CCE Grand Opening
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Time: All Day
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To celebrate the Grand Opening of the UW Center for Civic Engagement on October 23, 2010, a ceremony and program were held at the new building on the UW–Marathon County campus. Local and state dignitaries were honored for their contributions to the planning and fundraising. Speakers at the ribbon-cutting included UWMC Campus Executive Officer and Dean Sandy Smith, Congressman David Obey, Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton, Marathon County Board Chairman Keith Langenhahn, UWMC Campus Faculty Project Coordinator Sarah Rudolph, and UWMC student leaders. UWMC band students, under the instruction of Director Chad Premeau, performed a trumpet fanfare, and UWMC Student Ambassadors and WIPPS interns served as hosts and greeters for guests who attended the program and the reception that followed.
A panel discussion on “Contemporary American Democracy: Perils and Promises” featured Congressman David Obey, Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton, Marathon County Administrator Brad Karger, National Endowment for the Humanities Chairman Jim Leach, and UWMC Assistant Professor of History Brett Barker. The panel focused on issues facing contemporary democracy, including: the loss of civility in public discourse, partisanship and the difficulty of finding common ground, and the challenge of finding ways to engage citizens in public life and to strengthen democratic practices.