DU's Strategic Issues Program

Poll: How do you think Colorado is doing?

2010-11-17T12:59:00.001-07:00

Strategic Issues Program to study the future role of state governments

2010-09-16T15:19:00.003-06:00

The University of Denver’s Strategic Issues Program (SIP) has assembled a panel of 21 experts in industry, advocacy, government and academia to develop recommendations for state government operations in the 21st century, Program Director Jim Griesemer announced Aug. 11.

During a news conference at the Colorado state Capitol in Denver, Griesemer said virtually all state constitutions were developed in the 18th and 19th centuries. Over time, the relationships between state, municipal and federal governments have evolved. And now, in the 21st century, states are saddled with myriad roles and are struggling in difficult economic times.

“The question is, ‘How do states deal with this new normal?’” Griesemer said. “Are there some things states are doing that they just don’t need to do?”

The panel will meet about twice a month through February to hear from leaders in virtually every aspect of state government operations. The first panel meeting will be Aug. 12, when panelists will hear from Charlie Brown, director of the DU Center for Colorado’s Economic Future, and Todd Saliman, director of the Colorado Governor’s Office of State Planning and Budgeting.

Brown’s center was asked by the state Legislature to examine Colorado’s revenue streams and funding mechanisms this year. The report is due to lawmakers by February.

Griesemer said that while the SIP panel will look at state revenues, its recommendations will address a broader spectrum of issues.

“There is a much more interesting and important question to address, and that is, ‘What is the role of state governments?’” Griesemer said. “If one were starting over, what would a state government do?”

Griesemer said the final report and recommendations will be available to policy leaders, lawmakers and the public next summer. The report is expected to address what services states should provide, what roles could be privatized and what roles could be shared with nonprofits and faith-based organizations. Nothing is off the table, he said.

“The panel has the luxury of working outside the box,” he said. “It’s a pretty large and pretty ambitious undertaking.”

The study is the fifth large-scale effort tackled by an SIP panel. Previous studies have examined and made recommendations on immigration, water use, and the state’s economic future.

Chancellor Robert Coombe said this year’s study will cover an extremely broad issue and have the freedom to pursue and examine whatever issues affect state governments.

“It’s going to be a fascinating, fascinating year,” he said.

A complete list of public meetings and a full list of speakers and panelists is online.

Live Chat Today at Noon (MST)

2009-12-10T10:33:00.001-07:00

Immigration Reform

Release of the 2009 Strategic Issues Panel Report on Immigration

2009-12-09T14:50:00.004-07:00

Today, the University of Denver released its year-long report on immigration.

Read the report

Over the past year, the University of Denver Strategic Issues Program brought together a nonpartisan panel of business, civic and academic leaders to study the issue in depth and develop recommendations. Panel members received some 30 presentations from individuals in academia, government, business, labor, law enforcement, education, health care and other fields.

Watch videos of speaker presentations

The result is the report: Architecture for Immigration Reform: Fitting the Pieces of
Public Policy. The report is comprehensive and specific. It contains 25 recommendations dealing with basic reform of the immigration system, illegal immigration, employment verification, use of national identification cards, English language proficiency, borderenforcement, visa simplification, family unification and many other topics.

As you read this report, you will find that in spite of the many dimensions of the issue and
the disparate perspectives brought to the table by the panel members, a thoughtful, factbased
approach did indeed bring consensus.

We hope that the work of the panel and the ideas presented in this report will stimulate similarly civil, thoughtful, fact-based debate among the public at large and its representatives in government, such that this broader conversation might lead to a consensus for action.

February 26, 2009 Immigration Issues Panel Meeting

2009-06-15T11:29:00.004-06:00

Don Mares, the Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment and Ann Morse, the Program Director of the Immigrant Policy Project for the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) addressed DU’s Strategic Issues Panel on Immigration on Thursday, February 26, 2009.

Mares reminded the panel that immigration is a sign of a good country—people want to come here. However, because the federal government has failed to adequately deal with the issue, states are forced to address and deal with immigration, particularly illegal immigration.

Unfortunately, like many state departments who are forced to enforce state and national immigration laws, the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment has limited resources and personnel. His department has a direct role in enforcing Colorado’s HB 06-5 1017, passed during the 2006 special legislative session. The bill requires documentation and affirmation that employers have checked their employee’s immigration status. The Department of Labor is responsible for performing audits of employers. Given the Department’s lack of resources, Mares said, it focuses on employer education to assist Colorado’s employers in complying with the law.

Ann Morse of NCSL put forth the idea that state and local governments have a role in assimilating immigrants into their communities, specifically by assisting with language acquisition.

