Newsroom

 Here are some photos from the Sorensen Institute's 2008 Gala which was held on April 25 in Northern Virginia. The event was a great success, and we want to thank everyone who helped to make this memorable evening possible.

The Virginia General Assembly has honored the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership during this, the 15th anniversary of our founding. The Assembly passed a resolution praising the work of the Sorensen Institute and hailing it as the national model for bipartisan leadership training.

Delegates, alumni, and State Advisory Board members Jennifer McClellan and John Cosgrove presented a copy of the official resolution to State Board Chairman Barbara Fried (above) at our recent 2008 Gala.

We are proud that the resolution was co-patroned by every one of our sixteen alumni now serving in the Virginia General Assembly.

Click here to download an official copy of the resolution.

At the 2008 Gala we presented this video montage of Senator John Warner.

At the Sorensen Institute's 2008 Gala recently, we presented this slideshow in honor of Senator John Warner.

Enjoy!

An editorial in today's edition of the Roanoke Times praises the work of the Sorensen Institute. Titled, Civil Politics Shouldn't be an Oxymoron, the editorial reads in part,

By bringing together those with differing ideologies into the same classes, the institute has helped future leaders see issues from multiple perspectives...Americans deserve substantive campaigns. They deserve candidates who debate ideas rather than tear down their opponents with misleading attacks and slimey tactics. Sorensen has been doing what it can. Perhaps this PBS documentary, which will air in Charlottesville and Richmond later in the month and, we hope, across the nation later, will broaden the institute's reach.

Click here to read the full editorial.

The new PBS documentary about the Sorensen Institute is currently being previewed to select audiences of alumni and friends across Virginia. The reaction thus far has been very positive. As one Sorensen graduate who saw the documentary observed: "Applause, laughter and tears at all the right moments! We thoroughly enjoyed it and left wanting more."

The documentary will premiere in Richmond and Charlottesville on Wednesday, May 28 at 8pm. Broadcast dates in other Virginia markets and around the country have yet to be announced.

Click here to read news about the documentary.

We are proud to report that the Sorensen Institute's 2008 Gala in Northern Virginia this past Friday was a great success. We will have photos and video to share with you in coming days here in the Newsroom.

You can also check out some of the press coverage here and here.

And as soon as C-SPAN schedules its broadcast of the Sorensen Gala, we will put out the word.

We'd like to extend our sincere thanks to all the investors who support the work of the Sorensen Institute by sponsoring this year's Gala.

The following letter was mailed this past week from Bob Gibson, our new Executive Director, to all of Sorensen's board members and 1,000-plus alumni.

Dear Sorensen family,
 
      I am honored and privileged to find myself following Bill Wood and Sean O'Brien as the third executive director of the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership at the University of Virginia and feel a strong commitment to the soul of Sorensen. A political junkie who grew up in Arlington, I have had the good fortune the past 31 years to observe and report on Virginia's political life as a journalist.
 
      I love the spirit so apparent at Sorensen of service to community and to Commonwealth. This bipartisan passion -- both noble and infectious -- has spread across Virginia for 15 years thanks to the staff and more than 1,000 graduates of this thriving institution.
 
      I firmly believe that Virginia's politics can be strengthened and improved through the increased participation and understanding of folks who share Sorensen's spirit.
 
      Please allow me to join you in coming years in sharing that energy with the people in every corner of the Commonwealth. 
 
      Sincerely,
 
      (signed) Bob Gibson

FLASH: We confirmed late this afternoon that C-SPAN cameras will be joining us at the Sorensen Institute's 2008 Gala in Northern Virginia tomorrow night (Friday evening, April 25). The entire program will be taped for national broadcast at a later time.

At this year's Gala we are thrilled to honor U.S. Senator John Warner, the Honorary Chairman of our State Advisory Board, for his service to the nation and Virginia. Speakers will include Governors Holton, Robb, Baliles, Kaine, and of course Senator Warner. Our State Advisory Board Chairman Barbara Fried will moderate the evening's program.

The guest list also includes Senator Jim Webb and Governors Wilder, Allen, Gilmore, and Warner—making this the largest gathering of Virginia governors in the state's history.

We will post here in the Newsroom select photos and video excerpts from the Gala in coming days.

And as soon as we know the C-SPAN broadcast date and time, we will let you know.

Here is the third of three commercial spots now running in the Richmond and Charlottesville markets promoting the upcoming premiere of "Across the Aisle."