Congress to Campus

The Congress to Campus Program is made possible by a partnership between the Stennis Center, the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress, and the Center for Democracy and Citizenship at the Council for Excellence in Government. It is designed to address several aspects of the civic learning and engagement deficit among the country's college-age young people, combining traditional educational content with a strong message about public service. The Program sends bipartisan pairs of former Members of Congress - one Democrat and one Republican - to visit college, university and community college campuses around the country. Over the course of two-and-a-half days, the Members conduct classes, hold community forums, meet informally with students and faculty, visit high schools and civic organizations, and do interviews and talk show appearances with local press and media.

Congress to Campus was a Great Success

The Annette Strauss Institute was pleased to welcome Robin Beard and Butler Derrick as part of the Congress to Campus Program. The program sends bipartisan pairs of former members of Congress to visit college campuses as a way of engaging college-age voters. During their three-day visit, the members conducted classes, held community forums, and met informally with students, faculty, and Institute staff.

With over thirty years of combined experience, Mr. Beard, a Republican from Tennessee, and Mr. Derrick, a Democrat from South Carolina, stressed the importance of fostering an interest in government and political participation among all Americans.

Since leaving office, Mr. Beard has served as Assistant Secretary General for defense support for NATO, president of an import-export company, and is currently senior fellow at the Croton Institute. Since his retirement, Mr. Derrick has served on numerous boards and civic organizations and continues to practice law.

Program coordinator Sean Theriault, Assistant Professor of Government, sees the program as an important way to bring the reality of public service to young people. "They spent a great deal of time interacting with students and answering questions. It puts a real face on public service," says Theriault. U.T. students also had an opportunity to learn more about the inner workings of Congress and to ask questions about getting started in politics.