Convocation: Eric Schwartz

Eric Schwartz has 25 years of senior public service experience at the Department of State, the National Security Council, the United Nations and the U.S. Congress, as well as in the foundation and NGO communities. Currently the dean of the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs, Schwartz previously served as the Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration in the U.S. Department of State. He has also served as U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Deputy Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery and at the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Evidence indicates that highly effective public institutions will be critical to social and economic advancement in years and decades to come, as governance becomes more complicated and demanding. Americans may have legitimately differing perspectives on the best role for government. But Schwartz believes there should be no disagreement with the fundamental proposition that vibrant democracies require highly effective and accountable public institutions, with personnel to manage complex issues, and with political processes that prize dialogue, civility and a reasoned effort to transcend political differences. Without those elements, he suggests, we will fail to meet the challenges of the 21st century, and our failure will have profound implications for our children and for future generations. The title of his presentation was "Governance is the Solution: 21st Century Challenges and the Public Service Mission."