On September 16, Presidential hopeful Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MO) visited campus as part of the College of Charleston’s Bully Pulpit Series. The Bully Pulpit series encourages and facilitates political participation on campus and in the community by providing a platform for dialogue with national leaders.
Presidential Candidate Amy Klobuchar (D-MO) with Interim Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences Dr. Gibbs Knotts.
Photo by Haley Schanne
As part of Klobuchar’s visit, she sat down with Interim Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and Political Science Professor Dr. Gibbs Knotts for a public Q&A session. Students, faculty, staff, and members of the community were invited to attend and ask candid questions to the candidate. Topics covered included higher education and student debt, climate change, infrastructure, and bridging the rural-urban divide.
After the Q&A session, Klobuchar hosted a luncheon with student leaders from around campus, including two graduate students from the University of Charleston, S.C.!
Second-year Master of Public Administration student Mikey Zinn (’20) attended as the President of the Graduate Student Association. Second-year Concurrent Master of Science in Environmental and Sustainability Studies and Master of Public Administration student Haley Schanne (’21) attended as the President of the Master of Environmental and Sustainability Studies Student Association (MESSA) and Volunteer Coordinator for the Master of Public Administration Student Association (MPASA). She also is the Graduate Assistant for the Graduate School Office.
Amy Klobuchar with student leaders, including graduate students Mikey Zinn (top right) and Haley Schanne (bottom left)
Photo from Amy Klobuchar’s Twitter (@amyklobuchar)
Other on-campus student organizations represented at the luncheon included the Student Government Association, the Political Science Club, CofC College Democrats, and the CofC Student Veteran Association. Zinn and Schanne were able to participate in discussion with Klobuchar on important issues to students, campus life, and what it’s like working in Congress.
The Bully Pulpit Series is co-managed by the Department of Communication and Department of Political Science at the College of Charleston. To learn more, visit their website at https://bullypulpitseries.org/
