Dr. David N. Atkinson has been studying the U.S. Supreme Court for more than four decades. The author of Leaving the Bench: Supreme Court Justices at the end (1999), he will speak on the appointments of Supreme Court justices, from the Truman administration to the present. Dr. Atkinson is the Curators' Distinguished Teaching Professor and Professor of Political Science at the University of Missouri - Kansas City.

This event, as well as the pre-program reception (6 p.m.) are free and open to the public.

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Join in moderated deliberations about what we should do to equip our young people to take the jobs of the future? Must we go back to teaching young people the basic work skills and character traits that are fundamental to job success? Do we have to strengthen school curriculums and recreate expectations of excellence in our schools? Should community and educational goals be more firmly founded on the needs of the local economy?

Jointly sponsored by the Harry S. Truman Library, the Kansas City Public Library, the Harry S. Truman Center for Governmental Affairs (UMKC), Kansas City Consensus, the Kettering Foundation, and the National Issues Forums Institute.
Cost:  Free

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Allis and Ronald Radosh, the authors of the new book, A Safe Haven: Harry S. Truman and the Founding of Israel, will tell the spellbinding tale of President Harry S. Truman's crucial role in the founding of Israel. A book signing will accompany the presentation.

Jointly sponsored by the Harry S. Truman Library, the Jewish Community Relations Bureau/American Jewish Committee, and the Kansas City Public Library.

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FEATURING
Arianna Huffington, Joseph S. Nye, Jr., Robert Kuttner, Timothy Naftali
Media Sponsor KCUR 89.3 FM

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The right stuff. Leaders who had it, presidents who didn't, and informed predictions about America's 44th commander in chief. Important lessons can be learned from America's transformational leaders and from those who attempted great change but failed. The similarities of transformational presidents -- and the strategies they employed -- are startling. Join a distinguished panel of historians, writers and thinkers as they examine the characteristics of transformational presidents and consider whether Barack Obama can fulfill his pledge to "fundamentally transform the United States of America."

$18 General Admission ($10 Truman Library Institute Members*). Central Ticket Office: (816) 235-6222.

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PANELIST BIOS

Joseph S. Nye, Jr., is former chair of the National Intelligence Council and dean of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government; books include "Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics".

Arianna Huffington is co-founder and editor-in-chief of "The Huffington Post". The author and nationally syndicated columnist recently was named one of the most influential women in media by "Forbes" magazine.

Robert Kuttner is co-founder of "The American Prospect" and longtime columnist for BusinessWeek. He is the author of the best-selling book "Obama's Challenge: America's Economic Crisis and the Power of a Transformative Presidency".

Timothy Naftali is the director of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library. A prolific writer for scholarly and popular audiences, his work has been published by Slate.com, "The Washington Post", "Foreign Affairs", and more. Naftali's books include "Blind Spot: The Secret History of American Counterterrorism".

*An annual membership gift of $35 offers these and additional benefits: free Museum admission for you and your guest, Museum Store discounts, invitations to member-only events and exhibit previews. To join, please email or call Kim Rausch at (816) 268-8237.


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