Lugar, Hamilton to discuss "Civility in American Politics" at USI

The University of Southern Indiana will present a moderated conversation with Senator Richard G. Lugar and Congressman Lee H. Hamilton at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 23 in Carter Hall in University Center West.

The event is being offered at no charge and is open to the public. Seating will be available on a first come, first served basis. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. The event also will be live-streamed and can be viewed at USI.edu/live-stream. A reception will follow at 7:30 p.m. in the University Center.

In the midst of the 2016 election year, and in light of the political climate of the last decade, Lugar and Hamilton will bring a message of civility and working together for the common good.

USI President Linda L. M. Bennett will moderate the event titled "Civility in American Politics," and guests will have the opportunity to pose questions to Lugar and Hamilton during the presentation.

Former United States Senator Richard G. Lugar is the president of the Lugar Center, a non-profit organization focusing on global food security, weapons of mass destruction nonproliferation, aid effectiveness and bipartisan governance. A fifth-generation Hoosier who left the United States Senate as the longest serving member of Congress in Indiana history, Lugar is recognized as a gifted local and state leader, as well as a respected national and international statesman.

President Barack Obama named Lugar a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He received an honorary degree from the University of Southern Indiana on June 1, 1972.

Former Congressman Lee H. Hamilton, director of the Center on Congress at Indiana University, is one of the nation's foremost experts on Congress and representative democracy.

A former Evansville resident, he founded the Center on Congress in 1999, after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he represented Indiana from 1965 to 1990. He also served as president and director of the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, D.C., from 1999 to 2010.

President Barack Obama named Hamilton a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He received an honorary degree from the University of Southern Indiana on May 13, 1989.

For more information on the "Civility in American Politics" event, contact Sally Gries at 812-465-7050 or sagries2@usi.edu. This event is made possible through private gifts to the USI Foundation.