August 26, 1963
PAGE 15877
CAPITOL HILL SEMINAR
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, I should like to take this opportunity to inform my colleagues in the Senate of a most interesting educational program which has been successfully conducted these past 2 years for congressional staff members.
This program, the Capitol Hill seminar, has been developed and conducted by the American Foundation for Continuing Education, a not-for-profit educational foundation which, since its inception in 1947, has been devoted to supporting and extending the liberal education of adults wherever it is appropriate in American life. The main office of the American foundation is located at 19 South La Salle Street, Chicago, Ill.
What I find most interesting about the Capitol Hill seminar is that this program has evolved out of the expressed needs and interests of members of the congressional staff and is, in a very real sense, their program.
In the fall and winter of 1961-62, the American foundation held a series of exploratory discussions with congressional staff personnel. In these interviews, congressional staffers stated their concern that their busy daily schedule and heavy workload afforded them little opportunity to examine in depth and breadth many of the major, national public policy issues which they too often viewed only in the most pragmatic, partisan, operational terms. As they put it, it was difficult to see the forest for the trees.
Out of this expression of need, the American foundation evolved the idea of developing a study-discussion seminar program which would critically examine pressing social, political, and economic issues which had implications and roots far beyond their immediate currency. This examination, it was felt, should be geared to a continuing exploration of the basic values, premises and goals of American democracy. Several congressional staff members advised the foundation on the selection of topics which such a seminar might cover and offered to organize a bipartisan group of 12 legislative and administrative assistants drawn from both Senate and House offices. Because of this strong, initial interest, the American foundation agreed in turn to develop a series of readings and conduct a test program.
In the spring of 1962, the Capitol Hill seminar was launched. Its inception marked, I believe, a new and important phase of the increasing efforts by various educational organizations to develop a variety of programs which seek to assist in refining the level of professional competence of members of the congressional staff. Because it was in the nature of an experimental program, testing new approaches, the first group held a year ago, received little general attention at the time. Two-hour seminars were held each Friday evening and Saturday morning for 6 weeks, under the leadership of American foundation senior staff members.
I am happy to report to my colleagues that this initial pilot seminar was well received by the congressional staff members who participated. Their oral and written comments to the American foundation, at the termination of that first program, convinced the foundation that important educational needs had been uncovered. The conclusion, supported by the evidence of the pilot program, was that a carefully expanded program would be warranted the following year.
A three-volume set of readings, "Readings for Capitol Hill," was designed, edited, and printed by the American foundation. The program was expanded to fourteen 2-hour seminar sessions. And I am pleased to say here that, commencing this past March, 31 hard-working members of the professional staff on the Hill joined the "Capitol Hill seminar" program. One group has been meeting on Tuesday evenings, a second on Wednesday evenings, in a conference room made available by the Senate Committee on Public Works.
What is most important to note, I believe, Is that the Capitol Hill seminar program has developed out of an educational need defined by our staffers themselves. Those who have participated have expressed their concern to develop a more sophisticated sense of the whole picture, to draw back from the immediate pressures of their work and explore the larger philosophic dimensions of the questions and issues with which they are daily concerned In a pragmatic way. Thus, the Capitol Hill seminar, as developed by the American foundation in answer to this need, has attempted to encourage the participants to develop:
First. Deeper understanding of the values, premises, and goals of American democracy.
Second. Increased understanding of current issues and their interrelationships.
Third. Deeper understanding of philosophic questions underlying public policy issues.
Fourth. Greater understanding of their own values, of the Implications and assumptions of their own positions.
These are not, I think, easy objectives to achieve. The congressional staff members who have participated come from various regions of the country, from both urban and rural areas, from a variety of backgrounds and experience. Moreover, they are deeply involved in the practical and partisan work of their offices, both Democratic and Republican.
