In advance of the U.S. Presidential Election, Boise State University will present “Conviction and Conversation in Contested Times” from noon-1:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30.
A panel of bi-partisan leaders will discuss how, throughout their careers, differing ideas have often collided, sometimes coalescing into new solutions, sometimes inviting new dialogue and sometimes remaining in tension.
The names of students who register to attend can be made available to any faculty member who wishes to provide extra credit.
These panelists have convened legislative, judicial and civic conversations, as they have served the public. They include Idaho Senator Abby Lee, Idaho Senator Cherie Buckner-Webb, Idaho House Speaker Scott Bedke, Idaho Judge Sergio Gutierrez and Idaho Falls Mayor Rebecca Casper.
“Scholars and commentators often speak about America as an idea, a nation forged out of principles of government not from the received authority of tradition. It is why religion is protected but not required, why free speech is held so dearly, and why we elect our leaders,” said moderator Andrew Finstuen, dean of Boise State’s Honors College.
“As those ideas and others have coursed through our history, the nation has experienced both extreme challenges and wonderful triumphs of talking and listening to one another’s ideas. These moments of coming apart or coming together have hinged on how well we opened our minds, our ears and our hearts. Universities have been central to such idea exchange since the 11th century, a 1,000-year run indicative of the value of honoring different convictions while insisting on conversation toward the preservation of the whole.”