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Miller Center Debate #1 of the 2010 Season

Miller Center of Public Affairs National Discussion and Debate Series

Friday, February 26, 2010
Pre-debate reception: 5:45 p.m.
Debate start: 7:00 p.m

The National Press Club
529 14th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20045
Cost: FREE for all U.Va alumni

** Registration is closed **

The UVaClub of Washington is pleased to offer all alumni exclusive tickets to attend the first debate of the 2010 National Discussion and Debate Series being held by U.Va’s Miller Center of Public Affairs and produced in conjunction with MacNeil/Lehrer Productions.

From February through May 2010, the Miller Center will hold monthly debates at the National Press Club, a historic venue for speakers’ events and national discussion in Washington . Please check the DCHoos website for more details (coming soon) about the upcoming debates and to sign up for tickets.

*Starting with the March debate, advanced ticket registration will be offered first to UVaClub members before opening up to all alumni. (Click here to become a member of the UVaClub of Washington.)

Questions about the event? Click here to contact us.

Debate Summary

Moderator: Paul Solman, Business and Economics Correspondent, PBS NewsHour

• Margaret Spellings, former U.S. Secretary of Education
• Michael Lomax, President and CEO, United Negro College Fund
• Richard Vedder, Economics Professor, Ohio University
• George Leef, Research Director, The John William Pope Center for Higher

Education Policy:
Does the United States need more college graduates to remain an economic power, or is college just too expensive to benefit many Americans? Today, about 40 percent of Americans, aged 25 to 34, have graduated from college. That figure has remained stable for decades, while graduation rates in other countries, including China , have increased dramatically in recent years.

Debate participants will argue several questions, including: To remain an economic superpower, does the U.S. need to focus on jobs that require innovation and critical thinking, skills best acquired in college, because it cannot compete with the world on the price of labor? Are college graduates better off financially and socially? Or with annual tuition averaging $20,000 for public colleges and $30,000 for private schools, does the cost of college outweigh the benefits for many Americans? Is it sound public policy to urge Americans to go to college, with the personal savings rate at its lowest since the Great Depression?

The pre-debate reception (which is open to all attendees) will be held in the Holeman Lounge at 5:45 p.m., and the debate will take place in the Ballroom. Due to the video recording of this event, guests cannot be admitted after 6:45 p.m. Attendees must register no later than February 19, 2010.

About the Miller Center and the 2010 Debate Series

U.Va’s Miller Center of Public Affairs is a leading public policy institution that has been a central gathering place for nonpartisan public discussion since its founding more than 30 years ago.

In February 2010, the Miller Center will launch season three of the National Discussion and Debate Series with several programs in Washington , D.C. Modeled on Oxford-style debates, the Miller Center National Debates look at issues surrounding America 's role in the world, its responsibility to its citizens, and the way its policies fulfill its founding principles. The debaters, two on each side, are drawn from the ranks of practitioners, public intellectuals, business and religious leaders, and academics. While the issues are vitally important to voters and key to the national dialogue, the debates remain focused on policy, not partisan politics.

Produced for PBS broadcast stations by MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, an award-winning leader in public affairs programming, all of the events are webcast live on the Miller Center's Web site.