Woodrow Wilson School to play host.
By: David Campbell
The Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University will host about 200 area high school students today for a half-day of lectures and discussion on U.S. foreign policy and American politics.
Under a program now in its second year, the Woodrow Wilson School is teaming up with the Central New Jersey Education Foundation Partnership to give students an opportunity to interact with leading experts in these fields. This year’s topics will include a discussion of U.S. foreign policy and a presentation on the polarization of American politics, according to organizers.
Steven Barnes, assistant dean of public affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School, said last year’s event was well received by participants. "From both the teachers as well as the students, it seems to be very well received," he said of the program.
From the Woodrow Wilson School’s perspective, he continued, "The opportunity for us to share our academic and intellectual resources is a wonderful and most appropriate way for the school and the university to contribute to the local community."
The Woodrow Wilson School is providing the facility, the faculty speakers and a box lunch. Area education foundations are coordinating their districts’ participation, with some foundations funding transportation for students.
Participating districts will include Ewing, Trenton, West Windsor-Plainsboro, Lawrence, South Hunterdon, Hopewell Valley, Princeton, Montgomery, Hamilton and Bordentown, organizers said.
Students will attend two sessions, each to be held in Dodds Auditorium of Robertson Hall on the Princeton campus and to begin with a presentation and followed by a question-and-answer period.
The first session will be held from 9:45 to 11:15 a.m. and be led by William-Burke White, a lecturer at the Woodrow Wilson School and expert in international law. He will lead a discussion about U.S. foreign policy and national security.
From 12:15 to 1:45 p.m., students will hear from Mickey Edwards, lecturer at Woodrow Wilson and former U.S. congressman, who will address how American politics has become polarized in recent years.
Last year’s event focused on globalization and national security.
The Central New Jersey Education Foundation Partnership is a consortium of 15 area education foundations. Its mission is to share information on best practices and to provide opportunities of mutual benefit, organizers said.