Though the academic year is over, our PAIR affiliates are staying busy this summer! Grad students Jasper Neath and Erin Fisher presented at the 2026 State Politics and Policy Conference, and Ayoung Chun was recognized for Best Graduate Student Paper. Congratulations to all who presented!

Last week, PAIR was joined by Indiana Governor Mike Braun for a discussion focused on focused on public leadership and effective lawmaking. We are grateful for the governor's time, and are looking forward to continuing discussions on improving the effectiveness of our nation’s institutions!

Attending the MPSA next weekend? Join PAIR for a series of engaging events throughout the weekend, including a mixer in partnership with the Unite America Institute, and a roundtable discussion focused on legislative oversight and evidence-based policymaking. Details for both events below!

If you weren't able to make last week's lecture by Dr. John Dearborn, we've got you covered! Thanks to a cosponsorship by the Cornerstone Institute for Civic Thought, we were able to record the talk and the questions that followed. The link to the recording can be found below! youtu.be/NXy9sRhTMao

Politics in PAIR-Spective: Presidential Power after the Rights Revolution, with Dr. John Dearborn

YouTube video by Program on American Institutional Renewal (PAIR)

youtu.be

In our most recent PAIR lecture series, Dr. John Dearborn gave a talk into the rights revolution, revealing how civil rights regulation in the 20th century led to presidential power increases related to executive agency oversight. Thank you Dr. Dearborn for an insightful discussion!

We are now just 4 days away from Presidential Power after the Rights Revolution, a PAIR-Spective lecture by Dr. John Dearborn! Join us this Friday as Dr. Dearborn unpacks the impacts of civil rights enforcements on the American presidency, and the effects that we still see today.

Our second PAIR-Spective Lecture Series is official! On March 27th at 6:00 PM, we'll be joined by Dr. John Dearborn of Vanderbilt University as he discusses his insights on the impact of civil rights enforcement on presidential and agency power. This event is free and open to the public!

A few highlights from Dr. Tam’s talk last week! She shared incredibly valuable insights, and gave thoughtful answers to the questions from the crowd. Stay tuned for future PAIR-spective lectures and events!

Reminder: PAIR's first Lecture Series of the semester is tomorrow! Join us in Pfendler 241 to hear about Dr. Wendy Tam's research on legislative redistricting. This event is free and open to the public!

Redistricting has been a hot topic this past year, but what do fair maps actually look like? Join the Program on American Institutional Renewal (PAIR) for our first event of 2026: A lecture on the values, trade-offs, and future of redistricting, given by Dr. Wendy Tam of Vanderbilt University!