National Civics Day and Presidential Leadership Education Initiatives Bring Awareness to Civic Actions and Programs
Brookville, N.Y. (September 9, 2021) – The Society of Presidential Descendants and the Roosevelt School at Long Island University today announced the addition of National Civics Day to the official national calendar, highlighting an array of new initiatives designed to inspire national civic engagement and presidential leadership education.
The Society of Presidential Descendants and Long Island University are the founding partners of National Civics Day on October 27, 2021. On this day in 1787, the first of the Federalist Papers was published as a philosophical basis for America’s Constitution, marking an important foundation of civic education and discourse in our country. National Civics Day will encourage communities around the country to participate in civic-minded actions and programs. Americans in all 50 states will participate in projects that include showcasing, promoting, and supporting civic education and community service.
“Civic learning has not been taught consistently in schools for many years, so students are not gaining an understanding of their civic responsibilities. A National Civics Day is a great first step toward a revived focus on civic education,” said Tweed Roosevelt, great-grandson of Theodore Roosevelt, professor, chairman of the Theodore Roosevelt Institute at Long Island University, and president of The Society of Presidential Descendants.
The Society of Presidential Descendants and the Roosevelt School at Long Island University serve to preserve and provide access to presidential histories that will offer fresh opportunities for new critical views and interpretations. The Roosevelt School will expand the study of Presidential Leadership beyond higher education, offering professional development programs for K-12 teachers around the nation to enrich understanding of our country’s leaders.
The National Leadership Summer Institute will host highly competitive high school students from across the country to engage with national leaders about diplomacy, leadership, and service while earning college credit. Participants will be immersed in presidential leadership experiences through election simulations and situation room experiences. For example, students will form teams and assume the roles of the President’s Cabinet in order to manage a simulated real-world crisis while working together to make important decisions about developing events.
“The Roosevelt School was established as a preeminent institution for education and practice in global relations, diplomacy, leadership and service,” said Long Island University President Kimberly R. Cline. “The components of the School, combined with the Society of Presidential Descendants, creates opportunities for students to become model global citizens.”
The Roosevelt Conference – October 20 to 22, 2021 at LIU Post – is a premiere gathering of global thought leaders and innovators to discuss the critical issues, lessons learned, and trends that will shape leadership and service in the 21st century. Keynote speakers include Steve Israel, director of the new nonpartisan Institute of Politics and Global Affairs at Cornell University, Rita Cosby, renowned TV host and veteran correspondent, and Jessica Lynch, former prisoner of war turned motivational speaker. The three day conference promises an in-person experience with a robust daily lineup of networking and learning opportunities. Register here for this inaugural event.
The Society of Presidential Descendants will award the inaugural Presidential Leadership Book Award on October 23, 2021. This prestigious prize is a pillar of The Society of Presidential Descendants’ mission to promote educational opportunities on issues related to the United States presidency by recognizing the best books published about the country’s highest office. The Presidential Leadership Book Award ceremony takes place at the University Club of New York, hosted by Master of Ceremonies Douglas Brinkley – who serves as the Katherine Tsanoff Brown Chair in Humanities and professor of history at Rice University, CNN presidential historian, and contributing editor at Vanity Fair.
The Roosevelt School prepares students for careers in international relations, diplomacy, leadership, service, and policy making at multinational corporations, foundations, think-tanks, non-profit organizations and governmental agencies around the globe. The Society of Presidential Descendants embodies the premiere symbol of American presidential legacies, representing a direct lineage of families of United States presidents. The Society of Presidential Descendants is dedicated to bringing people and resources together for the advancement of civic education in America. The Roosevelt School also houses the Global Service Institute, which inspires community service and connects volunteers with non-profit organizations around the globe. It is supported by the Steven S. Hornstein Center for Policy, Polling and Analysis, which conducts empirical research, independent polling and analysis to inform the public and policy makers about critical issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world.
About Long Island University
Long Island University, founded in 1926, continues to redefine higher education, providing high quality academic instruction by world-class faculty. Recognized by Forbes for its emphasis on experiential learning and by the Brookings Institution for its “value added” to student outcomes, LIU offers nearly 250 degree programs, with a network of over 280,000 alumni that includes industry leaders and entrepreneurs across the globe. Visit liu.edu for more information.