She described some of the recent state legislation re: immigration nationwide. Many states, she explained, are reacting to the federal government’s failure to reimburse them for the costs they’ve incurred in enforcing federal immigration laws. Individual states have also addressed the higher education and health care needs of illegal immigrant children. Of particular interest to states was 2005’s REAL ID Act which imposed requirements for state-issued drivers licenses and id cards.

Don Mares’ and Ann Morse’s full presentations can be viewed from the Strategic Issues Panel’s website: www.du.edu/issues

2/12/2009: Interview with Josh Bernstein - Immigration Director, SEIU (Service Employees International Union)

2009-06-15T11:12:00.003-06:00

On Thursday, February 12, 2009, DU’s Strategic Issues Panel on Immigration heard from business and labor representatives.

Josh Bernstein, the Immigration Director for the SEIU (Service Employees International Union) told the panel that there is broad agreement that current situation is a human rights and bureaucratic nightmare. Not only is the current system impractical, but it is inconsistent with our values.

As a fact of life, immigration itself isn’t good or bad, he reminded the panel.

Like Chuck Berry, Bernstein reiterated that immigration to the U.S. would probably decline due to the waning performance of our economy.

Immigrants represent 12% of the U.S. population. They and their families are interwoven into our society. They represent 15% of the U.S. workforce and 20% of the low-wage workforce.

He presented the questions: “Why have there been so many immigrants and why is the system broken?”

In terms of percentage of our population, the U.S. does not have the highest number of immigrants.

Migration happens on a global scale and displaced populations result from destabilization in countries and regions all over the world. The U.S. is not the only country dealing with the fact of immigration.

Our response has been to try to control the numbers of immigrants. This approach has resulted in the professionalization of immigrant smugglers, Bernstein said. Whereas there once was a circular migration flow between the U.S. and Mexico, current U.S. immigration policies make it harder to leave. It then becomes more expensive and dangerous for Mexican workers to come here. Even though 40% of our illegal immigrant population have overstayed their visas, we have militarized our border and expanded prisons.

He provided the panel with an alternate approach: managing immigration. This vision would include:

 Earned legalization
 Investment in education – language support, job training, education
 Integration for migrants into society and economy

You can hear and see more of Josh Bernstein’s presentation to DU’s Immigration issues Panel here.

2/12/2009: Interview with Chuck Berry – President, Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry (CACI)

2009-06-15T10:57:00.005-06:00

On Thursday, February 12, 2009, DU’s Strategic Issues Panel on Immigration heard from business and labor representatives.

Chuck Berry, President of the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry (CACI) presented his ideas for immigration policy reform.

In 2007, he said, CACI adopted the U.S .Chamber of Commerce's policy on immigration, which includes the following points:

- Increase national security
- Support the employee verification program
- Support a temporary worker program
- Recruit foreign workers when domestic workers are unavailable
- Provide a legal pathway to citizenship
- Require English language proficiency

The vast majority of employers, Berry said, don’t knowingly employ illegal immigrants. And while some states require the use of E-Verify, employers may operate in several states. Employers don’t want to enforce immigration laws set at the national and state levels.

He also recommended the use of a tamper-proof identification card which would help employers ensure they are hiring legally eligible workers. Such an ID card would use the technology we have available but which we aren’t now using to enforce immigration laws.

You can watch Chuck berry’s full presentation here.

1/29/2009: Interview with Blake Pendergrass, Organizer, FRESC

2009-06-15T10:38:00.004-06:00

On Thursday, February 12, 2009, DU’s Strategic Issues Panel on Immigration heard from business and labor representatives.

Blake Pendergrass, an organizer with FRESC (formerly the Front Range Economic Strategy Center) reminded the panel that immigration happens on a global scale, and whereas money is allowed to flow freely across borders, people are not allowed to follow.

The labor and immigrant rights movements have been closely aligned since the 1880s. Unions, he said, must organize the most vulnerable workers to raise standards for all workers.

He advocated rational visa requirements which could be set by the Department of Labor annually to better meet the needs of employers and employees.

He also mentioned that unions generally oppose a guest worker program that limits worker rights and fails to provide immigrants a path to citizenship.

Attend a Strategic Issues Panel on Immigration Meeting

2009-04-17T14:51:00.005-06:00

Members of the public are encouraged to attend Immigration Issues Panel meetings. However, you must rsvp.

Generally, three speakers present at each meeting. The meetings start promptly at 8am and end at noon.

The speakers are presenting to our panel members who will be seated around the conference table. Typically, anyone not on the panel is asked to observe and refrain from participating in the discussion.

Parking: It is recommended you avoid street parking since it’s typically limited to one hour. Click here for a map of public parking around campus. DU is also accessible via the lightrail and bus routes (for more information contact RTD).

