UVM KUNIN SYMPOSIUM: “What Is the Role of Government? Then and Now”

UVM TO HOLD KUNIN SYMPOSIUM TO CELEBRATE 25TH ANNIVERSITY OF HER FIRST GUBERNATORIAL INAUGURATION

In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the inauguration of Madeleine Kunin, the state’s first female governor, a symposium titled “What Is the Role of Government? Then and Now” will be held on March 2 at the Dudley H. Davis Center.

The event is free and open to the public.

The symposium, organized by the Center for Research on Vermont, starts at 9:30 a.m. with an introduction from UVM President Daniel Mark Fogel and Kunin. Panel discussions on education, the environment and women’s issues – hallmarks of Kunin’s tenure – will follow, with experts responding to questions from moderators and audience members and offering insight on the issues and Kunin’s contributions.

Jonathan Lash, president of the World Resources Institute, will give a talk at 10 a.m. titled “The Environment and Jobs – Can We Have Both?” prior to the start of the first panel discussion at 11 a.m. Gretchen Morse, executive director of the United Way of Chittenden County, and Richard Mills, former commissioner of education for the State of New York, will give a talk at 1 p.m. titled “Meeting Human Needs and Improving Education” leading to the second panel discussion at 2 p.m. Kunin’s talk at 3:30 p.m. prior to the start of the final panel at 4:30 p.m. is titled “What Difference Do Women in Leadership Make?”

Kunin's efforts in education, the environment, and women's issues played a key role in her becoming the first woman to serve three terms as governor of any state and the fourth woman to be elected governor in her own right. During her tenure, Kunin, who was named by Forbes magazine as one of the top 10 governors for education, substantially increased funding for education and improved the state’s overall educational quality.

Environmentally, Kunin helped pass Act 200, which provides for an integrated land use planning process at the local and regional level, and established the Vermont Housing and Land Conservation Trust Fund, a program that has created affordable housing and land preservation to the benefit of thousands of Vermonters. She also initiated Dr. Dynasaur, a program to provide health insurance for Vermont children. During her tenure, approximately 45 percent of the top jobs in government were held by women, well above the national average of the day.

Following her time as governor (1985-91), Kunin was appointed U.S. ambassador to Switzerland (1996-99) and served as deputy secretary of education (1993-97) under President Bill Clinton. She is currently the James Marsh Professor-at-Large at the University of Vermont.

The symposium will be shown on RETN Channel 16 on Comcast in Greater Burlington as well as on Burlington Telecom. The program will also be available online (on demand) at www.retn.org.

For a full list of events and panelists visit http://www.uvm.edu/~crvt/KuninSymposium.html or call (802) 656-4389.