The funds, which were included in the 2001 budget bill signed recently by President Clinton, will support construction of the 20,000 square-foot facility adjacent to campus. Those plans include a team of faculty researchers announced last week to study issues of public life, government and citizenship.
Programming includes visiting fellows, civic education and guest speakers.
According to Fr. Jonathan, that list will grow as the Institute aims to provide a forum to explore, debate and participate in the democratic processes that shape history in New Hampshire, the United States and around the world. The Institute faculty and their students already are actively engaged in political analysis and research of local and national relevance. It will include classrooms, seminar rooms, an online resource center and offices. Work on the research center will follow, along with plans for an auditorium and television studio, which should be complete by September.