Scholars to Scrutinize Reagan's Presidency

During his eight years as president, Ronald Reagan was immensely popular with the American public. But two decades later, how do historians view the administration of the Great Communicator?

At a conference on the Reagan presidency that will be held on campus March 28 through 30, some of the nation's leading authorities on the Reagan Administration will take a second-generation look at the Reagan White House, its performance, and its legacy.

"We hope that people who attend the conference will encounter some new discoveries about the Reagan presidency and come away with a sense of how scholars, more than a decade after the close of the Reagan era, now evaluate and interpret his presidency," said W. Elliot Brownlee, a UCSB professor of history and co-organizer of the conference.

More than 80 professors from across the country will participate in 24 workshops. Topics range from President Reagan's leadership, personality, and style, to his policies on civil rights, national security, welfare, and women's rights. Three plenary sessions on March 28 will feature keynote talks by historian James T. Patterson, from Brown University (9 a.m., Corwin Pavilion); Lou Cannon, a retired journalist who covered the Reagan White House for the Washington Post and wrote the Reagan biography, "To the Best of His Ability: The Reagan Presidency" (4 p.m., Corwin Pavilion); and Richard V. Allen, who advised Reagan on foreign policy and national security (6:30 p.m., Faculty Club).

The conference is open to the public at a cost of $10 a day, except for the two sessions on March 30, admission to which is $5. Those planning to attend must register. Registration is available on-line along with other conference material at www.ihc.ucsb.edu/reagan.

Vanderbilt University historian and political scientist Hugh Davis Graham is the other conference organizer.

An expert in the history of governmental finances, Brownlee and Eugene Steuerle of The Urban Institute will present a paper titled, "The President as Accidental Reformer: Tax Policy during the Reagan Administration."

Other presenters include Martha Derthick and Steven M. Teles (University of Virginia), "Reagan and Social Security;" Alice O'Connor (UCSB), "The Reagan 'Blueprint' for Welfare Reform;" Samuel F. Wells, Jr., (associate director, The Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars) "Reagan, Euromissles, and Europe;" Ted V. McAllister (Pepperdine), "Ronald Reagan and the Transformation of American Conservatism:" and Jeffery K. Stine (Smithsonian Institution), "Environmental Policy during the Reagan Administration."

Other UCSB professors taking part in the conference are Nelson Lichtenstein, Frederik Logevall, and Mario Garcia of history; Eric R. Smith, John Woolley, M. Stephen Weatherford, and Lorraine McDonnell of political science; Eileen Boris of women's studies; and Stephen DeCanio of economics.