Leading expert on citizenship and political process to visit UF

February 18, 2011

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Russell Dalton, one of the nation’s leading experts on citizenship and the political process, will share his expertise Feb. 21 at the University of Florida’s Bob Graham Center for Public Service.

Dalton’s work as a researcher and teacher focuses on the role of citizens in the political process and how democracies can better address public preferences and the democratic ideal. The event will take place at 5 p.m. in Pugh Hall’s Room 120, with a reception to follow. The free program is open to the public.

The author or editor of more than 20 books, Dalton was founding director of the Center for the Study of Democracy at University of California Irvine. He has been awarded a Fulbright Research Fellowship, a Scholar-in-Residence at the Barbra Streisand Center, German Marshall Fund Research Fellowship, the POSCO Fellowship at the East West Center and the UCI Emeriti Award for Faculty Mentorship.

Dalton’s visit is part of a continuing mission to bring the nation’s best and brightest scholars to the Bob Graham Center, with the goal of increasing civic awareness among a new generation of student leaders.

Currently a professor of political science at the University of California, Irvine, Dalton will also be meeting with UF students and faculty to discuss the Bob Graham Center’s work on a wide variety of initiatives dealing with civic engagement, volunteerism and voting.

The National Conference on Citizenship has ranked the state 34th nationally in average voter turnout, 48th in public meeting attendance and 49th in volunteering, making it one of the weakest civic cultures in the nation.

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, which promotes informed and engaged communities, is supporting the Center’s efforts with a $3 million grant. The grant is the largest ever received by the Bob Graham Center.

The Bob Graham Center for Public Service is a community of students, scholars and politically engaged citizens, devoted to enhanced citizenship; the training of current and future public and civic leaders who can identify problems and spearhead change; and the development of policy on issues of importance to Florida, the United States and the global community.