Picks of the Week | Big Challenges Await Next President
Why Americans Still Think the Economy is Terrible | New York Times Senators call U.S. effort to train Syrians to fight Islamic State ‘a joke’ | McClatchy DC Russia is Setting up a Forward Operating Base in Syria, Pentagon Confirms | Defense One President Barack Obama waded into the 2016 Republican primary debate this week when he said, “Despite the perennial doom and gloom that I guess is inevitably … Read More
Fall 2015 Lecture Series Announced
The Pell Center has announced its lineup of events and lectures for the Fall 2015 semester.
New Study Offers Guidance for Expanding Broadband Access
The Internet is a tool that Americans use every day to work, to locate information, to communicate, to shop, and to play. More broadly, access to the Internet can help strengthen communities, improve schools, heighten public safety, and create a more responsive relationship between government and citizens. Perhaps most importantly, many believe that the availability of broadband Internet is a key enabler of economic growth. While many decisions about broadband … Read More
Gov. Raimondo Appoints Pell Center Senior Fellow to RI Cybersecurity Commission
NEWPORT, R.I.—Pell Center Senior Fellow for Cyber Leadership Francesca Spidalieri has been appointed by Governor Gina M. Raimondo to the newly established Rhode Island Cybersecurity Commission (RICC). The new commission is tasked with developing a clear strategy to make Rhode Island more secure and resilient to cyber threats while simultaneously fostering innovation and economic development opportunities in the state. The Executive Order establishing RICC was signed in May 2015, and … Read More
New Pell Center Adjunct Fellows Bring Additional Expertise
Newport, R.I.—Three accomplished professionals have joined the Pell Center as fellows. Brandon Catalan and Paul McGreevy will be contributing their expertise to the cyber leadership project and the Pell Center’s Rhode Island Corporate Cybersecurity Initiative (RICCI), whereas Brig. Gen. Peter Zwack, USA (Ret.) will provide insight on international affairs, especially the West’s relationship with Russia. “Over the past few years, the Pell Center has built a cohort of thought leaders … Read More
Charleston shooting creates an opportunity to discuss gun control
Lisa Genova: Neuroscientist, Best Selling Author, Advocate and 2015 Pell Center Prize Winner
NEWPORT, R.I.—Lisa Genova is on a mission. The Harvard-trained neuroscientist and author of four best-selling novels, including Still Alice and the recently published Inside the O’Briens, wants to use the books she writes to change lives, end stigma, and create a world where we can talk about survivors of Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases and conditions. Genova was honored for her work with the 2015 Pell Center Prize for Story … Read More
The Will to Fight
U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter stirred reaction in Baghdad and Washington this weekend when, in an appearance on CNN, he blamed the loss of Ramadi to an outnumbered force of ISIS militants on the Iraqi military’s apparent unwillingness to fight. It was a striking statement by a senior American official—and it was refreshing. Secretary Carter didn’t break news—even a casual observer of the Iraqi military’s previous fights with ISIS would … Read More
Rhode Island Students Awarded Pell Medal for U.S. History
Newport, R.I.—Sixty-six Rhode Island students earned the Herbert and Claiborne Pell Medal for U.S. History this year. The medal, administered now by the Pell Center at Salve Regina University, recognizes college and high school students in the state who have excelled in U.S. History. The Pell Medal was originally presented by Senator Claiborne Pell and his wife, Mrs. Nuala Pell, for more than 50 years. After Mrs. Pell’s passing in … Read More
We Remember | Memorial Day 2015
Gilgamesh, in the epic Mesopotamian poem, wanted to live forever, like the gods. But Gilgamesh was human. His mortality meant that he would know death. His name, however, could live forever. He would be remembered, he reasoned, because of the great things he did. He asked: “Who is the mortal able to enter heaven? Only the gods can live forever. The life of man is short. What he accomplishes … Read More