For most, learning from the best is a habit they would like to form. For Doris Kearns Goodwin, learning from the best isn’t just a good habit; it’s her job.
Now she is going to share some of her job expertise with the students here on campus.
On Sept. 16, UVUSA will present Goodwin, a noted historian, as its guest speaker. Although well known for her Pulitzer Prize winning book No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II, she has written other accounts of American presidents such as Lyndon Johnson.
This time, however, she will be speaking about her new book, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. Her aim will be to share some of the insights into leadership that she has gained from studying Lincoln’s White House administration techniques.
After winning the presidency in 1860, Lincoln added opponents from both the Republican and Democratic parties to his cabinet. This unusual move helped him balance his cabinet, win the respect of his peers and his rivals and made for a raucous but effective White House.
Goodwin explores how this type of leadership can be learned from and implemented by students.
“I think students here appreciate academia … If you’re looking to make history a part of life, this is one way to do it. Students can also learn about different leadership strategies,” said Chris Loumeau, vice president of academics.
UVUSA is making an effort to streamline the Visiting Speaker Series.
“We try to bring speakers to campus who are academic … but also look for topics that are interesting to students,” Loumeau said.
As part of the revamped speaker series, UVUSA is also working to bring noteworthy debates to campus. The first debate will be on Feb. 1, and will be about legalizing marijuana, where an FBI agent in charge of narcotics will be in attendance. Another debate on immigration reform is also in the works.
