"We the People: Civic Education in Kansas"

"We the People: Civic Education in Kansas" 

Election year issues to be discussed at Kansas Town Hall meeting.

The first in a series of Kansas Town Hall programs focusing on election year issues, "We the People: Civic Education in Kansas," will be held March 22 in the Visitors Center of the Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home. The program begins at 7 p.m. with a keynote speech by Kansas Attorney General, Derek Schmidt, who will address the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. "I sometimes reflect on how much we demand of those who wish to become Derek Schmidt American citizens by their own choice," Schmidt said. "In many ways, it is more than we demand of those of us fortunate to have been born to citizenship. The nature of citizenship is not always fully understood or appreciated by those to whom it came without effort." Schmidt was elected the 44th attorney general of Kansas in 2010 and reelected in 2014. In 2015, he was elected national Vice President for the National Association of Attorneys General. A panel discussion will follow the keynote address, including four panel members. The panelists will discuss civic education programs, classes and activities in which they are involved. A question and answer session will follow their presentations. Panel participants include: Bob Beatty, Professor, Political Science, Washburn University. Beatty is also a  political analyst and consultant with KSNT/KTKA TV.  Nathan McAlister, History teacher, Royal Valley Middle School, Mayetta, Kan. In 2010 McAlister was named Kansas and National History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute for American History.  Pam Sanfilippo, Education Specialist, Eisenhower Presidential Library. Sanfilippo facilitates learning for groups of all ages using the primary sources in the holdings of the Eisenhower archives. Tom Vontz, Professor and Director, Center for Social Studies Education, Kansas State University. Vontz's interests include civic education research.  This Kansas Town Hall program is held in partnership with the Kansas Humanities Council, Kansas State University Library, and the Kansas State University Institute for Civic Discourse and Democracy.

About the Eisenhower Presidential Library

The Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home, a nonpartisan federal institution, is part of the Presidential Libraries network operated by theNational Archives and Records Administration. Presidential Libraries promote understanding of the presidency and the American experience. We preserve and provide access to historical materials, support research, and create interactive programs and exhibits that educate and inspire.

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