1/29/2009: Interview with Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture John Stulp

2009-04-17T14:40:00.003-06:00

John Stulp, Colorado’s Commissioner of Agriculture, addressed the panel on the impact of immigration on the agricultural community. There is a tremendous need for seasonal workers, he said, in Colorado and other states. Colorado needs an estimated 9,000 seasonal workers annually. As fewer Americans work in the agricultural business, agribusiness reliance on migrant workers and foreign workers increases. Working with the Department of Labor, the Colorado Department of Agriculture developed a pilot program to bring seasonal workers to Colorado to try to meet the needs of farmers. The program was inspired by a similar program in Canada. The idea is to bring transparency to the agents that bring seasonal foreign workers to the state, to expedite visa paperwork, and to hold agents accountable for foreign workers to return to their home country after the season, thus relieving the local systems of the costs associated with a new population.

Watch John Stulp's presentation here.

Watch Jim Griesemer, Director of the University of Denver's Strategic Issues Panel on Immigration, interview Commissioner Stulp here.

1/29/2009: Interview with Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce President & CEO, Joe Blake

2009-04-17T14:35:00.002-06:00

President and CEO of Denver’s Metro Chamber of Commerce Joe Blake discussed why immigration is so vital to the businesses in Colorado. Our panel, he said, has a historic opportunity to talk about the issue. In a robust economy, immigration drives the economy. Now that the economy has all but collapsed in many sectors, the panel has an opportunity to examine and discuss the topic in a helpful way.

Watch Joe Blake's presentation to the Immigration issues Panel here.

Watch Joe Blake's Interview here.

1/29/09 Speaker: Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, Jr.

2009-04-17T14:31:00.003-06:00

On Thursday, January 29, 2009, Gov. Bill Ritter addressed the DU Immigration Issues Panel. (Click on the picture above to watch his presentation.)

Colorado Governor Bill Ritter describes the complexity of the issue of immigration. The topic is multi-layered with overlapping effects on our economy, health care system, education system and social policy. He applauds the University of Denver for tackling the issue from an academic perspective. “It’s so easy for people to speak ill of illegal immigrants,” said the Governor, “without really understanding all these difficult and complicated layers.” He addresses the need for a reasoned approach to immigration and expresses looking forward to our panel’s recommendations to the state and country.

Watch Jim Griesemer, Director of DU's Strategic Issues Program, interview Governor Ritter here.

1/8/2009: Interview with Immigration Attorney Ann Allott

2009-04-17T14:29:00.001-06:00

"Our legal immigration system at this moment is broken," says immigration attorney Ann Allott. The visa numbers have remained virtually the same since 1952. There are not enough visas issued every year to meet the demand for people to legally come to the U.S. For example, of the 1 million visas issued every year, 250,000 are employment-based. However, let’s say an architect is issued a work visa, his wife and children are also issued visas from the work-based pool. One step toward a meaningful solution to the inadequacies of the present system, Ann believes, would be to have a Presidentially-appointed board to determine the visa numbers on a yearly basis.

Click image to watch video

1/8/2009: Interview with U.S. Attorney Troy Eid

2009-04-17T14:28:00.002-06:00

U.S. Attorney Troy Eid stresses the distinction of the types of people who are here in the U.S. illegally. Although they entered the U.S. illegally, the majority of the people working and living in the U.S. illegally are law-abiding. Given the economics of our country, people working here illegally will be here, like it or not. What we need to do from a security and law enforcement viewpoint is identify the people who are here. Identifying people should include a background check which will help ensure that criminals are kept out of the U.S.

Click image to watch video

1/8/2009: Interview with Colorado Attorney General John Suthers

2009-04-17T14:26:00.002-06:00

Colorado’s Attorney General John Suthers says that while the U.S. could and should do a better job with border security, our border will never be totally secure. One of the problems he identifies is that U.S. policy is not dealing with the economic reality of the demand for non-citizen workers. The number of work permits allowed currently is “wholly inadequate” which then creates the demand for illegal workers. From a law enforcement perspective, he stresses that ICE and other enforcement agencies need more resources; that Americans need to understand and approve the costs involved in improving border security; and that the public also needs to understand that not all local law enforcement officers have the authority to detain suspected illegal immigrants.

Click image to watch video

1/7/2009: Interview with Professor and Author Peter H. Schuck

2009-04-17T14:24:00.001-06:00

Professor Schuck describes the 5 key areas for effective immigration policy: enforcement, amnesty or a path for legal status, an effective guest worker program, revamping the green card system to address the need for workers, and the role of state and local governments in enforcing immigration policy.

