The Kathleen Babineaux Blanco Public Policy Center today examined issues central to the former Louisiana governor’s tenure during its inaugural colloquium.
The College of Liberal Arts at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette sponsored the two-hour panel discussion.
Topics included criminal justice reform, social mobility, ethics, civic engagement, and education.
Former U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu moderated the program. Panelists included Dr. Kim Hunter Reed, state commissioner of higher education; Dr. Michael Neustrom, former Lafayette Parish sheriff; Terri Ricks, deputy secretary, Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services; and Dr. Shawn Wilson, secretary, Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.
Several members of UL Lafayette’s faculty also participated. They were Dr. DeAnn Kalich, Department of Sociology; Dr. David Khey, Department of Criminal Justice; and Dr. Christine Maloyed, Department of Political Science.
UL Lafayette announced the policy center and archive’s creation in July. It will house Blanco’s gubernatorial papers, and contribute interdisciplinary, independent research to a host of public policy areas.
Blanco is a UL Lafayette alumni and the only woman to serve as Louisiana governor.
The center is a partnership between the College of Liberal Arts and the University’s Edith Garland Dupré Library.
Find more on its website, blancocenter.louisiana.edu.
