The Center hosted its inaugural biennial conference April 8-10, 2010. The conference was made possible in part by support from a "We the People" Challenge Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Thomas W. Smith Foundation, and the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation.
Entitled The Future of Political Parties, the conference included public panels and private discussions with participants from a variety of fields.
The keynote address was given jointly by E.J. Dionne of the Brookings Institute and The Washington Post and William Kristol, political analyst and editor of The Weekly Standard.
Additional conference participants included:
Paul Beck, professor of political science, communication, and sociology at The Ohio State University
Karlyn Bowman, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and Forbes.com columnist
James Ceaser '67, author and professor of politics, University of Virginia
Edward Foley, election law expert and professor of law at The Ohio State University
Lisa Disch '83, professor of women's studies and political science at the University of Michigan, author of The Tyranny of the Two Party System
William Galston, professor of civic engagement and director of the Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy at the University of Maryland and former policy advisor to President Clinton
Fred Greenstein, author and professor of political science emeritus, Princeton University
Michael Malbin, founder and executive director of the Campaign Finance Institute, professor of political science at the SUNY at Albany
Deborah Pryce, attorney at Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, former U.S. House Representative (R-OH)
Steve Ricchetti, president and founder of Ricchetti, Inc. and former deputy chief of staff to President Clinton
Reihan Salam, a policy advisor at e21 and a Schwartz Fellow at the New America Foundation
Ruy Teixeira, senior fellow at the Century Foundation and Center for American Progress, co-author of the Emerging Democratic Majority
The keynote address by E.J. Dionne of the Brookings Institute and The Washington Post and William Kristol, political analyst and editor of The Weekly Standard, kicked off the conference with a broad-based discussion of the future of political parties.
"How History and the Constitution have Shaped our Parties and Party System," with Jim Ceaser, Fred Greenstein, and Edward Foley, dug into the depths of history to chart the evolution of the bicameral party system.
"The Health of the Political Parties," with Paul Beck, William Galston, Michael Malbin, Deborah Pryce, and Steve Ricchetti, looked at political parties today and what they add to the American political system.
"The Future of the Political Parties," with Karlyn Bowman, Lisa Disch, Reihan Salam, and Ruy Teixeira, wrapped up the conference with a more in-depth look at possible next steps.