuroscience major
Tess Kaus
Class of 2026, Political Science
Kyle Mastroni
Class of 2024, Business Economics
Alondra Padilla
Class of 2026, Political Science and Global Studies
Moderator: Trent Webb
Director of Forensics, Speech and Debate
Hofstra University
APRIL 21, 2023
FRIDAY,
hofstra university 13th presidential conference 35
9:45-11 a.m. CONCURRENT SCHOLARLY PANELS
DOMESTIC POLICY: POLITICAL OPPORTUNITY AND POLICYMAKING
Leo A. Guthart Cultural Center Theater
Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library, First Floor, South Campus
Moderator: Jase Bernhardt
Associate Professor of Geology, Environment, and Sustainability
Director of Sustainability Studies
School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Hofstra University
“President Obama’s Domestic Policy: Success in a Savage Arena”
Michael A. Genovese, Loyola Marymount University
Todd L. Belt, George Washington University
“A Green Presidency? Barack Obama and the Environment”
Mark Kelso, Queens University of Charlotte
“The Obama Presidency and Gun Policy”
Robert J. Spitzer, State University of New York at Cortland
Discussant: Kate Leone
Staff Director, U.S. Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee, 2021-2023
Office of U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid: Chief Health Counsel, 2014-2016
Senior Health Counsel, 2005-2013
Counsel, Office of U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle, 2001-2004
FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2023
hofstra university 13th presidential conference 36
9:45-11 a.m. PARTY POLITICS, PUBLIC SUPPORT, AND POLICYMAKING
Student Center Theater
Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center, North Campus
Moderator: Craig Burnett
Associate Professor of Political Science
Peter S. Kalikow School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs
Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Hofstra University
“The Obama Coalition’s Kryptonite: Ralph Stanley, Bruce Springsteen, and the White Working Class”
Jeff Bloodworth, Gannon University
“A Reawakening: Barack Obama and the Resurgence of Mainstream Extremism”
Daryl A. Carter, East Tennessee State University
“American Race Relations During the Obama Years and Beyond: Irony of Fate”
Jonathan Lightfoot and Aisha Wilson-Carter, Hofstra University
Discussant: Wendell Primus
Senior Policy Advisor on Budget and Health Issues to Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, 2005-2023
FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2023
hofstra university 13th presidential conference 37
FRIDAY,
9:45-11 a.m. PRESIDENTIAL LEADERSHIP: GOALS AND STRATEGIES
Plaza Rooms
Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center, North Campus
Moderator: Julie Byrne
Monsignor Thomas J. Hartman Chair in Catholic Studies
Chair and Professor, Department of Religion
Peter S. Kalikow School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs
Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Hofstra University
“A Family Matter: The Obamas in the Era of the Contemporary Presidency”
Peter Kastor, Washington University in St. Louis
“Women and the Obama Administration: Gender Policy at Home and Abroad”
Barbara A. Perry and Sheila M. Blackford, Miller Center, University of Virginia
“Obama’s Presidency: Redemption and the Misdirected Search for Greatness”
Stanley A. Renshon, City University of New York
Discussant: Douglas Brinkley
Katherine Tsanoff Brown Chair in Humanities
Professor of History
Rice University
Advisory Board, Obama Presidency Oral History Project, Columbia University and The Obama Foundation
APRIL
2023
21,
hofstra university 13th presidential conference 38
11:15 a.m.-
12:30 p.m.
Moderator:
FRIDAY,
PLENARY SESSION: ENACTING THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT
Student Center Theater
Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center, North Campus
Nancy-Ann DeParle
Managing Partner and Co-Founder, Consonance Capital Partners
Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, 2011-2013
Counselor to the President and Director of the White House Office of Health Reform, 2009-2011
Kate Leone
Staff Director, U.S. Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee, 2021-2023
Office of U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid: Chief Health Counsel, 2014-2016
Senior Health Counsel, 2005-2013
Counsel, Office of U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle, 2001-2004
Wendell Primus
Senior Policy Advisor on Budget and Health Issues to Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, 2005-2023
Philip M. Schiliro, Co-Founder, Co-Equal Project
Senior Presidential Fellow, Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency
Peter S. Kalikow School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs
Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Hofstra University
President’s Advisor for the Affordable Care Act and Health Policy, 2013-2014
Special Advisor to the President, 2011
White House Director of Legislative Affairs, 2009-2010
Rosanna Perotti
Professor of Political Science
Director, Legal Education Accelerated Program
Peter S. Kalikow School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs
Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Hofstra University
12:30-1:15 p.m.
LUNCH [on your own]
APRIL 21, 2023
hofstra university 13th presidential conference 39
FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2023
1:30-2:45 p.m. PLENARY FORUM: EVALUATING THE LEGACY OF THE OBAMA PRESIDENCY Student Center Theater
Moderator:
Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center, North Campus
Valerie Jarrett
Chief Executive Officer, The Obama Foundation
Senior Advisor to the President and Director of the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs, 2009-2017
Douglas Brinkley
Katherine Tsanoff Brown Chair in Humanities
Professor of History
Rice University
Advisory Board, Obama Presidency Oral History Project, Columbia University and The Obama Foundation
Meena Bose
Conference Director
Executive Dean for Public Policy and Public Service Programs
Director, Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency
Peter S. Kalikow Chair in Presidential Studies
Professor of Political Science
Peter S. Kalikow School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs
Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Hofstra University
40 hofstra university 13th presidential conference
3-4 p.m. CLOSING CONFERENCE RECEPTION
“Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama” by Amy Sherald, oil on linen, 2018. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. The National Portrait Gallery is grateful to the following lead donors for their support of the Obama portraits: Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg; Judith Kern and Kent Whealy; Tommie L. Pegues and Donald A. Capoccia. Courtesy of the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.
