On Saturday, January 24th, a select group of UConn School of Public Policy students, faculty, staff and alumni joined IMRP staff, partners, and invited community members for a simulcast screening of The Connecticut Forum event: On Democracy and the Future of the Parties: Pete Buttigieg in Conversation with Jonah Goldberg.

The live program, hosted in the main Mortensen Hall theater, had been sold out for months to Connecticut Forum season subscribers. By sponsoring the simulcast, SPP and IMRP were able to create an intimate gathering where interested individuals could access the program and watch it together.

IMRP Director Andrew Clark and School of Public Policy Director Dr. Angie Eikenberry provided welcome remarks and gave thanks to The Connecticut Forum staff and others who made the event possible.

“We’re very grateful to help sponsor tonight.” said Clark. “The Institute works in public policy with state and local elected officials and leaders. Much of what we do is focused on the theme of tonight – getting people together and having difficult conversations.”

The simulcast audience was thrilled as former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg unexpectedly took the stage in the Belding Theater to personally welcome the simulcast audience who would otherwise be watching him on screen.

He thanked the audience for braving the frigid temperatures to be there in person.

“It’s so important to come together in 3D, in real life,” he said. “This is one of those seasons that calls for us to do that.” He then raced to the theater next door to start the live program, calling out, “Get to know your neighbors!”

Read more about the content and discussion of “On Democracy and the Future of the Parties” in this UConn Today article.

A special Connecticut Forum and School of Public Policy / IMRP Forum Encore! event is being held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 3rd, at the Hartford Public Library’s main branch across from the UConn Hartford campus.  “From Campus to Capitol: The Future of Civic Engagement in CT”  is an open-to-the-public community discussion featuring Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas, UConn student leader (and IMRP intern) Ryan Engels, and additional speakers to be announced. Frankie Graziano, host of The Wheelhouse on Connecticut Public Radio, will moderate the discussion.

There is no cost to attend this event. Those interested or with questions can email IMRP@uconn.edu or info@ctforum.org for more information.