The Leahy Public Policy Forum at ̽̽ is an exchange of ideas and perspectives on major US public policy issues of the 20th and 21st century, especially those in which Senator Patrick Leahy was closely involved during his impactful 48-year career in the US Senate.
The forum seeks to engage the university community and the people of Vermont with thought leaders in the national and global arenas, subject area experts, and first-hand accounts of relevant history. The forum is sponsored and hosted by ̽̽’s Patrick Leahy Honors College.
University of Vermont
Patrick Leahy Honors College
presents the
2024 Leahy Public Policy Forum
The U.S. War in Vietnam: Looking Back After 50 Years
October 1-2, 2024
Tuesday - October 1, 2024
Keynote Lecture
Carpenter Auditorium (Given Building, Room E-131)
7:00pm - 8:30pm
Hosted by David Jenemann, Dean of the Patrick Leahy Honors College
̽̽ Interim President Patricia Prelock - Introductory Remarks
Senator Patrick Leahy - Remarks and Keynote Speaker Introduction
Remarks by , author of "," and Associate Editor of The Washington Post
Audience Q&A
Wednesday - October 2, 2024
Panel Discussions
Memorial Lounge (Waterman Building 338)
8:30am - 8:45am
Opening Remarks and Panel Discussions
Hosted by David Jenemann, Dean of the Patrick Leahy Honors College
Senator Patrick Leahy - Opening Remarks
, Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam - Remarks
8:45am - 9:45am
Panel One - The Vermont Experience
Moderator Erica Heilman – Producer, Rumble Strip, Vermont Public
- Ernest “Rusty” Sachs – Captain, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.), helicopter pilot (Norwich, Vt.)
- William J. Donahue – Captain, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.), infantry platoon leader (Hartland, Vt.)
- John Tracy – Sergeant U.S. Army (Ret.), helicopter door gunner and crew (Burlington, Vt.)
Click here for panelist bios
9:45am - 10:00am
Break
10:00am - 10:45am
Panel Two - The Anti-War Movement on U.S. Campuses
Moderator – Host and Executive Producer, Vermont Public
and Gregory Craig – Harvard student leader against the war; Former Director of Policy Planning, Department of State; Former White House Counsel (Ripton, Vt.)
Click here for panelist bios
10:45am - 11:00am
Break
11:00am - 12:30pm
Panel Three - The Things We Left Behind: Dealing with the Legacies of the War
Moderator Tim Rieser – Foreign Policy Aide to Senator Leahy; Former Democratic Clerk, Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations (Norwich, VT)
- Susan Hammond – Founder, War Legacies Project (Chester, VT)
- Chuck Casey – Major, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.); Former U.S. Defense Attache, Hanoi
- Sera Koulabdara – CEO, Legacies of War; Chair, U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines and Cluster Munitions Coalition (Chair, USCBL-CMC)
- Andrew Wells-Dang – Senior Expert, Southeast Asia, U.S. Institute of Peace
Click here for panelist bios
Parking Information
October 1: Keynote Lecture
Free parking for the keynote lecture at 7:00 pm is available in the Given and Jeffords parking lots indicated on the parking map. Carpenter Auditorium is located in the Given building on the 1st floor, Room E-131. Both the Given and Rowell buildings will be open for entry for the lecture.
See event map for more information:
For the full campus map visit: /map/
October 2: Panel Discussions
Free parking for event attendees is available in the lot behind Booth House (86 South Williams Street) and 70 South Williams Street, a short walk from the Waterman building, the event venue. No permit needed. Enter the lot via the Booth House (86 South Williams Street) driveway. The panel discussions will take place in the Waterman Building on the 3rd floor in Waterman Memorial Lounge, Room 338. The most convenience entry into the Waterman building is on the College Street side of the building.
See event map for more information:
For the full campus map visit: /map/
Please contact Michelle Clark at 802-656-0865 or presidentialevents@uvm.edu with questions.