The American foundation, which is a nonpartisan educational organization, has nevertheless attempted to offer a program of discussion and analysis of issues which often, in the public debates of our country, elicit highly partisan responses. The method which the American foundation employs to achieve the objectives utilizes the study-and-discussion approach. The foundation has developed for the seminar a series of readings which represent a variety of different and often conflicting interpretations of crucial issues. Each session averages 40 pages of material selected to provide a balanced range of analysis and opinion drawn from the writings or speeches of persons of knowledge and concern: social scientists, experts from many fields, statesmen, politicians, philosophers, both past and present.
The foundation does not attempt to develop a consensus of opinion among the participants. Quite to the contrary, the sessions often produce fundamental disagreement among the staffers who participate. But it is a reasoned disagreement, forming part of a continuing dialog. The position taken by any one participant is subject to the careful scrutiny of the others, so that all are forced to analyze the problems and develop their own thinking on the basis of the soundest and most rigorous argument of which they are capable.
In this second year of the program, the 14 seminar sessions consisted of the following topics:
First. "National Goals and Purposes."
Second. "Freedom and Equality: Social and Educational Aspects."
Third. "Excellence and Mass Democracy."
Fourth. "Urbanization: Problems and Prospects."
Fifth. "Work, Abundance, and Leisure."
Sixth. "American Economic Growth: Why and How?"
Seventh. "Who Shall Govern? -- I: Political Leadership, Public Opinion, and Public Interest."
Eighth. "Who Shall Govern? -- II: Political Parties and Private Governments."
Ninth. "Who Shall Govern? -- III: The Executive, Congress, and the night To Know."
Tenth. "America and the World -- I: Goals of Foreign Policy."
Eleventh. "America and the World -- II: Aid to the Emerging Nations."
Twelfth. "America and the World -- III: Arms or Disarmament?"
Thirteenth. "Science and Society-I."
Fourteenth. "Science and Society-III."
Mr. President. It occurs to me that the objectives of the Capitol Hill seminar program for professional staff members are highly relevant to the continued development of the professional character and status of their work on the Hill I believe we should congratulate the staff members of our various offices who have taken the time and effort, with their extremely full schedules, to participate in this program.
The American Foundation for Continuing Education is to be applauded and encouraged in this work of providing our congressional staff , through this seminar, with the opportunity to develop and refine their understanding about, and judgment of these major questions, Issues, problems of this day and age.
The Old Dominion Foundation, in helping to underwrite the costs of the second year of this program, has contributed importantly to an educational activity which I hope may be continued and expanded in future years.
In addition to 27 staff members from the House side, 16 staff members of Senate offices have to date participated in the Capitol Hill seminar. I should like to take this opportunity to list their names and offer them an expression of our support and encouragement for their interest in expending this time and effort in their continuing education.
Minor Barnes with Senator JACK MILLER'S office.
Miss Sally Bloom with Senator ROMAN HRUSKA's office.
Charles E. Bosley with Senator CLAIR ENGLE'S office.
Bruce Feld with Senator HARRISON A. WILLIAMS' office.
James A. Flood with Senator J. CALEB BOGGS' office.
Ralph E. Group with Senator WARREN G. MAGNUSON'S office.
Thomas L. Hayes with Senator WINSTON L. PROUTY'S office.
William F. Hildenbrand with Senator J. CALEB BOGGS' office.
George Mitchell with Senator EDMUND S. MUSKIE's office.
Donald E. Nicoll with Senator EDMUND S. MUSKIE's office.
Joe E. Nusbaum with Senator GAYLORD NELSON'S office.
Colgate S. Prentice, formerly with Senator JOHN SHERMAN COOPER'S office.
Allen E. Pritchard, Jr., with Senator JAMES B. PEARSON'S office.
Eiler C. Ravenhold with Senator HuBERT H. HUMPHREY'S office.
Edwin N. Winge with Senator PATRICK V. McNAMARA'S office.
Olon Zagar with Senator ROMAN HRUSKA'S office.