Jim Leach, ninth chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, spoke at Samford University on July 29th, 2010. Drawing on his 30 years experience in the United States Congress as a Republican representative from Iowa, Leach led a discussion on the critical need for greater civility in the nation's political life. Appointed to the NEH by President Obama in 2009, Leach has also served on the faculty at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School, and as interim director of the Institute of Politics at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Leach's presentation was part of the continuing A. Gerow Hodges Lectures in Ethics & Leadership, hosted by the Mann Center. The forum was co-sponsored by the Alabama Humanities Foundation and the Birmingham Area Consortium for Higher Education.
Before Thursday night's event, Dr. John Knapp spoke with Mr. Leach on civility in politics. Similar interviews with other thought leaders are available here.