A Weekly Digest from the George W. Bush Presidential Center

April 25, 2025

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THE 2025 FORUM ON LEADERSHIP:
THE AMERICAN PROMISE

This week marked the Bush Center's eighth annual Forum on Leadership, themed The American Promise. Check out our favorite moments including inspiring comments from former U.S. Secretary of Defense Dr. Robert M. Gates, conversations about challenges facing higher education, and insights from News Not Noise Founder Jessica Yellin about the role of the media in our democracy today.

Read the top ten moments from this year's Forum on Leadership

Watch the highlights including Bush Center President and CEO Ken Hersh's opening remarks

American success stories

Conversation featuring Daniel Lubetzky, Founder of Builders Movement and KIND, Salim Asrawi, Co-Founder and President, Texas de Brazil, moderated by Anne Wicks, the Don Evans Family Managing Director of Opportunity and Democracy at the Bush Institute

View the Only in America conversation | Listen on Overheard at the Bush Center

The role of higher education in American democracy

Conversation with Dr. Ben Sasse, former President of the University of Florida and former U.S. Senator from Nebraska; SMU President Dr. R. Gerald Turner; and Dr. Melva Wallace, President and CEO of Huston-Tillotson University, moderated by Robin Berkley, the Ann Kimball Johnson Director of Education at the Bush Institute

Tune in to the Higher Education and Democracy conversation | Listen on Overheard at the Bush Center

Freedom of the press is foundational to our nation

Conversation featuring Martin Baron, former Executive Editor of The Washington Post, and Jessica Yellin, Founder of News Not Noise, moderated by Nicole Bibbins Sedaca, the Kelly and David Pfeil Fellow at the Bush Institute

See the Restoring Trust in the Media conversation | Listen on Overheard at the Bush Center

Ken Hersh and Emmanuel Acho in conversation

Community gathering with Emmanuel Acho, former NFL player, #1 New York Times bestselling author, sports analyst, and thought leader, and Ken Hersh, President and CEO of the Bush Center

This event was free thanks to the support of SMU, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, Texas Instruments, and NexPoint

Watch the Community Conversation

In Case You Missed It

Further News, Analysis, and more from the Bush Center

Millennium Challenge Corporation Has Advanced American Interests for More than Two Decades
Article by David J. Kramer, Executive Director of the Bush Institute, and Monica Kladakis, Senior Advisor at the Bush Institute

The 2025 Forum on Leadership in photos
See highlights from the Bush Center's landmark event

Robert Edsel – Remembering our fallen service members from WWII to modern times
New Strategerist podcast episode featuring New York Times bestselling author

The policy implications of the IRS-ICE data sharing agreement
Article by Laura Collins, Director of the Bush Institute-SMU Economic Growth Initiative at the Bush Institute

Join us for the seventh annual Laura Bush Book Club featuring Amor Towles
One of Mrs. Bush's favorite authors, Towles wrote A Gentleman in Moscow, Table for Two, and other New York Times bestsellers which will be featured at the May 8 Engage at the Bush Center, presented by NexPoint event

Faith in the face of Russian repression: Ukrainian pastor Mykhailo Brytsyn
Article by Abbey Batchelder, Associate of Global Policy at the Bush Institute

Cutting State Department funding would hurt America and help our adversaries
Article by Nicole Bibbins Sedaca, the Kelly and David Pfeil Fellow at the Bush Institute

UPCOMING AT THE BUSH CENTER

Don't miss these special Events

Engage at the Bush Center, presented by NexPoint events

Laura Bush Book Club with author Amor Towles
Highland Park United Methodist Church
May 8 | 6:30 p.m. CT

Also happening at the Bush Center

Guided tours of the Laura W. Bush Native Texas Park
Park tours are made possible with support from the family of Susan S. Fischer
Saturdays through May 31 (weather permitting) | 10 a.m. CT

Situation Room Presentations
Fridays | 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. CT
Saturdays | 11 a.m., 12 p.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. CT
Sundays | 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. CT
Mondays | 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. CT

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About the George W. Bush Presidential Center

Located on the SMU campus in Dallas, Texas, the George W. Bush Presidential Center is a nonpartisan institution advancing the timeless values of freedom, opportunity, accountability, and compassion. The Bush Center comprises the George W. Bush Presidential Museum and the George W. Bush Institute, a solution-oriented policy organization focused on ensuring opportunity for all, strengthening democracy, and advancing free societies through policy solutions and public engagement. The Bush Center also houses the George W. Bush Presidential Library, operated by the National Archives and Records Administration, which provides access to official documents and artifacts from the George W. Bush Administration.

George W. Bush Presidential Center
2943 SMU Boulevard
Dallas, Texas 75205