The Carter Presidency: Lessons for the 21st Century

As part of its continuing mission to help provide better government, the Vinson Institute was honored to cosponsor The Carter Presidency: Lessons for the 21st Century conference at the University of Georgia January 19–21, 2007. The agenda included plenary sessions, break-out panels, and special events to mark the 30th anniversary of President Carter's inauguration and explore how the collective knowledge of that time might be useful to today's leaders. Conference speakers and attendees were a mix of Carter administration and current national figures, academics, historians, media representatives, university students, and the general public.

Georgia Excellence in Public Service Awards

The winners of the 2007 Georgia Excellence in Public Service Awards were announced in September. In its fifth year, the initiative is a public-private partnership between the Vinson Institute and Georgia Trend magazine. The winners, selected from a pool of nominations submitted by officials and citizens at large, were Joe Whorton, senior fellow at the University of Georgia's Fanning Institute (state/regional category); Evelyn Turner Pugh, mayor pro tem of Columbus (city-elected category); Billy Edwards, Hinesville city manager (city-appointed category); Sam Olens, Cobb County Commission chairman (county-elected category); and Steve Szablewski, Columbia County administrator (county-appointed category).

USS Carl Vinson Delegation Visit

On November 2, the Vinson Institute hosted a delegation of officers and crew members from the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier, which is undergoing a refueling complex overhaul at Northup Grumman shipyard in Newport News, Virginia. The purpose of the group's visit was to learn more about the life and career of their ship's namesake and the Vinson Institute's public service and outreach program. While in Athens, the group also toured the UGA campus and attended the UGA–Troy State homecoming football game on Saturday, November 3, at which the ship's color guard presented the national ensign.