The Bush Institute is co-located with the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum on the campus of Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas. According to the institute website its mission is "to unleash human potential through our focus on education reform, global health, human freedom, and economic growth."
To serve that mission the institute plans to sponsor research designed to produce practical solutions to some of the world’s most intractable problems. Prominent scholars from across the globe will be invited to conduct research and report results at institute conferences and symposia. The institute claims that its programs will attract attention because of the “unique ability of a former President and First Lady to convene, spotlight and inspire.”
Bush Foundation Chooses Scholar-Diplomat to Head Institute
On Sept. 3, 2009, the George Bush Foundation announced the appointment of James K. Glassman as Founding Executive Director of the Bush Institute. Glassman is a former Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs at the U.S. State Department and a Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C. "The Dallas Morning News" (Lori Stahl, "James K. Glassman to head Bush library policy institute," Sept. 4, 2009) reported Glassman's apointment was not universally heralded by the SMU faculty. However, the article reported, "Bush officials say they hope Glassman's track record demonstrates that he is more interested in scholarly dialogue than political self-justification."
In accepting the appointment Glassman said in a press release, “The Institute will link serious academic research to practical programs that will improve the lives of people around the world.” Under his direction the Institute will concentrate on research and practical solution to several of the president's areas of interest. Among them are fostering education reform, global health and political freedom in authoritarian regimes
Bush Institute to Promote Education Reform
At President Bush's urging Congress passed No Child Left Behind in 2001. The law continues to be controversial. The National Education Association claims it "has failed to fulfill its own fundamental purpose: raising the achievement of all students and closing achievement gaps among students from different backgrounds." Nonetheless, NCLB continues to be the centerpiece of U.S. school reform.
The Bush Institute will stress the continuing importance of acountability and performance measures in education which are at the heart of No Child Left Behind. The Bush Foundation named James W. Guthrie, Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy at Vanderbilt University, to be the institute’s first Director of Education Policy Studies. The institute’s first major education initiative under Guthrie is the Alliance to Reform Education Leadership.
The institute website describes AREL as “an innovative, nationwide initiative to transform the way school districts identify, recruit, prepare, empower and evaluate their leaders.” AT&T has pledged $1 million to support the project.
Fostering Global Health Another Key Institute Goal
The Bush Institute is helping African countries co-ordinate their battles against malaria, AIDS, and other health problems that afflict women in under-developed countries. Georgetown University professor, Mark Dybul, M.D., has been named the institute’s first Fellow in Global Health. Dr. Dybul is a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at Georgetown where he is also co-director of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law. Dybul will work with other health practitioners in Asian and African nations to improve the care of impoverished young mothers and their children afflicted with disease.
Bush Institute to Adance Freedom Across the Globe
The Bush Institute's major foreign policy goal is “to empower and educate pro-democracy dissidents and freedom advocates, helping to develop networks of activists around the world.” The institute plans to recognize and support Visiting Fellows in Human Freedom, individuals across the globe who have helped to foster freedom in their own countries. The first of the Bush Institute Visiting Fellows are Iranian Mohsen Sazegara, a political dissident fighting the theocratic regime in Tehran, and Oscar Morales, a Colombian activist who has publicized the atrocities of the FARC guerillas in his native country.
The Bush Institute aims to foster those principles that guided President and Mrs. Bush during their eight years in the White House and, after, on the world stage. In the words of the Institute’s website, its goal is first and foremost "to turn ideas into action."
References
- "Dallas Morning News". Dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-bushdirector_04met.ART0.State.Edition1.4ba653d.html (Accessed Nov. 16, 2010).
- George Bush Center: Our Work. Georgewbushcenter.com/the-Institute/our-work (Accessed Nov. 15, 2010).
- George Bush Center: Education Reform. Georgewbushcenter.com/the-Institute/education-reform (Accessed Nov. 14, 2010).
- National Education Association. Nea.org/esea/ (Accessed Nov. 15, 2010)
Resources
- The Clinton Center. Clintonfoundation.org/ (Accessed Nov. 15, 2010).
- The Carter Center. Cartercenter.org/index.html (Accessed Nov. 15, 2010).
- The Miller Center for Public Affairs: 2010 Presidential Libraries and Centers Conference. Millercenter.org/academic/pslconference (Accessed Nov. 15, 2010).
Richard Methia - RICHARD A. METHIA Dick is an author, educator, trainer, and professional speaker with a career spanning more than forty years. In his ...
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