President Bruininks on:

Access and Affordability

The Future of Higher Education

Human Capital and Economic Impact

Interdisciplinary Research and Innovation

Organizational Excellence

PreK-12 Education

Public Engagement

Transformational Leadership

About President Bruininks

About the Office of the President

News and Communications

Contact Us

Office of the President Home

2003 Children’s Summit–Opening Remarks

University of Minnesota
Robert H. Bruininks, President
May 30, 2003

I’d like to welcome all of you to Children’s Summit: Starting Strong, devoted to the early development of children.

It seems like whenever I see stories about children and youth in the media, or when I hear public discussion about kids, they’re often portrayed in a negative light.

Recently, I read about a frustrated religious leader who lamented that:
“Our earth is degenerate in these latter days. Children no longer obey their parents. They show disrespect for elders, gobble up their food at the table, and tyrannize their teachers. The end of the world is near.”

The speaker was an Egyptian Priest, and he made this complaint in about 2000 B.C. It’s interesting to see how little some public perceptions have changed in 4000 years.

All too often, in our own time, public dialogue about children and youth centers on what is wrong with them, or with their schools.

I have long been concerned about this focus on what is wrong with America’s kids, and the seeming lack of public awareness and interest in the problems that many children and families are facing. These issues seem to be steadily losing ground in the competition for public attention.

With an aging population that is increasingly more interested in health care and public safety than in the welfare of other people’s children, as evidenced by trends in public spending and media coverage of public issues, I fear that the erosion of public interest may continue.

The budget challenges faced by the nation, by almost every state, by local businesses and by individual families exacerbates the public’s tendency to turn inwards, as many find their own circumstances growing more precarious.

I believe that we must recognize and pay attention to what these trends are telling us. They challenge us to think creatively, and they challenge us to look to other than financial solutions to address problems youth and families face in our society.

They also challenge us to revisit public and private investment in support of children and families. When it comes to the future of our children, I believe that the stakes are very high today for our society: We must continue to ask ourselves whether the development of our children is an important national priority and whether we can do more to give our children a healthy start.

Discussing children and youth “at risk” often conjures up the image of kids who live in poverty, and it clearly cannot be denied that they are often our most vulnerable children.

But every child in our society is potentially “at risk”. A middle-class child living in a tree-lined cul-de-sac, who doesn’t have the 3 C’s that Marti discussed earlier—connection, competence and contribution—may face a greater likelihood of not reaching his full potential than the child of a working poor family whose parents read to him or her every night before bed.

Clearly, money does matter, but improving outcomes for our children and youth does not necessarily require new programs or more money. It does require us to take a fresh look at these issues, and to identify alternatives to what isn’t working, and to determine what hasn’t worked in the past.

It may be that, by doing something as simple as reaching a consensus on key strategies and communicating them to the public, we can effect many of the changes we are looking for.

I believe the University has an important role to play in this conversation, through offering a “neutral ground” where a wide range of opinions, experiences and strategies can be aired.

Throughout its history, the University of Minnesota has embraced public values and pursued public purposes in serving society. Active engagement in society is fundamental to our heritage and to our obligation as a public land grant institution.

Today, in the midst of difficult financial times, some may suggest that it is time to lessen our commitment to our public mission, and turn our attention inward.

I believe instead that we must strive to articulate a renewed commitment to our public mission, one that reflects the changing conditions of public higher education today and the needs of our society.

The cover story of the most recent Chronicle of Higher Education’s Chronicle Review, dated today, laments the increasing domination of market interests in higher education, at the expense of a commitment to the common good. Robert Zemsky, chair of the Learning Alliance, challenges public universities to address important public policy concerns, in addition to responding to the demands of students seeking degrees, and of private industry hoping to profit from research relationships. If public universities fail to balance these traditional obligations, he believes that “[w]hat is lost is the understanding that knowledge has other instrumental purposes, that ideas are important whether or not they confer personal advantage” (Zemsky, “Have We Lost the ‘Public’ in Higher Education?”, Chronicle Review, May 30, 2003).

The University of Minnesota embraces its role as a partner for the public good, and will continue to seek out opportunities to work with policymakers and community organizations on issues of mutual concern. Convening this conversation to address the core needs of Minnesota’s children, youth and families is consistent with our mission to improve the prospects and lives of all of the state’s citizens.

And it is a conversation that is long overdue. Today’s children and youth are tomorrow’s parents, teachers, workers and leaders. The quality of their experience of childhood will have a direct bearing on their ability to contribute as adults.

Today’s Children’s Summit, based upon conversations with state leaders over the past 9 months, is shaped around the idea of Starting Strong. There is growing and convincing evidence that the early development—physical, mental and emotional—of a child sets his or her direction for life.

But Starting Strong does not apply only to early childhood. At every new stage in the life of a child or youth—beginning school, reaching puberty, moving to a new community—the ability to start strong is dependent upon the quality of experiences and support that have brought him or her to that point.

Getting our children and youth off to a strong start is critically important, and has lifelong implications for them, and for all of us.

We live in an increasingly knowledge-based economy, and the need for a highly educated workforce is expected to grow during the course of this century, while the numbers of youth and working adults are expected to shrink.

Children whose education and physical and mental health are not addressed will likely be left behind, and each person who is left behind will contribute further to the scarcity of workers and erode the quality of our society.

Our effort, or lack of effort, to ensure the success of all of our children will have a strong and direct impact on all of our futures.

As we begin this Summit, I am reminded of my friend, Professor Mary McEvoy, and her legacy and commitment to helping children get a strong and healthy start in life. I know that many of you knew Mary, and those of us at the University can still feel her presence here. I was honored to give her eulogy, and as I told the crowd in Williams Arena that night, everything she did was connected to one central question—“What do we know, and how can we apply it to make life much better for our fellow human beings?”

Today, we will take on that question of what we know about providing every child and family with a strong start, and how we can apply that knowledge. We have four distinguished sets of panelists ready to tackle this challenge. Collectively, they bring to today’s discussion a wealth of perspectives from across the public and private sectors, and include practitioners, researchers, administrators, CEOs, and others committed to Minnesota’s children, youth and families.

Our first panel will examine what we know about how a strong start in early childhood plays out throughout a child’s life. Panel One will also discuss how families and communities can help children start and stay strong, and the consequences for children who miss out on critical early experiences.

The second panel will focus on identifying the lingering knowledge gaps that still prevent us from fully understanding the long-term consequences of early experiences. Panel Two will also address what prevents us from acting on all of the knowledge we already have.

Our third panel will discuss successful existing efforts to promote strong starts for children and families, and how these efforts can be built upon or expanded. Who has successfully rallied stakeholders across sectors, and what can we learn from them?

And our fourth and final panel will examine available resources—public and private, financial and other—that could be marshaled to ensure strong starts for all Minnesota children and families. Panel Four will also discuss how to move forward a statewide action plan and individual commitments to action.

I am pleased to have the University of Minnesota convene and play host to today’s Summit, but I realize that today is only a beginning. I hope that together we will build some consensus about what the next steps should be, and form alliances that will commit themselves to realizing these plans. If every child in Minnesota is to be given an opportunity to start strong, there is much serious work that must be done. I thank you for joining us today, and for your commitment to improving the childhoods and the futures of Minnesota’s children.

(back to top)