Amy Coney Barrett is an associate justice of the US Supreme Court. She joined in 2020, taking the seat formerly held by Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Barrett recently wrote Listening to the Law: Reflections on the Court and Constitution. The book’s stated goal is to answer questions about the court and its role. But for a…
Author: David Potash
Reasons Why
A little time off at the end of the year, some moments for looking back and forward, and all manner of thoughts will creep into my head. Inquisitive tendrils poke up and about, searching for sunlight and sustenance. They can be helpful, facilitating movement and growth. They can also corrode, pulling down structures. One of…
Public Libraries: Overdue For A Close Look
Several years ago I worked with a librarian at our college, crafting a strategic plan for the library, when he said something that made me sit up and take notice. “Everyone says nice things about a library, but no one will tell you anything real.” I pressed him, curious about his frustration. Libraries are hard…
Growth Mindset Matters
Daniel Porterfield, now president and CEO of the Aspen Institute, served as president of Franklin & Marshall College from 2011 – 2018. During his tenure, F&M, a private liberal arts college in rural Pennsylvania, significantly increased civic outreach and student access, all while strengthening academic excellence. Porterfield came to the post with an impressive history:…
Investiture Address
My college’s system, SUNY, has a tradition. Approximately a year after a president is appointed, the institution holds an inauguration, capped with a formal investiture. It’s a celebration. Ours was held on October 23, 2024. It was a very good day for the college and I’m extraordinarily grateful on many fronts. My address follows (edited,…
Inspirational First Comes With Costs
Alejandra Campoverdi, by just about every measure, is an amazing person with an inspirational success story. The first in her family to graduate from college, she’s an author, a women’s health advocate, a public intellectual, and a former White House aide under President Obama. Campoverdi was a brilliant student, graduating cum laude from the University…
Amping Up Civic Power
Some works of political philosophy and action belong on library shelves. Others have a home in the classroom and community. K. Sabeel Rahman and Hollie Russon Gilman’s Civic Power: Rebuilding American Democracy in an Era of Crisis belongs in the latter . The book examines current problems with American democracy (inequities, disengagement, lack of trust)…