Click image to watch video

Colorado State of Mind: Immigration and Our Work Force

2008-12-14T16:52:00.007-07:00

Since we announced our topic of immigration for our program beginning in January, we've drawn a good deal of attention from both the public and the media. Over the weekend, the Director of our program, Jim Griesemer, appeared on Colorado State of Mind on PBS. The show also hosted former Governor Dick Lamm, immigration attorney Amy DeVan, and the Director of HISMinistries, Rev. Stan Perea.

As host Cynthia Hessin explained, “the reform of U.S. immigration policy is still very high in the minds of many Americans, especially those employers who depend on imported labor, the activists who are alarmed at rising population numbers, and certainly with anyone who is concerned about whether current immigration law is being enforced.”

However, our policies and approaches toward the problem of immigration in the U.S. don’t have much coherence. The show’s guests all seemed to agree that there are several problems with immigration law as it stands.

In approaching the problem, though, “it seems to be a subject where everyone talks past everyone else,” said Jim. The multitude of competing opinions and viewpoints is part to blame for the lack of coherent immigration policy.

Cynthia asked Jim how next year’s Immigration Issues Panel plans to discuss the issue.

“[U]ltimately you can’t create any policy without some clarity in terms of what you’re trying to achieve. I think and hope that one of the things our panel will really focus on is “what are the goals?”…something has to be more important than something else, otherwise you end up with mutually exclusive outcomes. You have to decide what’s most important and I hope our panel will do that.”

Amy DeVan and Jim Griesemer

The Future of Immigration: Colorado and the Nation

2008-11-16T22:26:00.006-07:00

On Friday, we officially announced our topic for next year: immigration. Without a doubt, immigration is one of the most difficult and challenging issues facing Colorado and the nation. Partly so because debate on the subject tends to spark passion without necessarily bringing to light the facts and reality surrounding this complex issue.

Watch the video of our announcement here

It is the goal of our program to find a pathway through this complicated issue. As an institution of higher learning, the University of Denver has a responsibility and an obligation, as Chancellor Coombe said, to address these types of key issues facing Colorado.

Our process includes assembling a non-partisan panel of accomplished and respected Colorado citizens who will discuss the issue based on the information they receive as a member of our panel. The result will be based on the consensus of this varied group, and our hope is that their findings and recommendations will provide a framework with which policy makers can address immigration.

Our program will bring in speakers who will present to the panel in meetings that will run from January to May. Our speakers include current and past state officials (Governor Ritter, Mayor Hickenlooper, Gov. Lamm, Gov. Owens), attorneys, law enforcement officials, advocates, hospital and school administrators, and business and labor representatives, among others. Our goal is to bring in speakers from all sides of the debate to present our panel with the facts on which to base their findings.

As Jim Griesemer, the Director of our program explained at the announcement, “The issue of immigration must be solved.” Our mission is to start with the problem rather than the solution.

Press Conference Announcing the 2009 Strategic Issues Program

2008-11-03T16:34:00.007-07:00

Join us Friday, November 14, 2008 for our press conference announcing the 2009 Strategic Issues Program.

Where: West Foyer, Colorado State Capitol

When: 10:00am

Media and members of the public are encouraged to attend. Click here to RSVP.

Announcing the 2009 Strategic Issues Panel

2008-10-21T10:35:00.007-06:00

We will announce the topic, panel members, speakers and schedule for next year's Strategic Issues Panel on Friday, November 14, 2008 at 10 a.m. at the Colorado State Capitol. More information will be posted soon!

Past panels have examined economic and fiscal issues facing the state, strategies for creating a sustainable water future, and processes for revising Colorado’s Constitution. (Click here to read past panel reports on these topics.)

As with past panels, next year's topic promises to address an important public policy issue facing Colorado and the nation as a whole.

While presentations are made to the panel members who will engage in discussions about the issue, the public and media are encouraged to attend and observe panel meetings. You must rsvp to attend a panel meeting.

Purpose of DU's Strategic Issues Program

2008-10-21T10:02:00.002-06:00

Each year since 2004, the University of Denver has established a panel of distinguished Colorado citizens to examine an important public policy issue facing our state. Past panels have examined economic and fiscal issues facing the state, strategies for creating a sustainable water future, and processes for revising Colorado’s Constitution.

Whatever the topic, the purpose of all strategic issues panels is to study a critical public issue and provide non-partisan recommendations that raise the level of public awareness and provide a basis for informed policy deliberations. The goal is to raise the visibility of important issues with the media, legislators and the public and to develop thoughtful recommendations that reflect the collective insight of panel members. This is achieved through an open process of informed discourse and consensus-based decision making.

As an educational and research institution, the role of the University of Denver is to examine issues, raise the level of public awareness, and encourage informed public discussion. What the University does not do is advocate particular policy positions, even those recommended by the Strategic Issues Panels. In brief, the role of the University is to inform, not advocate.