Muskie, Ed

Mushee, Ed , may Edmund S. Muskie December 1, 1995 PERSONAL Harold Ickes The White House Washington DC 20500 Dear Harold, in 1990 the University of Southern Maine created the Edmund S. Muskie Institute of Public Affairs to "enrich and enhance public service in Maine and the nation to help prepare the next generation of leaders in government and to address critical issues of policymaking and governance facing the state, the nation, and the world." I was honored to be recognized by the establishment of the Institute and glad to lend my name, for whatever it might contribute to the program. I have also felt that the Institute is a tribute to the work that you and so many others have done with me in advancing the cause of democratic governance in an increasingly troubled society. The Institute has made an auspicious start in fulfilling its mission. From a 1990 base of fifty faculty and staff and a research budget of $3 million, it has grown in five years to almost 175 faculty and staff, a student body of 120, and research awards of more than $9 million this year. The University of Southern Maine is now proposing to change the Institute to the Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service, a permanent and influential institution within the University. As a school the program would be able to broaden and deepen its influence on our civic culture. Writing to you now, in the wake of Prime Minister Rabin's assassination and in the midst of heated partisan and ideological rhetoric in our own country, I feel a special sense of urgency about the importance of the proposed Muskie School. We need to train more young people--and older people--in the arts of democratic discourse and decision-making. We need to increase our understanding of political processes in an era of intense competition over resources, social and economic division, and rapid, ubiquitous communications. And we need to strengthen the links between thoughtful scholarship and education and the society at large. We must expand and accelerate our efforts to turn up the clear voice of civil discourse and turn down the volume of harsh and destructive rhetoric. Creating the Muskie School of Public Service will take a substantial capital investment. The University is actively exploring a capital campaign of $16.5 million to fund permanent endowment, new programs, and a new physical facility to house the school. Preparation for that campaign will require seed money to conduct a feasibility study, prepare materials, and support preliminary staff and volunteer efforts to get the campaign underway. I hope you will able to help with a contribution to the preliminary fund. A "Muskie alumni" volunteer will be calling you soon to discuss the first steps in the campaign and to ask for your assistance. I hope you will be able to help. It is important to me, because I believe the School can be a significant force in continuing the ideals of public service and the practical improvements in our society that you and I have worked so hard to achieve. Sincerely, To rusking Edmund S. Muskie In Washington: 1101 Vermont Ave. N.W., Suite #900, Washington, DC 20005-3521 Tel.: 202-289-3041 Fax: 202-289-3002 In Portland: 96 Falmouth Street, P.O. Box 9300, Portland, ME 04104-9300 Tel.: 207-780-4563 Fax: 207-780-4417