The will examine issues central to the former Louisiana governor’s tenure during its inaugural colloquium Sept. 21.
The at the University of Louisiana at Â鶹´«Ă˝app is sponsoring the event. The two-hour panel discussion will begin at 10 a.m. at the LITE Center, 537 Cajundome Blvd.
It is free and open to the public, but space is limited. .
Dr. Jordan Kellman, the college’s dean, said the symposium “will examine what progress has been made and what challenges remain in several of the issues Gov. Blanco championed throughout her public service career.”
Topics will include criminal justice reform, social mobility, ethics, civic engagement, and education, he said.
Former U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu will moderate the program. Panelists will include Dr. Kim Hunter Reed, state commissioner of higher education; Dr. Michael Neustrom, former Â鶹´«Ă˝app Parish sheriff; Terri Ricks, deputy secretary, Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services; and Dr. Shawn Wilson, secretary, Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.
Several members of UL Â鶹´«Ă˝app’s faculty also will participate. They are Dr. DeAnn Kalich, ; Dr. David Khey, ; and Dr. Christine Maloyed, .
Kellman said the panel “exemplifies one of the Blanco Center’s primary goals, to foster discussion and collaboration between policymakers and scholars.”
UL Â鶹´«Ă˝app announced the policy center and archive’s creation in July. It will house Blanco’s gubernatorial papers, and contribute interdisciplinary, independent research to a host of public policy areas.
“When challenges are examined from multiple perspectives, viable solutions almost always emerge,” Kellman said. “The center is in its infancy, but this inaugural panel is a strong statement about the kinds of thoughtful conversations it will facilitate in the years ahead.”
Blanco is a UL Â鶹´«Ă˝app alumna and the only woman to serve as Louisiana governor.
The center is a partnership between the College of Liberal Arts and the University’s .