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In a world of soundbites and surface-level discourse, each semester at the 51Ʒ��, an event centered on the pursuit of relentless inquiry encourages students to not only ask tough questions but celebrates them. It’s the President’s Forum.

Established and hosted by 51Ʒ��President James Herbert, the series consists of moderated discussions that address controversial topics while modeling for students how to engage in respectful and productive discourse.

In October, the President’s Forum invited four national experts to present “Election 2024: Left, Right, or Unrecognizable?” in the Harold Alfond Forum on UNE’s Biddeford Campus. The event addressed the 2024 election with a special focus on whether America’s two main political parties are ideologically consistent enough to be viewed through the traditional left-right lens through which we understand politics.

Panelists included Verlan Lewis, Stirling Professor of Constitutional Studies at Utah Valley University; Hyrum Lewis, professor of history at Brigham Young University-Idaho; Bryan Caplan, professor of economics at George Mason University; and Robin Hanson, associate professor of economics at George Mason University. The event was moderated by Shannon Zlotkowski, M.S., assistant provost for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at UNE.

Underscoring the Academy’s role as the ultimate marketplace of ideas, the forum allowed for open and robust discourse, presenting diverse perspectives in a respectful way.

“The four panelists offered new ways of thinking about politics that are more accurate and less polarizing,” said Josh Pahigian, M.F.A., director of the 51Ʒ��Center for Global Humanities, who has attended every President’s Forum event since the program’s inception.

“Our students can’t go through life self-censoring and shying away from the topics that make them uncomfortable,” Pahigian continued. “For society to function optimally, each of us needs to engage with those who think differently than we do from a position of intellectual curiosity, humility, and civility. This program gives us all the tools and encouragement to do just that.”

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