DIPLOMAT— Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice speaks about public service and civic engagement during the inaugural Gallegly Center Distinguished Speaker Series May 4 at Cal Lutheran University. MICHAEL COONSAcorn Newspapers
Speaking to a packed house inside CLU’s Gilbert Sports Arena on May 4, the former secretary of state under George W. Bush warned against taking a position of isolationism.
SHARING IDEAS—Condoleezza Rice addresses a packed house at CLU on May 4. Her talk touched on international and economic relations.
In addition, Rice said, the country helped other democratic nations or those building democracies to foster “democratic peace.”
GUEST OF HONOR—Former U.S. Rep. Elton Gallegly, a Simi Valley resident, laughs during Rice’s talk. Rice spoke after a dedication ceremony for the Elton and Janice Gallegly Center for Public Service and Civic Engagement at Cal Lutheran University. Photos by MICHAEL COONS/Acorn Newspapers
Rice, whose appearance kicked off the new Gallegly Center Distinguished Speaker Series, said that system of values is under attack, from forces outside (terrorism, including cyberterrorism), and from those within who don’t buy into the idea of elevating others.
“Our real strength has come not just in the assertion of our rights,” but from a sense of responsibility to others, she said.
The country’s 66th secretary of State, who served from 2005 to 2009, touched on a variety of subjects during her half-hour speech.
On rising from one’s station: “The bargain has always been you got the opportunity to fulfill your great potential.”
On equal opportunity: “Today, when I can look at your ZIP code and tell if you got a good education, can I really say, ‘It doesn’t matter where you came from, it matters where you’re going’?”
On the #MeToo movement: Women should learn to push back, “but let’s not turn women into snowflakes,” a statement she made first in January on CNN.
After leaving her post as the country’s top diplomat, Rice returned to Stanford University, where she had served as provost before joining the Bush administration. Today she teaches political science and serves as a director of the school’s Global Center for Business and the Economy.
After her prepared comments, Rice exchanged questions and answers with CNBC special correspondent Jane Wells, where she touched on President Trump’s then imminent decision about withdrawing from the Iran nuclear treaty—a treaty, she said, she would not have signed.
“The (Israeli) dossier tells us the depth of Iranian deception and lies . . . so the baseline was off,” she said. “I think we’ll be just fine if he tries to get out of it.”
Regarding North Korean relations, she said both Trump and former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson deserve credit for Kim Jong-Un’s announcement that the country has suspended missile tests and will shut down a nuclear test site, adding that she’s been impressed with what the president has accomplished so far.
“When (Trump) said he was going to meet with (Kim), I thought, ‘What is he doing?’ but then I thought, ‘Nothing else has worked so far.’”
As for economic relations with China, Rice said, a trade war can be a “net-net positive,” bringing growth for all involved, if we know where to stop.
Her appearance followed a dedication ceremony for the Elton and Janice Gallegly Center for Public Service and Civic Engagement’s physical space in CLU’s Pearson Library.
Named for former U.S. Rep. Elton Gallegly and his wife, the center is dedicated to preparing students to lead lives of public service. The nonpartisan center awards fellowships to undergraduates to cover tuition in the Master of Public Policy and Administration Program and experiential learning opportunities.
The center’s area of the library will serve as a hub for the Gallegly Fellows program and provide access to Gallegly’s archives, space for archival research and a replica of Gallegly’s office. The entire 1,187-square-foot area, which includes the 335-square-foot office replica, is open to library users as study and collaboration space.
No other Distinguished Speaker events have been announced.
High school student James Mekelson said he came to the talk with his mom with mixed emotions. He wanted to see a famous speaker and had respect for Rice’s service to the country, but his ideals are more closely aligned with the left and didn’t think he’d agree with anything she had to say, he said.
The 16-year-old said he was struck by some of the personal details Rice shared during her talk, like that she grew up in the segregated South and that her grandfather had been a sharecropper.
“I was surprised to hear her talk about wanting to help everyone get ahead, even if it’s for the end result of helping yourself,” he said. “I think it shows the different sides have more in common than you first think and we need to spend time talking with each other to kind of figure out what those things are.”
Achieving the confidence and strength America is losing will be difficult, but is doable, Rice said.
“It will take leaders who believe we are better off when others are better off too,” she said.