The December 1997 plenary meeting of the Penn National Commission on Society, Culture and Community built upon the first meeting of December, 1996 and the second meeting of June, 1997. This meeting was focused upon public behavior and the responsibility of institutions. Four invited speakers led sessions which addressed the important institutions of professional sports, colleges and universities, government, and the military.
- Judith Rodin, Chair of the Commission and President of the University of Pennsylvania, welcomed the group back together and introduced Richard Lapchick.
- Richard Lapchick, Director, Center for the Study of Sport in
Society, Northeastern University. This session examined the
influence
of professional sports -- with its amalgam of corporate and mass market
values with the competitive ethos of athletics -- on the behavior of
athletes, sports fans, and the larger society.
Here is the presentation
text with streaming video and the discussion
following the presentation.
- Judith Rodin, President, University of Pennsylvania. This session addressed the role of the university in giving our future leaders and citizens a sense of norms to guide their participation in the public sphere and an appreciation for the values of vigorous and engaged public discourse. Here is the presentation text with streaming video and the discussion following the presentation.
- Bill Bradley, Former United States Senator (NJ). In this
session, the Commission addressed the question of what government can
do to ameliorate the increased polarization and intolerance characteristic
of so many contemporary exchanges in the public realm while supporting the
development of a "robust and diverse public discourse."
Here is the presentation
text with streaming video and the discussion
following the
presentation.
- Julius Becton, Jr. Superintendent, District of Columbia Schools and Lt. General, United States Army (ret.). This session examined the ways in which the military services influence norms of public conduct and present models both positive and negative of public behavior for the larger society. Here is the presentation text with streaming video and the discussion following the presentation.
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