James Madisons Montpelier We The People Spring 2015 | Page 14

WE THE PEOPLE

The Robert H. Smith Cen

BUILDING DEMOCRACY
The Center crossed a major milestone in 2015, having engaged over 42,000 people from all 50 states and
85 countries in its programs since 2003. The Center’s exponential growth is in large part being charged by
online educational resources, including online courses and ConText, a digital library providing free access
to the world’s greatest founding documents. The recent addition of 400 new documents to ConText has
resulted in a 450% increase in online traffic.

42,000 85
PEOPLE

NATIONS

ALL 50

U.S. STATES

New Partnership with Princeton and Penn
The Center’s scholar in residence, Lynn Uzzell,
Ph.D., has been selected as project coordinator for
“James Madison: Lessons in Leadership and Life,”
a three-year collaboration between The Montpelier
Foundation, the Robert A. Fox Leadership
Program at the University of Pennsylvania, and
the James Madison Program in American Ideals
and Institutions at Princeton University. Dr. Uzzell
also serves as adjunct faculty at James Madison
University and distinguished senior fellow at the
Fox Program at the University of Pennsylvania.

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Iraqi Cultural Ministry Visits
In partnership with the U.S. State Department, the
Center for the Constitution hosted 10 museum
officials and cultural ministers from Iraq for a
seminar on cultural preservation and museum
management. With plans to reopen museums
in Baghdad after more than a decade of closure,
the group spent three weeks touring America’s
top cultural institutions, including Colonial
Williamsburg, the Cleveland Museum of Art,
and Mesa Verde State Park. The group discussed
best practices for operating a “living museum,”
education, and outreach strategies that support
community engagement and financial stability.