19th annual Eugene J. McCarthy Lecture to welcome Jake Sullivan
Former National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan is slated to visit St. Ben's and St. John's to speak at the lecture held annually by the McCarthy Center on March 12.
The 19th Annual Eugene J. McCarthy Lecture is slated to take place from 7-9 p.m. on Thursday, March 12 with former National Security Advisor of the U.S. Jake Sullivan speaking.
The lecture will take place in the Humphrey Theater at SJU with a reception to follow in the Founders Room.
Sullivan holds a B.A. in political science and international studies from Yale College, a M. Phil in international relations from Oxford and a J.D. from Yale Law School. serving from 1949-1959.
In 1958, he was elected to the United States Senate and eventually announced his candidacy for the 1986 Democratic presidential nomination.
McCarthy expressed an antiwar position which attracted many supporters, especially among the younger generation at the time.
After losing the 1986 election, McCarthy attempted two more nominations for presidency in 1972 and 1992 and another senate nomination in 1982.
McCarthy holds an important legacy as a public figure due to his understanding of the American political climate and his personal guiding values.
As McCarthy grew older, he expressed a desire for future generations of students to be exposed to similar intellectual movements he encountered during his time at SJU.
To honor this, St. John’s created the Eugene J. McCarthy Lecture to commemorate McCarthy’s contributions to politics, carrying on his commitment to the principles and ideals of democratic self-government.
The Eugene McCarthy Lectures began in 2007 with speaker E. J. Dionne.
Since 2007, the McCarthy Center has invited a variety of speakers that offer diversity, who come from differing backgrounds, professions and life experience.
This lecture series aims to inspire the younger generation to pursue new ideas, challenge existing norms and create positive change within their communities.
The general theme of these lectures is to highlight speakers who have worked in the civic sector who influence decision making, similar to McCarthy’s style of leading with guiding values and a vision.
Meghan Weiss, a CSB senior with a double major in political science and music, has worked with the McCarthy Center since her freshman year after taking her first political science class with professor Matt Lindstrom, who is deeply involved with the McCarthy Center.
Weiss said the McCarthy Center aims to help create an engaging and safe experience for students, faculty and the community.
Matt Lindstrom is a director for the Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement at SJU.
As a professor of political science at CSB+SJU, Lindstrom said he wants to influence the next generation of civic leaders.
He works with a team of students and staff, as well as alumni and community members, to brainstorm new speakers and topics, using collaboration to continue this annual lecture series.
Lindstrom said he thinks students should attend this event as they can take what they learn from the lecture and improve the world around them.
“By meeting new people and learning different concepts and being part of community, this lecture series gives students a pathway to create lasting change, celebrating public life,” Lindstrom said. “The key importance of this lecture is to listen to prominent individuals who impact the world in significant ways. Not only would students and others learn a few things, but they would also be involved in a broader conversation in the role of United States government in international affairs, the role of other governments and how best to attain peace and prosperity, not only in our country, but around the world.”