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Steve Lawrence, Adjunct Professor of Political Science and Hamblen County Election Commissioner, represented Walters State Community College at the 2023 East Tennessee Campus Civic Summit on March 24 at the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy, a nonpartisan institute on the campus of the University of Tennessee devoted to education and research concerning public policy and civic engagement.

Joining with students from the University of Tennessee, Maryville College, Lincoln Memorial University and Chattanooga State Community College and Knoxville City Council Members Vice-Mayor Andrew Robert and Lynn Fugate, and Dr. Javiette Samuel, Assistant Vice Chancellor & Director of Community Engagement and Outreach at UTK, the day-long summit was asked to discuss these questions:

• What motivates you to be an active citizen?

• What are some of the current challenges facing civic engagement?

• How can college students engage in the local community?

• How can students promote civic engagement on campus?

Lawrence told the group about the CE2 – Community Engagement for Civics Education – project at Walters State where students worked with senior government mentors to present a series of open public classes on the Morristown campus about how our government works.

In 2022 about 100 people attended these free classes.

Mentors included Hamblen County Mayor Bill Brittain, US Federal Magistrate Judge Cynthia Wyrick, Hamblen County Election Administrator Jeff Gardner, and Zac Rutherford, Chief of Staff for Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger.

The CE2 program will again be offered in fall of 2023.

Established in 2003, the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy is a non-partisan public policy think tank located on the campus of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The Center seeks to continue the legacy of former US Senator, Senate Majority Leader, White House Chief-of-Staff, and US Ambassador to Japan, Howard H. Baker Jr., who is sometimes referred to as “The Great Conciliator” and was known for his ability to cross party lines, listen, and to find legislate solutions to difficult issues.