Sorensen in the News
Aug 12 2010 - 10:18am
The Sorensen Institute has been actively trying to establish new ways for our alumni, staff and potential program participants to stay in contact with one another. One of the easiest ways to stay updated on the exciting things going on here at the Sorensen Institute is to follow our Twitter account. You can find our account at SIPLUVA. Follow us, recommend us, and stay up to date on the exciting events that Sorensen will be hosting in the near future.
Aug 9 2010 - 2:12pm
Two graduates of the High School Leaders Program Class of 2010 have published op-eds about their Sorensen experience in two Virginia newspapers.
Holly Johnston is the author of "Seeing Real Solutions to Nation's Real Problems" that was published this past Sunday in the Danville Register & Bee. Holly writes in part, "As I reflect back on my time at Sorensen, I think about all of the amazing people that I have met, and all the amazing things that I learned. Most of all though, I think about the responsibility that has now been given to me to make sure that there is open dialogue not based on party lines, but real solutions to real problems."
Click here to read Holly's essay.
Maggie Chambers published her essay "What I Learned at Government Boot Camp This Summer" on Sunday in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Maggie begins by writing, "When I tried to explain to my friends what exactly I was doing this summer, they dismissed it as me being a nerd again -- after all, what kind of person would choose to spend two weeks at what was known as 'government boot camp'? Well, me. And believe me, the Sorensen Institute High School Leaders Program was so much more than that."
Apr 27 2010 - 11:15am
As lawmakers in Washington begin work on reforming the financial regulations for Wall Street, Virginia Senator Mark Warner and Tennessee Senator Bob Corker are setting a strong example of bipartisan cooperation that may provide the key to a successful legislative package. A recent article for Businessweek titled "Dancing Across the Aisle" reads in part:
"Warner and Corker, both members of the Senate Banking Committee, are working across party lines on a compromise on one crucial aspect of the effort to strengthen the federal government's ability to stave off another Wall Street crisis. Their collaboration contrasts with congressional acrimony on health care and other topics. "The word from the Republican leadership is for the most part: Don't cooperate on Obama's agenda," says Thomas Mann, a political analyst at the Brookings Institution. The Banking panel "is the only place in the entire Congress where Democrats and Republicans are actually talking together."
Click here to read the full article.
Click here to watch Senator Warner, a founding Board member of the Sorensen Institute, call for bipartisan cooperation in the U.S. Senate.
Jan 31 2010 - 11:09pm
In its Sunday editorial today, the Roanoke Times presented a thoughtful look at the work and mission of the Sorensen Instiute.
If a new generation of politicians does not get caught up in today's zero-sum politics, the General Assembly might dare to set aside rigid ideology and deal pragmatically with the challenges ahead.
Jan 6 2010 - 9:38am
The Sorensen Institute's Bob Gibson and Coy Barefoot participated in a panel discussion recently in Charlottesville exploring civility in public debate and discourse. The event was sponsored by the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression and titled "Free Speech or Disruption: Balancing the Rights to Speak and Hear."
Panelists included Bob Gibson, Executive Director of the Sorensen Institute; Elaine Jones, retired Director-Counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the first African-American woman to graduate from the UVa School of Law; Robert O'Neil, Director of the Thomas Jefferson Center and former President of the University of Virginia; Dahlia Lithwick, Senior Editor for Slate.com and a Contributing Editor to Newsweek; and John Whitehead, CEO and Founder of the Rutherford Institute. Coy Barefoot served as the moderator.
This was a fascinating conversation that explored from many angles the role of civility in public discourse today. Click here to watch a complete video of the event.
Nov 16 2009 - 11:28am
Sorensen's Bob Gibson is the author of an essay about civility in politics— published in Sunday's Daily Progress.
Now is the time for an injection of a little civility into the body politic. Many politicians have succumbed to a political swine flu of sorts. They behave a bit like pigs as they slop through campaigns and sessions of Congress trying to slime opponents with objectionable labels and ill motives. Americans are free people, a Fluvanna County friend said recently, so that “Babbling idiots have the right to tarnish their public character just as poorly run businesses in a free market should have the right to fail. In this way, hopefully incivility takes care of itself.” The friend, Stephen Scott, added, “I don’t think we should attempt to codify civility too much lest it become a form of control on free speech.” As a First Amendment guy, I concur. Let the crude, rude and socially ugly characters lose their own arguments as the public reacts to punish outrageous attacks.
Nov 10 2009 - 10:05am
The University of Virginia's Cavalier Daily has a story in today's issue about the successes of Sorensen graduates in the recent elections. The article includes interviews with Bob Gibon and James Brown (CTP Spring 09), who was elected Sheriff in Charlottesville last week.
Nov 9 2009 - 11:49am
This morning's edition of the Staunton News Leader spotlights the success of Sorensen graduates in the recent elections.
The University of Virginia's Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership offers two political training programs to those interested in becoming more active in public service in Virginia – be they Republicans, Democrats or independents. In the wake of Tuesday's elections, it's clear that the programs are working.
Nov 5 2009 - 2:02pm
Sorensen's Bob Gibson was a guest on WAMU's Kojo Nnamdi Show yesterday discussing the results of Election 2009. Click here or photo above for video and audio.
Oct 20 2009 - 9:19am
Sorensen's Bob Gibson was one of a handful of Virginia journalists who appeared on WMRA's Virginia Insight program yesterday to discuss the governor's race. Click here for the podcast.
