Howard H. Baker, Jr. Center for Public Policy
Encyclopedia
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
in Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
, is a non-partisan organization, which emphasizes better understanding of government and greater appreciation for the importance of public service. The Center strives to honor its namesake, Senator Howard H. Baker, Jr., and carry on his service to the people of Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
and America through education, research, and public programs.
Mission statement
"The Baker Center develops programs and promotes research to further the public's knowledge of our system of governance and of critical public policy issues, and to highlight the importance of public service. Areas of special interest include the media, energy, environment, the teaching of civics and history, political communications, national security, and the future of representative government. The Baker Center is and will remain a non-partisan institution. In all of our programs and activities, we seek to include and discuss many perspectives. In the best tradition of Howard Baker, the Center embodies his genuine respect for differing points of view. The Center neither advocates nor endorses specific policies or individuals. Instead, we serve as a forum for discussion, debate, education, and unbiased research."History
In 2001, the University of TennesseeUniversity of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
received a congressionally authorized Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) grant to create the center and begin its programming and operations. In January 2003, Alan Lowe began serving as executive director.
Baker Scholars
As part of the center's emphasis on education, it has instituted the Baker Scholars Program. Scholars are selected via an application and interview process conducted every January. Undergraduates must have a 3.5 GPA and graduate students must be in the upper third of their class.Modern Political Archives
The Howard H. Baker, Jr. Center for Public Policy and the University of Tennessee Libraries are partners in an effort to create the preeminent political archives in Tennessee and the Southeastern United States. The Modern Political Library & Archives (MPA) solicits and collects materials from political leaders of Tennessee, major associates of those leaders, and other individuals or groups who have had a major impact on Tennessee during the modern era (1945-present). The MPA holds many archival collections, including the papers of Senators Howard H. Baker, Jr., William Emerson Brock III, Estes KefauverEstes Kefauver
Carey Estes Kefauver July 26, 1903 – August 10, 1963) was an American politician from Tennessee. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the U.S...
, and Fred Dalton Thompson
Fred Dalton Thompson
Fred Dalton Thompson , is an American politician, actor, attorney, lobbyist, columnist, and radio host. He served as a Republican U.S...
. Also included are the collections of Congressmen John J. Duncan, Sr. and Howard Baker, Sr.
Howard Baker, Sr.
Howard Henry Baker, Sr. was a United States Representative from Tennessee. He was a member of the Republican Party.-Biography:Baker was born in Somerset, Kentucky in 1902 to James F...
, Congresswoman Irene Baker
Irene Baker
Edith Irene Bailey Baker was a United States Representative from Tennessee, the first woman to represent that state in the United States Congress as a member of the Republican Party...
, Tennessee Governors Don Sundquist
Don Sundquist
Donald Kenneth Sundquist is a former governor and congressman from Tennessee. A Republican, he served as the 47th Governor of Tennessee from 1995 to 2003...
and Winfield Dunn
Winfield Dunn
Bryant Winfield Culberson Dunn was the 43rd Governor of Tennessee, from 1971 to 1975.-Biography:Dunn was born in Meridian, Mississippi. He graduated from the University of Mississippi in 1950 with a B.B.A., and from the University of Tennessee Medical Units in Memphis in 1955 with a D.D.S. Dunn...
, and Tennessee State Senator Ben Atchley. The most recent donation to the MPA is Congressman Bob Clement
Bob Clement
Robert Nelson "Bob" Clement is a Tennessee politician and a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life:Clement is the son of former Governor Frank G. Clement...
's political papers. Also, the MPA has recently begun work on the Cordell Hull
Cordell Hull
Cordell Hull was an American politician from the U.S. state of Tennessee. He is best known as the longest-serving Secretary of State, holding the position for 11 years in the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt during much of World War II...
Project, in which it will collect and archive materials of the former Secretary of State and Nobel Prize winner.