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Barack Obama Presidential Conference
In cooperation with the Barack Obama Presidential Library, National Archives and Records Administration.
April 19-21, 2023
On April 19-21, 2023 Hofstra University hosted its thirteenth Presidential Conference on the Barack Obama Presidency coordinated by the Hofstra Cultural Center, the Peter S. Kalikow School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs, and the Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency. Hofstra has a long and distinguished tradition of hosting conferences on the administrations of all the Presidents of the United States who have served during the University's lifetime, from Franklin Delano Roosevelt forward.
During each conference, Hofstra brings together scholars, policy makers, and journalists for a series of panels and roundtables to discuss a president's campaign, political leadership, policy agenda, and legacy. Often the Hofstra conference is the first opportunity for scholars, journalists, and administration officials to come together to debate the issues of that period in history. The University has published volumes of selected articles and commentary from every conference, which have become standard scholarly volumes and early oral histories of each presidency.
Scholarly publications from Hofstra’s Thirteenth Presidential Conference: The Barack Obama Presidency – Hope and Change are available in multiple sources. A few are included here with hyperlinks when available. Additional information will be added as shared by scholars.
Keynote Address by Joseph G. Astman Distinguished Conference Scholar
Professor Melissa Harris-Perry is the Maya Angelou Presidential Chair in the Department of Politics and International Affairs, the Department of Women and Gender Studies, and the Program in Environment and Sustainability at Wake Forest University.
There she teaches courses on American politics at the intersections of race, place, and gender.
Melissa serves as host and managing editor of The Takeaway, a daily, national public radio program and podcast distributed by WNYC and PRX. Professor Harris-Perry is founder and president of the Anna Julia Cooper Center, whose mission is to advance justice through intersectional scholarship and action. And along with Dorian Warren, Harris-Perry is co-creator and co-host of The Takeaway’s special project Deep Dives with MHP and Dorian and the podcast System Check.
Conference Photos
Archive of Selected Conference Papers
Several scholars have shared their original research presented at the Obama Conference to include in the conference archive here.
- Nancy Kassop, “Obama’s White House Counsels: Serving the President With No Margin for Error”
- James G. Liska, “ ‘Be A Part Of Something Great!’ College Activism and the Campaign to Elect Barack Obama”
- Walter L. Markowitz, “Evolution of Health Reform: The Affordable Care Act”
- Robert J. Spitzer, “The Obama Presidency and Gun Policy”
Hofstra Horizons Spring 2024
This publication features research from Hofstra’s Peter S. Kalikow School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs, including two articles originally presented at the Obama Conference.
Meena Bose and Paul Fritz, eds., Evaluating the Obama Presidency: From Transformational Goals to Governing Realities. De Gruyter Academic Publishing, forthcoming
Selected papers from the Obama Conference that address the theme of transformational goals versus governing realities are published in this volume.
Conference Program and Selected Event Recordings
Plenary conference events are available for viewing. C-SPAN recorded three plenary sessions – on Foreign Policy, Executive Branch Policy Making, and First Lady Michelle Obama’s Leadership and Legacy – which may be viewed here.
Hofstra recorded the other plenary sessions, which may be viewed on the University’s YouTube channel.
THE PROMISE OF HOPE AND CHANGE – OBAMA’S ELECTION AND PRESIDENCY
MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE OBAMA PRESIDENCY – CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
FROM WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS TO POLICYMAKING – PLANNING AND STRATEGIES
KEYNOTE ADDRESS: Melissa Harris-Perry, PhD, Mayo Angelou Presidential Chair
Wake Forest University
Joseph G. Astman Distinguished Conference Scholar
How Did the Obama Presidency Transform American Politics?
Leadership, Policymaking, and Legacy
HOFSTRA SPEECH AND DEBATE TEAM, “EVALUATING THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT”
About the Conference
For information on prior presidential conferences, please see www.hofstra.edu/presidential-conferences
Conference Director
Meena Bose
Executive Dean, Public Policy and Public Service Programs
Peter S. Kalikow School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs
Director, Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency
Peter S. Kalikow Chair in Presidential Studies
Professor of Political Science
Associate Conference Director
Richard Himelfarb
Professor of Political Science
Research Director
Paul Fritz
Associate Professor of Political Science