The Paul Simon Public Policy Institute is located at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. It was founded by Paul Simon, a former two-term U.S. Senator from Illinois and one-time candidate for the Democratic Party nomination for President of the United States. Opening in 1997, the Institute differentiates itself from similar organizations by working directly with elected officials and others to fashion and implement change in public policy.
The institute is bipartisan and sponsors many on-campus programs featuring state and local politicians, educators, entrepreneurs, and many others. Throughout the year, the institute hosts lectures and conferences around relevant topics featuring significant and controversial issues impacting the region, the state, the nation, and the world.
Located at SIUC, the Institute offers a variety of opportunities for students, including legislative internship programs and the Paul Simon Institute Ambassadors, which allows students to network and volunteer their time in assisting the Institute staff in outreach efforts to the campus and community.
The current director of the Institute is John T. Shaw, an author and journalist who for more than 20 years covered the United States Congress for Market News International, a global financial wire service. His published works include: JFK in the Senate: Pathway to the Presidency; Washington Diplomacy; The Ambassador: Inside the Life of a Working Diplomat; Richard G. Luger, Statesman of the Senate; and Rising Star, Setting Sun: Dwight D. Eisenhauer, John F. Kennedy, and the Presidential Transition that Changed America.
Previous directors include David Yepsen, who served from 2009 to 2016, and Mike Lawrence, who served as director from 2004 to 2008. Simon served as Institute director from 1997 to his death in 2003. Simon died in Springfield, Illinois following heart surgery at the age of 75 in 2003.
Initiatives
Restoring American Statesmanship: A Citizen's Guide
In March 2020, the Institute published "Restoring American Statesmanship: A Citizen's Guide," a resource for elected officials, businesses, schools, foundations, civic groups and policy institutes. The publication seeks to imagine what a rebirth of statesmanship will look like in Illinois and the United States during a pivotal time in American history.
Speaker Series & Events
The institute regularly hosts lectures and speaker series, including Pizza & Politics, which connects students and the community to political figures. Its Women's Government Day and Youth Government Day bring women and young people to the Illinois Capitol in Springfield. And its Metro East Youth Leadership Weekend brings young African American men from the Metro East St. Louis area to campus for leadership development and community service.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Institute launched the livestream discussion series "Understanding Our New World," "Illinois Authors," and "Meet the Mayor."
Understanding Our New World
Government and private sector leaders, policy experts, historians, diplomats, philanthropists and military leaders have joined Institute Director John Shaw to discuss how our political, economic, and social changes are influencing our present and future. Notable guests have included former Irish President Mary Robinson, former Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations Jan Eliasson, former U.S. presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, New America CEO Anne-Marie Slaughter, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.
Illinois Authors
This speaker series provides a venue for book and author discussions focusing on Illinois history, politics, economics, sports, and culture. The series was launched as a virtual speaker series during the COVID-19 pandemic, but in-person events are expected to be held in 2022.
Meet the Mayor
This virtual speaker series features conversations with mayors from around Illinois.
Renewing Illinois
This Initiative is built around an annual summit of college students, historical case studies and commemorations, and over-the-horizon seminars by leading analysts on the future challenges confronting Illinois.