USD's Chiesman Center for Democracy to Bring State and National Perspectives to Annual Conference
The keynote speaker at this year’s conference is Steve Jarding, Harvard University lecturer, international communications expert and a 1981 graduate of USD’s political science program. Jarding will speak on strengthening democracies through better communication.
The public is invited to the free, day-long conference. Registration is required due to limited seating.
Bringing Jarding to USD “is very exciting for us,” said Julia Hellwege, Ph.D., associate professor of political science and director of the Chiesman Center for Democracy, which is South Dakota’s leading institute for the promotion of civic engagement.
“We talk a lot about polarization in politics, where people don’t feel like they can communicate with other people or communicate effectively in a democracy,” Hellwege said. “Professor Jarding will talk about how leaders can communicate more effectively in a democracy and how leadership and communication go hand in hand.”
The conference also includes presentations on research and projects supported by the Chiesman Center, a discussion with South Dakota lawmakers on the state of democracy, and a panel on the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The last session of the conference celebrates the results of a new competition the Chiesman Center plans to sponsor annually—the Higher Education Civic Engagement Award. Teams of two to five students from the six regental universities in the state will present projects that deliver creative solutions for real-world civic issues. The winning project earns team members $500 each, up to $2,500 total per team.
Hellwege said the competition promotes civic engagement values such as community belonging and local empowerment.
“The projects focus on real-world civic issues such as community building, animal welfare, higher education, public health and environmental sustainability,” she said. “The students on the team have to be leaders and they are the ones in charge of the project.”
Hellwege encouraged anyone with an interest in their community and the promotion of civic values to attend the conference.
“People should come to the conference because it’s an opportunity to get engaged and involved and hear about democracy, not just locally, but broadly in South Dakota,” Hellwege said. “It’s an opportunity to hear from people who are like-minded in the sense of caring about civics and democracy and a chance to build bridges across different kinds of political values.”
The annual Chiesman Center for Democracy conference is just one of the center’s many programs, Hellwege added. With the country’s 250th anniversary celebrations throughout the year and federal elections in the fall, Hellwege and her staff of two undergraduate research assistants are busy planning activities such as the Kids Voting program, election year polling with South Dakota News Watch, and handing out pocket constitutions at 250th anniversary celebrations. The center’s other activities include producing the Dakota Dialogues podcast, supporting organizations that hold political debates and town halls, and providing grants to individuals and groups that undertake educational, research and civic engagement projects related to democracy.
The Chiesman Democracy Conference will be held at the Neuharth Media Center Conference Room from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on the USD campus. Register for the conference online.
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