David Gergen, Inaugural Lecture: Wednesday, Feb. 11th, 2009 6:00pm C. Walsh Theatre

Television and the Internet have become indispensable tools for presidential leadership. In fact, the media are a primary institutional force an effective president must manage by cooperation, charm, and persuasion. The Obama administration’s future success will be partly measured by its ability to manage the media in order to communicate its legislative goals to the nation. David Gergen is an experienced journalist, presidential adviser, and sought-after political analyst. In this talk, he will share his views on how the media have an impact on our nation’s policy focus, what the Obama administration must do to ensure that the members of the media do not resist Obama’s goals, and lessons to be learned from presidential media greats, such as Roosevelt, and mistakes to avoid.

David Gergen is editor-at-large at U.S. News and World Report, a senior political analyst for CNN, a professor of public service at the Harvard Kennedy School and director of its Center for Public Leadership, and author of the best-selling book Eyewitness to Power: The Essence of Leadership, Nixon to Clinton. Gergen is a former advisor to Presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and Clinton.

Reservations will be accepted starting Jan. 26 at 617-720-7600.