Forum on Government and Public Policy
Get insight into politics and current affairs from veteran and Emmy-winning journalists.
Since 1988, Flagler College's Forum on Government and Public Policy has invited journalists and commentators of diverse ideologies to speak on politics, government affairs, public policy, and international relations. These lectures deal with issues of regional, state, and national importance.
Flagler College's 2024 forum lineup is below. Forums are free and open to the public. Seating for all of the below events is first come, first served.
Past Forum Speakers
Past Speakers
Ken Walsh
"Architects of Toxic Politics in America"
Wednesday, April 2, at 7 p.m.
Location: Virginia Room (Student Center, 50 Sevilla Street)
Kenneth T. Walsh is a renowned author, speaker, and award-winning White House correspondent for U.S. News & World Report. Since joining the magazine in 1984, Walsh has covered the White House, presidential campaigns, and national politics, earning prestigious awards such as the Aldo Beckman Award and the Gerald R. Ford Prize.
He is also known for his leadership in the White House Correspondents’ Association and for launching its successful scholarship program.
A respected voice in political journalism, Walsh has made frequent appearances on major television networks and radio programs, sharing his insights on the presidency and politics. He has taught as an adjunct professor at American University, where he was recognized as outstanding adjunct professor of the year in 1998. Walsh’s writing extends beyond journalism with nine books on the presidency, including “Presidential Leadership in Crisis and Celebrity in Chief”.
Walsh has traveled to over 70 countries, covering international events and conducting interviews with multiple U.S. presidents, including Barack Obama and Ronald Reagan. He holds a master’s degree in communication from American University and a B.A. in journalism from Rutgers University. He currently resides in Maryland with his wife, Barclay Walsh, and their two children.
Tuesday, March 11, at 7 p.m.
Location: Virginia Room (Student Center, 50 Sevilla Street)
Chuck Todd is chief political news analyst for NBC and a three-time Emmy Award Winner. Learn more about him on his NBC bio page.
"What Just Happened?"
Tuesday, Jan. 28, at 7 p.m.
Location: Virginia Room (Student Center, 50 Sevilla Street)
John A. Farrell is the author of four biographies of famous Americans, including Richard Nixon: The Life, a biography of that most enigmatic 37th president of the United States, and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
The New York Times bestseller has won the PEN America award for the best biography of the year, and the New-York Historical Society's Barbara and David Zalaznick Book Prize in American History, with engraved medal, a $50,000 award, and the honorary title "American Historian Laureate" for the best volume of US history or biography in 2017.
To learn more, visit Farrell's homepage.
"Deep Sea Mining: It's Closer Than You Think."
Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, at 7 p.m.
Location: Virginia Room (Student Center, 50 Sevilla Street)
Clare Fieseler, PhD is a scientist and journalist. She is the 2024 top winner of the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Award for Excellence in Science Communication. From 2022 to 2024, she was an investigative reporter for The Post and Courier, South Carolina’s largest newspaper.
She started the newspaper’s climate newsletter and traveled across the South reporting on environmental issues. Prior to that, she wrote and photographed for publications such as National Geographic, The Washington Post, NPR, and The Walrus. Clare transitioned from scientific research to science journalism in 2019 after completing the AAAS Mass Media Fellowship at The Washington Post.
For over a decade, Clare conducted research on coral reefs and marine ecosystems all over the world. Her last research position was at the Smithsonian Institution, where she still holds a non-paid research appointment. She received a PhD in Ecology from UNC Chapel Hill and taught at Georgetown University. Her work has been funded by the Pulitzer Center, IWMF and the National Geographic Society.
"How to Hold AI Accountable"
Thursday, March 7, 2024, at 7 p.m.
Location: Virginia Room (Student Center, 50 Sevilla Street)
Hilke Schellmann is an Emmy-winning investigative reporter and journalism professor at NYU. She has reported for HBO, NPR, The New York Times, The Guardian, and The Wall Street Journal, where she has led a team investigating how artificial intelligence is changing our lives.
Her 'extraordinary' (Variety) documentary for PBS, "Outlawed in Pakistan," premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where The Los Angeles Times dubbed it 'among the standouts.' It won Emmy, Overseas Press Club, and Cinema for Peace awards.
"Women—Their Challenges and Emerging Power"
Tuesday, March 19, 2024, at 7 p.m.
Location: Virginia Room (Student Center, 50 Sevilla Street)
As the Washington bureau chief and senior correspondent for The Fuller Project, Jodi Enda focuses on the effects of U.S. policies and politics on women and girls in America and around the world. Ms. Enda is an award-winning journalist who has covered government and politics at every level, from city hall to the statehouse to the White House. Throughout her career, she has paid particular attention to women’s rights, challenges and emerging power, with special emphases on the battle over abortion rights and the influence of female voters.
