Yale Bulletin and Calendar

April 5, 2002

Volume 30, Number 24

David Gergen

Counselor to U.S. presidents offers
advice to tomorrow's leaders

In the first of three Castle Lectures in Ethics, Politics and Economics, former presidential adviser David Gergen '63 advocated that a mandatory national service program be established for college-aged students.

Such a program would help "weave a stronger social fabric" in an America that is culturally divided, said Gergen, the public service professor of public leadership at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and editor-at-large of U.S. News & World Report.

In his Castle Lecture on March 28, Gergen said that all young people should devote at least one year to public or military service. Those who opt for public service should spend the first six months of that time in physical training, after which they would engage in work for the public good, he proposed.

Gergen's Castle Lectures are on the theme "The Leader's Journey: Some Thoughts for the Next Generation." An adviser to four U.S. presidents and director of communications for President Ronald Reagan, he spoke in his first lecture about generational changes in national leadership during the last century and advised the student members of his audience about how they can prepare themselves to be the next generation of leaders.

Approximately every 30 years, the baton of leadership in national affairs is passed from one generation to the next, Gergen told his audience. Influenced by the events and experiences of their growing-up years, each of these generations goes on to shape America's course, he said. In the 20th century, the baton changed hands three times, and each time American politics were "massively" transformed, commented Gergen, who is also a member of the Yale Corporation.

The inauguration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt marked the first generational change in leadership in that century, noted Gergen. He and the other national leaders over the next 30 years -- Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, George Marshall, Dean Acheson, Douglas MacArthur and others -- had similar backgrounds and shared the traditional 19th-century values of "hard work, discipline, self-sacrifice and service to others," Gergen said.

Called the "missionary generation" because of its ideals of duty and self-sacrifice, this generation was predominately defined by World War I, Gergen said, noting that most of the leaders had served in the war and were later forced to grapple with economic depression in the country during the 1930s.

"This was the finest generation of public leaders we have known since Lincoln," said Gergen.

The second generational change in leadership came in 1961, when President John F. Kennedy became president. This new generation -- lasting from Kennedy to George H.W. Bush -- also shared some common experiences and values in that they were all born to families that were hard hit by the Depression, they served in the military, and they had World War II as their "crucible" or defining moment, explained Gergen.

Gergen characterized this generation of leaders, sometimes called the "civic generation," as one which had a strong sense of pride and confidence in what the country could achieve.

"They shared a contagious optimism about what we could be," said the Harvard professor. "They were 'can do': 'Let's go to the moon, win the Cold War' ..."

While not rated quite as highly as the preceding generation by historians and analysts, this generation "looks increasingly significant in hindsight" for its accomplishments, Gergen said.

The third and newest generation of leaders -- which began with President Bill Clinton -- came of age in the 1960s, at a time when traditional values were "under assault," recalled Gergen. This newest crop of leaders generally grew up in the suburbs without ever having faced serious economic hardship and experienced "a decade of sex, drugs and rock and roll," he said.

The defining event of this generation's growing-up years, he added, was the Vietnam War, which "tore this generation asunder" and caused a national breach "that has never been repaired."

"In sharp contrast to those earlier generations, this Vietnam generation came of age without common values and without common sacrifice," said Gergen, noting that while about 70% of members of previous generations chose to serve in the military, only 25% of the Vietnam generation did so.

"The leaders of this generation never joined together to face an external enemy and never experienced the thrill of a nation triumphant because we lost the [Vietnam] war," Gergen told his audience.

Some historians have criticized this newest generation of leaders -- which in addition to Clinton includes such national figures as Tom Daschle, Richard Gephardt, Trent Lott, Dick Armey and Al Gore -- as being the weakest in decades, according to Gergen. However, he said, "they work hard and care about their country," and have had a "much more positive attitude about the rights of minorities, women and the needs of the environment."

Gergen believes it is still too early to make a final judgement about this latest crop of leaders, saying that it is his hope the war against terrorism will allow them "to grow in strength, purpose and unity."

An imperative for the next generation of leaders, he said, will be to help unite the nation for the common good. He called for the creation of "a new culture of service," which would be demonstrated by the national service program for young people, allowing them to work in national parks, hospitals and schools, and with the elderly and the poor, among other activities.

Gergen said that future leaders also need to begin thinking about how to "re-weave the fabric of community."

"We've spent so many years enjoying an economic boom and genuflecting before the gods of power that we've forgotten how to care for our neighbors," Gergen stated.

The young college students who will be the nation's next generation of leaders show great potential, Gergen believes.

"This generation is much more interested in moral import, is better anchored in traditional values and is more committed to social change than any to come before," he explained. "They do care. If anything, I think the big issue for them is not whether to make a difference but how."

Gergen's second Castle Lecture was on April 4. The final lecture will take place on Thursday, April 11, 4-5:30 p.m. in Rm. 119 of William L. Harkness Hall, located at the corner of Wall and College streets. The public is invited to the free event.

-- By Susan Gonzalez

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