New Public Affairs Institute Founded

SALISBURY, MD--Today Salisbury State University officially announced thefounding of its new Institute for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement (PACE), aunique but heretofore unavailable vehicle for fostering civic partnerships on the Delmarva Peninsula.

Endorsing PACE's vision and work is the Grayce B. Kerr Fund, Inc. of Easton, with a $250,000 inaugural grant.

In recent years, two long time University colleagues, Dr. Harry Basehart in political science and Dr. Francis Kane in philosophy, had often worried about the increasing political apathy of their students and the lack of ethical vision in the political realm. From a series of ongoing conversations between the two, however, a solution began to emerge: start an Institute that would bring students into direct engagement with local and regional political issues so that they might see, first hand, the importance and need for citizen involvement if democracy is to succeed.

Indices of student apathy are legion but the 1999 "New Millennium Project" study for the National Association of the Secretaries of State, which noted that less than 20 percent of young people voted in elections last year and ranked as their lowest priority "making your community a better place," put it succinctly: "Young people today lack interest, trust and knowledge about American politics, politicians andpublic life generally .... The future of American democracy seems gloomy indeed." One Salt Lake City youth put it baldly: "I feel kind of alienated from politics and I think that's kind of a consensus. I am too young to be involved in anything ... plus I have my own life. And politics is for old men. Why get involved?" Thanks to the Kerr Fund's generous gift, PACE can now begin in earnest its mission of civic education.

While the Institute will be rigorously non-partisan, it also hopes to provide a forum where competing parties on contentious issues of public policy can come together and seek common ground.

Housed at Salisbury State and drawing upon the interdisciplinary expertise of its faculty and staff, PACE will provide students with unique opportunities: In addition to public policy scholarship and internships, the Institute will house a survey research center that will, for the first time, allow the University to poll the citizens of Delmarva. Basehart said that the new state-of-the-art "Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing" or CATI system will greatly extend the capabilities of assessing the needs and views of citizens on the Eastern Shore.

PACE will also sponsor a visiting legislative fellow program, public forums on timely local, regional and state issues, a public policy lecture series, and consultations and workshops for local governments attempting to resolve specific problems.

"There are many public policy institutes around the country," said Kane, "but what gives our project its unique flavor is that we will focus on local and regional issues with the intention of getting our undergraduate students involved. If we can make some headway against the prevailing winds of political apathy and discontent, then we will have fulfilled our mission and the wishes of the Kerr Fund."

Pilot projects already underway are a citizen satisfaction survey for the town of Fruitland and a revenue study for the town of Snow Hill.

PACE is part of a growing national movement by educators, senior politicians and concerned citizens dedicated to creatively engaging youth in participatory democracy, informed citizenship, and governance at all levels thoughtfully committed to the public good. For more information on PACE call the SSU Public Relations Office at 410-543-6030.