She was editor and chief of ThinkProgress; spearheaded CNN’s 2016 election book, Unprecedented: The Election That Changed Everything; and covered the White House, Congress, presidential campaigns and national news for Knight Ridder newspapers. As a Washington correspondent for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Ms. Enda covered national news, reporting in depth on political lobbying and health care. She started her career covering public housing for The St. Louis Globe-Democrat and education and city hall for The Rocky Mountain News. Her work has been published in numerous national outlets, including Vanity Fair, USA Today, CNN.com, NBCnews.com, American Journalism Review and the American Prospect.
Ms. Enda has won awards for investigative reporting, deadline reporting, White House coverage and media coverage, including the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award, the White House Correspondents’ Association’s Merriman Smith Award (twice) and the John M. Higgins Award for best in-depth/enterprise reporting on the media industry, the most prestigious of Syracuse University’s Mirror Awards. She is a former president of the Journalism & Women Symposium, which advocates for the empowerment of women in journalism and for inclusive coverage in the media.
"Campaign 2024: Watch This Space"
Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024, at 7 p.m.
Location: Virginia Room (Student Center, 50 Sevilla Street)
Based in Washington, D.C., Arit John is a political reporter for CNN, covering the 2024 presidential election and the stories and themes that arise as voters consider the candidate field and the issues that are important to them.
Most recently a national correspondent for the Los Angeles Times, Ms. John covered the 2022 midterm election and the 2020 election. Ms. John covered the 2016 presidential campaign and then covered Congress for Bloomberg News. Ms. John previously covered style at the New York Times and wrote about politics and entertainment for The Wire at the Atlantic. She grew up in southern California and studied English at UCLA.
"A.I. & U"
Thursday, April 11, 2024, at 7 p.m.
Location: Virginia Room (Student Center, 50 Sevilla Street)
Author, lecturer and pioneer, Lee Rainie retired last year as director of internet and technology research at Pew Research Center. Under his leadership, the Center issued more than 650 reports based on its surveys that examined people’s online activities and the internet’s role in their lives and society in the face of a changing media ecosystem. He directed the Center’s most recent studies on public fears and hopes for Artificial Intelligence. In 2014, he was honored for “excellence in the reporting on social issues” by The American Sociological Association, which described his work as the “most authoritative source of reliable data on the use and impact of the internet and mobile connectivity.” Rainie is a co-author of Networked: The new social operating system and five books about the future of the internet that are drawn from the Center’s research. Prior to launching Pew Research Center’s technology research, Rainie was managing editor of U.S. News & World Report.
"Still Supreme? The High Court Today."
Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023, at 7 p.m.
Location: Virginia Room (Student Center, 50 Sevilla Street)
John Fritze has covered politics for nearly two decades and is now the Supreme Court correspondent for USA TODAY. Fritze has written about local, state, and national politics from Baltimore city hall to the White House - and now covers the Supreme Court for USA Today.
A native of Albany, N.Y., he grew up reading William Kennedy and dreading upstate winters. His first newspaper job was as a clerk at the University of Albany. Fritze earned his Bachelor's in Political Science from the University of Albany and his master's degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He has since escaped the cold, harsh winters of New York and relocated to Maryland.
"2024 - An Election Like No Other"
Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023, at 7 p.m.
Location: Virginia Room (Student Center, 50 Sevilla Street)
Major Garrett was named CBS News' chief Washington correspondent in December 2018. Garrett is also the host of "The Takeout," a weekly multi-platform interview show on politics, policy, and pop culture available on CBS News Streaming, top radio stations nationwide, and all podcast platforms.
From 2012 until 2018, Garrett served as the network's chief White House correspondent. While covering the White House for CBS News, Garrett reported extensively on presidential actions to confront ISIS, Ebola, nuclear negotiations with Iran, and U.S.-European efforts to confront Russia in the standoff over Ukraine. On domestic issues, Garrett reported on the Obama administration. He traveled with the former president to Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
Before joining CBS News as chief White House correspondent, Garrett was a fixture during CBS News' coverage of Campaign 2012.
Garrett is the author of four books: "Common Cents," with former Rep. Tim Penny (D-Minnesota), "The 15 Biggest Lies in Politics," "The Enduring Revolution," and "Mr. Trump's Wild Ride."
Contact Us
Contact Us
If you have questions about an event, please contact Anna Gilbert, Associate Director of Special Events, at agilbert@flagler.edu
If you need to request an accommodation due to a disability for reasonable access or participation, please contact the Director of the Disability Resource Center, Phil Pownall, at Ppownall@flagler.edu. If you need an ASL interpreter to participate, please contact HCorry@flagler.edu.
Disclaimer
Flagler College values the free exchange of ideas and respectful communication, in alignment with the Chicago Principles that emphasize the importance of free expression on campus. The views expressed by the speaker(s) are their own and are not intended to represent those of the institution.