Education is the foundation of the American dream and the pathway to economic mobility. And higher education is the culmination of that dream. For many families, that dream comes at enormous cost and sacrifice. We go behind-the-scenes of a Bush Institute policy discussion as four of our experts tackle college affordability, public policy, and the topic that's the subject of water-cooler talk everywhere: college debt forgiveness.

Featuring:

• Holly Kuzmich, Executive Director of the Bush Institute
• Anne Wicks, Ann Kimball Johnson Director of Education and Opportunity
• Cullum Clark, Director at the Bush Institute-SMU Economic Growth Initiative
• Justine Taylor-Raymond, Deputy Director, Education

America is a diverse country.  Diverse in many senses of the word -- from race, to regionality, to religion, to political views, and all points in between.  Yuval Levin, director of social, cultural, and constitutional studies at AEI, explains that from the inception of our government to today, this diversity has been both the fundamental challenge to solve as well as its fundamental strength.

Related

• Freedom and Democracy at the Bush Institute

Gary Cohn, the 11th Director of the National Economic Council, former president and chief operating officer at Goldman Sachs, and current Vice-Chairman at IBM, struggled as a student because of dyslexia. But he tells us how the challenges he faced helped him learn about risk -- and how to not fear failure.

Related

• 2022 Forum on Leadership
• Bush Institute's work in economic growth

In 2019, as Dr. Deborah Birx was preparing PEPFAR budgets, she was looking at rich county-by-county infectious disease data in sub-Saharan Africa when word began circulating of a novel virus that could threaten the globe.  A few months later, as she moved into her role as White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator, she was able to take the  lessons she learned from years of experience in global health and brought them to the U.S. pandemic response.

Related

• Oral History of PEPFAR
• Global Health at the Bush Center
• Silent Invasion, published by Harper Collins

In America, your zip code can be a predictor of life expectancy. Gyasi Chisley, a 25-year health care executive, discusses health and equity-- and how we can work together to build better care in underserved zip codes.

• The Continual Struggle: Reflections on the Civil Rights Movement -- Engage at the Bush Center, presented by NexPoint
• Blueprint for Opportunity at the Bush Institute

As Americans, we're passionate about our country and its policies. We all want this to be the best place to live. And we might feel strongly that our solution or idea is the best one, leading to frustration when others don't see things the same way.  Bill Haslam, the Sammons Enterprises Fellow at the George W. Bush Institute, often had to make difficult decisions and tackle complex problems as Governor of Tennessee -- and reminds us that "sometimes, the other fella might be right."

Related

• Bush Institute Education and Workforce Pipeline data tool

As the Nobel Peace Prize recipient for 2020, the United Nations World Food Programme provides desperately needed rations to every corner of the globe, no matter how dangerous the situation.  Executive Director David Beasley leads the organization and shares what he has seen on the ground, why he won't give up the hope of eradicating hunger, and why we should all be united in joining him on the mission.

Related

• United Nations World Food Programme
• Bush Institute's work supporting Afghan women and girls

One of celebrated traditions in the White House is the annual transformation that takes place to celebrate the holiday season. Suzy Fields, an interior designer who volunteered at the White House, and Andi Ball, Chief of Staff to Mrs. Laura Bush in the White House, sat down with us to talk about the hard work -- and beauty -- that is Christmas at the White House.

Related

• Plan Your Visit to the Bush Center

While Major Matt Zeller was deployed to Afghanistan, an Afghan interpreter named Janis saved his life in combat.  Years later, Matt is still committed  to the Afghan people, working to help as many people like Janis and his family as he can.

Resources

• How to Support Afghanistan Refugees in North Texas
• Afghanistan Relief and Resources
• No One Left Behind