Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Media, Law & Policy
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Media, Law & Policy

Madeleine Albright Delivers Tanner Lecture, Speaks to Maxwell Classes

Thursday, April 14, 2016, By Jessica Smith
Share
Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairsspeakers

Madeleine Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State (1997-2001) and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, visited the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs on April 5 to deliver the Tanner Lecture on Ethics, Citizenship and Public Responsibility. While on campus, she also visited with graduate students and took questions during an hour-long combined session of two Maxwell-based undergraduate courses.

Madeleine Albright with James Steinberg in Hendricks Chapel during the Tanner Lecture

Madeleine Albright with James Steinberg in Hendricks Chapel during the Tanner Lecture

The Tanner Lecture (eighth in the series) took the form of a conversation and Q&A, moderated by James B. Steinberg, dean of the Maxwell School and former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State (2009-2011). Albright addressed a crowd of more than 1,000 faculty, staff, students, community members and the media assembled in Hendricks Chapel, and another 500 viewers in 39 countries via livestream. She and Steinberg conducted a discussion of the secretary’s 40-year career in international affairs and the current threats and challenges to U.S. foreign policy.

Prior to the lecture, Albright spoke to the classes “Violence and Reconciliation” (taught by Azra Hromadzic, anthropology) and “Global Markets & International Relations” (taught by international economist Mary Lovely). Approximately 30 undergraduate students attended the class, which touched on a variety of international relations questions and concluded with student questions. Albright’s day also included a luncheon attended by a dozen students and a small number of Maxwell faculty and University staff.

“Secretary Albright’s visit shows once again why Maxwell is a unique place,” says Hromadzic. “The small classroom setting provided an atmosphere of collegial engagement, allowing students to ask thoughtful questions about complex global issues and to learn first hand how to communicate about those issues in a manner that is at once informative, politically mindful and personally accessible.”

Keome Rowe, a master’s student in public administration and international relations, sat with Albright during the luncheon. “She stressed the importance of being a good listener,” he says, “by engaging various stakeholders and understanding their positions, embracing public-private partnerships and understanding their cultural and religious beliefs; and, lastly, by learning how to ask the right questions and understanding the implications of those actions to make an informed and sound policy decision. All of these things only reinforce what I am learning at the Maxwell School.”

Dean Steinberg opened the Tanner Lecture by asking about the importance of academic preparation and scholarly immersion to her public life and work. “The truth is that I don’t think that at the time you are making decisions you actually think, ‘Aha, I did that in PoliSci 105,’” Albright reflected. “You don’t just dip back, but you are immersed in what you have learned and why you have learned it.”

Albright also stressed the importance of retaining an academic mindset throughout one’s career: “I missed very much having discussions with my academic colleagues, and I tried very hard at various times to bring some into the State Department to have what I called No Fault Discussions.” She went on to discuss current trends in domestic and international politics, including bipartisanship and the importance of working across the aisle, the impact of technology and globalization on shaping political worldviews, and on the unique challenges of being the highest-ranking female official during her time as Secretary of State, among other topics.

The former secretary also took questions from the audience, which ranged from her use of brooches as a form of social and diplomatic communication to her favorite book (“War and Peace”) and her reflections on the genocide in Rwanda.

Grant Reeher, director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute and professor of political science at the Maxwell School, provided opening remarks, offering a long list of path-breaking women of Central New York, among them the Syracuse University’s women’s basketball team, which was playing in the national championship that evening. “As a trailblazing woman, you have come to the right place to speak. This area has a rich tradition in that regard. From Harriet Tubman, to the Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, to National Organization for Women President Karen DeCrow, to Oneida Nation singer and songwriter Joanne Shenandoah, to our current political executives and SU alums Joanie Mahoney and Stephanie Miner, and there are many others. It’s a thrill and an honor to have you here.”

  • Author

Jessica Smith

  • Recent
  • Message from Chancellor Kent Syverud
    Tuesday, April 20, 2021, By News Staff
  • Make the Most of Your Wellness Day | Public Health Reminders
    Tuesday, April 20, 2021, By News Staff
  • Falk Professor Advocates for Including Autistic Adults in Research That Shapes Their World
    Monday, April 19, 2021, By Matt Michael
  • Campus Resources Available for Faculty, Staff and Students
    Monday, April 19, 2021, By News Staff
  • Call to Volunteer: Give Back at The Big Event
    Monday, April 19, 2021, By News Staff

More In Media, Law & Policy

‘Biden is Considering Overhauling the Supreme Court. That’s Happened During Every Crisis in US Democracy’

  Thomas Keck, professor of political science in the Maxwell School, wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post titled “Biden is considering overhauling the Supreme Court. That’s happened during every crisis in U.S. democracy.” Keck, who serves as the Michael…

‘Putin’s Rules of the Game’

Brian Taylor, professor of political science in the Maxwell School, wrote an op-ed for Foreign Affairs titled “Putin’s Rules of the Game.” Taylor is an expert on Russian politics and recently authored “The Code of Putinism,” published by Oxford University…

‘Should the COVID-19 Vaccine Be Required for the Military?’

Mark Nevitt, associate professor in the College of Law, authored an op-ed for Just Security titled “Should the COVID-19 Vaccine Be Required for the Military?” Nevitt specializes in national security law and previously served as a tactical jet aviator and…

Alumni Provide Support to WAER Students at the NCAA Tournament

When the Syracuse University men’s basketball team ended its NCAA Tournament run last month, it also marked the end of a long season for the student media broadcast team at WAER. Newhouse School of Public Communications seniors Corey Spector, Cooper…

‘Has Marijuana Changed or Have We?’

Dessa Bergen-Cico, professor of public health in the Falk College, authored an op-ed for Syracuse.com titled “Has marijuana changed or have we?” Bergen-Cico is the coordinator of Falk’s addiction studies program and has expertise in addiction, drug use and mental…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • @SUCampus
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2021 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.