“My fellow Americans, it has been the honor of my life to serve you. (Applause.) I won’t stop. In fact, I will be right there with you, as a citizen, for all my remaining days. But for now, whether you are young or whether you’re young at heart, I do have one final ask of you as your President — the same thing I asked when you took a chance on me eight years ago. I’m asking you to believe. Not in my ability to bring about change — but in yours.”
“Understand, democracy does not require uniformity. Our founders quarreled and compromised, and expected us to do the same. But they knew that democracy does require a basic sense of solidarity—the idea that for all our outward differences, we are all in this together; that we rise or fall as one.”
“So, you see, that’s what our democracy demands. It needs you. Not just when there’s an election, not just when your own narrow interest is at stake, but over the full span of a lifetime. … If something needs fixing, then lace up your shoes and do some organizing. If you’re disappointed by your elected officials, grab a clipboard, get some signatures, and run for office yourself. Show up. Dive in. Stay at it.”
“Yes We Can. Yes We Did. Yes We Can. Thank you.”
Quotations taken from President Barack Obama’s farewell address to the American people, McCormick Place, Chicago on January 10, 2017.
hofstra university 13th presidential conference 41
Kehinde Wiley, Barack Obama, 2018. © Kehinde Wiley. Courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.
Photos credited to the Barack Obama Presidential Library; National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Hofstra University Special Collections.
Cover: President Barack Obama talks on the phone with President Lee Myung-bak of South Korea in the Treaty Room Office in the White House Residence, November 23, 2010. Earlier in the day, North Korea conducted an artillery attack against the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong.
Page 7: President-elect Barack Obama looks in a mirror in a holding room prior to the Inaugural Ceremony at the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, D.C., January 20, 2009.
Page 10: Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts administers the oath of office to President Barack Obama during the Inaugural Swearing-In Ceremony at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., January 21, 2013. First Lady Michelle Obama, holding a Bible that belonged to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Lincoln Bible, and daughters Malia and Sasha stand with the President.
Page 12: Presidential nominees Barack Obama and John McCain debate at Hofstra University, October 15, 2008. (Moderator Bob Schieffer sits between them.)
Page 13: Inside the Media Center at the Hofstra Presidential Debate, October 16, 2012.
Page 15: Republican nominee Mitt Romney debates President Barack Obama at Hofstra University, October 16, 2012.
Page 16: President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sign a preliminary agreement to reduce American and Russian nuclear arsenals after meetings at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, July 6, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
Page 17: Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama makes a point at the Hofstra Presidential Debate, October 15, 2008.
Page 18: President Barack Obama holds a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House, January 14, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Page 19: Close-up detail of President Obama’s signature on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and a pen used for the signing, aboard Air Force One on a flight from Buckley Air Force Base, Denver, Colorado to Phoenix, Arizona, February 17, 2009.
Page 20: President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden escort Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the East Room of the White House where the President will introduce her as his nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court to replace retiring Justice David Souter, May 26, 2009.
Page 23: President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, along with members of the national security team, receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in the Situation Room of the White House, May 1, 2011.
Page 24: The President meets in the Situation Room with his national security advisors to discuss his decision to postpone a military strike against the Syrian government for a chemical weapons attack so he could first seek Congressional authorization, August 31, 2013 (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Page 25: President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and senior staff react in the Roosevelt Room of the White House as the House passes the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, March 21, 2010.
Page 26: President Barack Obama briefs European leaders, including British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, European Union Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, and Danish Prime Minister Lars L. Rasmussen, following a multilateral meeting at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, December 18, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Page 28: President Barack Obama signs S.1177, Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), during a bill signing ceremony in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building South Court Auditorium, Dec. 10, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)
Page 30: After a meeting in the Rose Garden, the President and Vice President walk back to the Oval Office (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Page 31: President Barack Obama signs a letter to Ileana Yarza, a 76-year-old letter writer in Cuba, in the Oval Office, March 14, 2016.
Page 32: President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama hold hands as they listen to U.S. House Representative John Lewis during an event to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday and the Selma to Montgomery civil rights marches, at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, March 7, 2015.
Page 33: First Lady Michelle Obama and Melody Barnes, Assistant to the President and Domestic Policy Council Director, third from right, meet with the Council on Community Solutions in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building of the White House, February 4, 2011.
Page 33: First Lady Michelle Obama joins FoodCorps leaders and local students for the spring planting in the White House Kitchen Garden, April 2, 2014.
Page 35: President Barack Obama answering a question at the Hofstra Presidential Debate, October 16, 2012.
Page 37: President Barack Obama acknowledges applause before he delivers the State of the Union address in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., January 28, 2014.
Page 38: President Obama after the Hofstra Presidential Debate, October 16, 2012.
Page 39: President Barack Obama’s signature on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act at the White House, March 23, 2010. The President signed the Act with 22 different pens.
Page 40: President Barack Obama’s Farewell Address at McCormick Place, Chicago. (Photo by Max Herman, The Chicago Reporter)
PHOTO CAPTIONS (listed in order of appearance)
42 hofstra university 13th presidential conference
CAMPUS MAP
There are several dining facilities on campus, some of which are listed below.
NORTH CAMPUS
Student Center Café
Mack Student Center
Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday, 7:30 a.m.-8 p.m.
Starbucks Mack Student Center
Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
Brooklyn Slice Mack Student Center
Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-12 a.m.
Eli’s Mack Student Center
Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
Closed on Fridays
SOUTH CAMPUS
Café Bistro at Bits ‘n’ Bytes
Memorial Hall
Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday, 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
Au Bon Pain at Hofstra Deli
Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday, 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Einsteins Bagels
Monday-Thursday 7:30 a.m.- 9 p.m.
Dunkin’
Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday, 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
INDOOR
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