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About the Center
The Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement, established in honor of the late Senator and Saint John’s graduate Eugene McCarthy, promotes dialogue and engagement on politics, values, and public policy. The McCarthy Center facilitates creative and integrated learning opportunities through programming and experiential learning on and off-campus.
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In today’s era of “Crossfire” political reasoning and us-versus-them rhetoric, many young people are unfortunately steering away from political engagement.
The faculty and core group of students from the Center work diligently to create venues for constructive, responsible and interesting civic debate and engagement in community affairs.
Through lectures, scholarship opportunities, networking events, and public forums, the Center offers students meaningful opportunities to learn, connect, and engage with the issues that shape their communities.
Director Dr. Matt Lindstrom
Matt Lindstrom is the Edward L. Henry Professor of Political Science at St. John’s University/College of St. Benedict and the Director of the Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement at St. John’s University. He also serves as Co-Director for the CSB+SJU Washington D.C. Summer Study Program and Co-Director for the CSB/SJU Summer Leadership Fellows Program. In 2019, he led the CSB+SJU South Africa Semester Study Abroad Program.
He edited Encyclopedia of the U.S. Government and the Environment: History, Policy, and Politics, (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2011). He co-authored The National Environmental Policy Act: Judicial Misconstruction, Legislative Indifference, and Executive Neglect, (Texas A & M University Press, 2001) and co-edited Suburban Sprawl: Culture, Ecology, and Politics (Rowan and Littlefield, 2003). Lindstrom’s interest in experiential learning resulted in an essay titled, “What’s a Bus Ticket Got to do with my Political Science Class” which won a “Best Paper Award” from the American Political Science Association.
Prior to starting at CSB+SJU in 2005, Lindstrom taught at Siena College outside of Albany, NY for eight years. At Siena College, he chaired the Political Science department for two years, and with a small team of community members and family, he created the Troy Waterfront Farmers’ Market, a year-around entity with over 70 vendors.
Born in Willmar, MN, Matt graduated with a BA in Government from St. John’s University and in 1997 Matt received a Ph. D. in Political Science (with distinction) from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. Matt is the father of Isaac and Anna Lindstrom.
Joseph P. Farry Professor Dr. Brittany Merritt Nash
Brittany Merritt Nash is the Joseph P. Farry Professor of Public Policy and Civic Engagement at the College of St. Benedict and a faculty member in the History Department. She serves as co-director of The Great River Covenants Project, a multi-institution collaboration that investigates the history and legacies of racially restrictive covenants in Central Minnesota, and director of The Bahamas Oral History project, which documents stories from Bahamian people connected to CSB+SJU.
Brittany earned her Ph.D. in history at the University of South Florida, where she focused on the history of health and medicine in the Caribbean.
Her research has been supported by the Fulbright Program, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Folger Institute, and her work has been featured by Minnesota Public Radio, The Star Tribune, and St. Cloud Live.