UNH Today

On April 22, the University of New Hampshire School of Law will formally launch its Warren B. Rudman Center for Justice, Leadership and Public Policy with a national conference on fiscal responsibility, featuring Senators John McCain and Kelly Ayotte and former Senators Bob Kerrey and Phil Gramm, and co-hosted by The Concord Coalition and New Hampshire Public Radio.

The conference, “The Federal Budget and the Law: Finding a Way Forward,” will be moderated by National Public Radio White House Correspondent Ari Shapiro.

The Center aims to train a new generation of lawyers to carry forth the key values of the late Senator Warren Rudman's distinguished career: a commitment to justice, a capacity for leadership, and a devotion to common sense and the common good. Rudman’s legacy of generationally responsible fiscal policy is the theme of the conference, which will focus on the nation’s current fiscal challenges and how to find solutions through bipartisan cooperation and political leadership.

David Walker, former comptroller general of the United States, will open the conference by offering a historical perspective on debt and deficits in the U.S. Afterward, a panel consisting of McCain, Gramm, Kerrey, and Ayotte will discuss “Current Realities and Political Challenges.” A second panel, “Tough Choices and Possible Solutions,” will consist of former Senator Pete Domenici; noted economist and national budget expert Alice Rivlin; former staff director of the Senate Budget Committee G. William Hoagland; and Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby.

“Warren Rudman was a wise and courageous political leader who focused on the broad public interest – a man of strong principles who still understood the importance of thoughtful compromise,” Bixby said. “He also served as a founding co-chair of The Concord Coalition, and we at Concord are proud to be a part of this conference and look forward to working with the Rudman Center in preserving his legacy.”

Founder of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation and former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Pete Peterson will speak about Warren Rudman and their shared passion for fiscal responsibility at the conference.

Former Senator Olympia Snowe, a moderate Republican known – as Rudman was – for her willingness to cross the aisle, will speak about the dysfunction in Washington today and her perspective on what is needed to move forward.

The conference, which is sponsored by the Peterson Foundation, will take place from 8:30 a.m.–1 p.m. at the University of New Hampshire School of Law, 2 White St., Concord, NH.

The conference will be preceded by a formal dinner on Sunday, April 21. Shapiro will emcee the event, which will feature notable Rudman Center supporters, including Senators McCain, Ayotte, and Jeanne Shaheen, former Senators Gramm and Kerrey, and New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan and former NH Gov. Stephen Merrill.

Those interested in attending the conference may contact Marin Mathien at (603) 513-5267 or marin.mathien@law.unh.edu.