Politician Mr. Matt Dunne ’88 served as the annual Adlai E. Stevenson II Lecturer with his speech entitled “Democracy in the Internet Age” on Tuesday, April 26.
The Adlai E Stevenson II ’18 Fellowship annually honors its namesake by bringing a strong political or humanitarian figure to campus for a lecture. In previous years, lectures have been about national security and political partisanship.
Beginning with statistics establishing how ingrained internet usage is in society today, compared to before the 1990s, Mr. Dunne used a variety of anecdotes and examples connected to his home state of Vermont or politics to illustrate the impacts of widespread internet usage on society.
Mr. Dunne shared, “I have had a career that bridged the worlds of information tech and politics, and I enjoy finding the intersection between the two. I also think it is interesting that this seismic change has taken place during the lifetime of the audience.”
The Adlai E. Stevenson II ’18 Fellowship annually honors its namesake by bringing a strong political or humanitarian figure to campus for a lecture. In previous years, lectures have been about national security and political partisanship. Mr. Dunne, who is campaigning for the 2016 elections for governor, describes himself as “a democrat who believes in the power of the market place, but also the importance of making sure there is an opportunity to succeed for all.” He attributes his opinions to his parents. Mr. Dunne’s father was a civil rights activist, and his mother was the first woman to gain tenure at Dartmouth College. “I couldn’t help but value equal rights for people and understanding that there is a role public can play in making sure people can succeed.”
He also cites the community in which he grew up as a major factor in his life. “I grew up in a small community that was socioeconomically diverse. The experience of being with people who came from all walks of life, but came together to make decisions about the town community, or to help out one another, definitely ingrained in me the importance of community.” He elaborated, “When I was 13 and my father passed away, the town of Hartland was there for my family, making sure we had meals delivered for weeks. That same community got me off to college and elected me to the legislature the same year I graduated.”
Describing Choate’s influence on his life, Mr. Dunne said, “The experience I had at Choate was one where I was encouraged to try different things. There wasn’t a regiment that you had to do to be accepted or respected. That approach allowed me to explore a number of different ways of engaging.” He continued, “I directed a play, I took classes that bridged history and politics and theatres and economics, I had the opportunity to go to the Soviet Union before the wall came down. This gave me an insight into what different government structures can lead to in society.” He also cited his economics and philosophy classes as “very helpful when thinking about large policy actions” and his experiences in theatre as an excellent way to improve his communication skills.
After attending Choate, Mr. Dunne earned a degree in public policy at Brown University. Mr. Dunne has served in both the Vermont House of Representatives and Senate. Additionally, President Clinton appointed Mr. Dunne as the director of AmeriCorp VISTA, an organization combating poverty.
Ms. Leigh Dingwall, along with the history department, was involved in selecting Mr. Dunne as this year’s fellow. She said she selected Mr. Dunne, “because of his longstanding public service and the fact that he is an alum. We also thought the fact that he’s currently running for governor of Vermont would be particularly compelling.” She coordinated the lecture, arranged the dinner prior to the lecture at which select students and Mr. Dunne mingled, and handled various other logistics.
In addition to selecting an Adlai E. Stevenson II Fellow, the history department gathers every year to select a Junior Fellow who gives an introduction to Adlai E. Stevenson prior to the Fellow’s lecture. This year’s Adlai E. Stevenson II Junior Fellow was Ben Wishnie-Edwards ’16. While most commended him for his thorough research in preparation for his speech and his ability to captivate the audience, some criticize the manner in which he presented his speech. Kate Moore ’17 said, “I thought that Wishnie-Edward’s opening statement was completely inappropriate. His personal opinions had no place in that setting.
However, she added,”I liked Mr. Dunne’s speech. The content of the speech was good, and it was interesting.”
