Class of '62 Student Enrichment Fund Event
Campus visit by Dr. Frank Luntz
March 1, 2024
Also see the Culver Cannon article documenting this event.
The latest event sponsored by our class’s Student Enrichment Fund definitely lived up to its middle name. It was unquestionably enriching. The speaker was Dr. Frank Luntz, a political pollster and strategist as well as a communication consultant and author. Although historically associated with the Republican Party, based on his visit to Culver, Dr. Luntz seemed to be quite the “equal opportunity offender” with pointed barbs flung at each side of the aisle.
After Dr. Luntz was signed to come to Culver, but well before the scheduled date, classmate Craig Duchossois had the opportunity to meet with Dr. Luntz for reasons unrelated to Culver. In a sidebar during that meeting, Craig took some time to extol the virtues of Culver to Dr. Luntz. Craig did such an outstanding job that Dr. Luntz asked if he could arrive early for the scheduled visit and have an opportunity to see the facilities and meet with some faculty. This was an opportunity not to be missed!
Preparations
As soon as a date for Dr. Luntz’s visit was confirmed, preparations began, led by Josh Pretzer, Dean of Faculty. The agreed-upon format for the visit was that Dr. Luntz would arrive the day before, get a tour of campus, and have dinner with selected faculty and staff. Then the next morning he would conduct a focus group with selected students in a relatively small venue. That would be followed by a question-and-answer session in the Eppley Auditorium led by two students effectively interviewing Dr. Luntz with the entire student body attending.
The first step in the preparations was to determine which students would be in the focus group panel and which two would lead the Q&A of Dr. Luntz. The selection process for the focus group panel began by getting recommendations for students from the CMA Commandant, Dean of CGA, and senior-level Humanities teachers. They then invited that group of students to take a survey/inventory so that a group of four faculty were able to create a focus group that was both visually and ideologically diverse. The students not selected for the panel itself were invited to be in the audience for the event.
The two students selected to lead the Q&A were Aislin Schaefer-Murray, CGA ’24, and Eamon Seeley, CMA ’24. They were chosen early in the fall as two students who were interested in politics, recommended by their humanities teachers, and recognized by CMA/CGA as model citizens and good leaders. They regularly met with four faculty members to prepare by reading Dr. Luntz’ materials, watching his focus groups, planning how to prepare the community before his visit (faculty and students), and then preparing questions for the event. As a nod to their extraordinary commitment, they were also included in the focus group panel.
The Event
Five classmates (one with spouse) came back to campus to be part of the audience for this event and have a Mini Reunion, as described on this web page.
Thursday Afternoon & Evening
Dr. Luntz arrived on campus on the afternoon of Thursday, February 29th. His visit began with a tour of campus facilities led by Josh Pretzer. During the tour, Dr. Luntz stopped to ask questions of quite a few students. He was wonderful with them. And the random students he met were equally wonderful. As a result of the positive impressions he received of the students, he expressed a strong desire to meet with more of them later in the evening.
The tour ended in the Heritage Room of the Legion Memorial Building (the Library in our day) where two circular tables had been arranged for dinner with ~30 members of the faculty. Dr. Luntz spent half the time at one table and half at the other. He was open, honest, and curious. He also facilitated a whole room conversation as he heard feelings bubble regarding the future of democracy.
Following dinner, to meet Dr. Luntz’s unplanned request, he was walked over to Beason Hall to meet with whatever students happened to be there. He spent an hour with them, leaving before the students seemed to be ready for him to leave.
Friday Morning: Breakfast
The next morning Dr. Luntz was brought to the (new) Schrage Leadership Center (located behind Eppley Auditorium) for breakfast with selected faculty and staff as well as 5 members (plus 1 spouse) from the Class of ’62 (Bill Cleavenger, John Davis, Craig Duchossois, Doug and Edie Neumann, and Tom Westbrook). Aislin and Eamon (the two students who had been selected to interview Dr. Luntz during the All-School assembly) were also included. (The breakfast offerings were outstanding; no one left hungry.) After making time to eat there was regrettably little time for Dr. Luntz to speak to the gathering or field questions before he needed to go to the next element of the event.
Friday Morning: Focus Group
Following breakfast, the group headed to the Alumni Lounge in the Legion Memorial Building for the focus group session to be led by Dr. Luntz. The panel of students consisted of a total of 16 students (8 from CMA; 8 from CGA). One of the more interesting questions he posed to the panel was: “Assuming you are able to vote in the next presidential election, would you be voting FOR or AGAINST one of the two presumptive candidates?” “AGAINST” was the most dominant answer.
Here is a link to a 15-minute edited version of the session. Or if you are so inclined, here is a link to the full, unedited 57 minutes of the session.
Friday Morning: All-School Event
The next stop on the schedule was the All-School Event held in Eppley Auditorium.
The plan was for Aislin and Eamon to pose their questions to Dr. Luntz for the duration of the one-hour event. However, after less than a half dozen questions, Dr. Luntz turned the tables, grabbed a microphone, and headed into the audience. Once there, he (not Aislin and Eamon) was the one posing the questions to the audience … and responding to the answers.
One of the more interesting segments of his time in the audience was his “Alphabet Debate”. Specifically, he asked for one student who supports Biden and one student who supports Trump to come forward. The two cadet volunteers were then told to alternately make a statement about a candidate. The first volunteer was told to start his statement with a word that starts with the letter “A”. The second volunteer was then to respond with a statement that started with a word that starts with the letter “B”. Then the first volunteer was to respond with a statement that started with a word that starts with “C”, etc., etc. through the rest of the alphabet. There was not enough time to go through the entire alphabet, but the exchanges that were completed were most interesting (and complying with the “alphabet rule” was challenging).
Eamon Seeley, Dr. Frank Luntz, and Aislin Schaefer-Murray
One of the Volunteer Debaters and Dr. Luntz
Lower left corner: Classmates Davis, Neumann, Westbrook, and Duchossois
To close the event, Dr. Luntz invited general questions from the audience. The final question of the event to him (not unsurprisingly) was from our #1 class pundit (Mr. Neumann): “Where do we find truth?” That is, thinking about all the information we daily encounter, what can one believe is true, factual?
In response, Dr. Luntz described an evolving process he has experienced from first thinking that there is one ultimate truth, to discovering truth is relative to a person's mindset, personal events, biases, and exposure to various ideations. Thus, there may be as many “truths” as there are individuals. This is talking about perception as the vehicle forming one’s truth with a small “t,” rather than Truth as a universal, indisputable principle. Dr. Luntz was essentially asking us to question if indeed Truth, with a capital “T” even exists. Pretty deep! (Credit to Doug Neumann’s wife Edie for this synopsis. Perhaps it could alternatively be summarized as “Truth is in the eye of the beholder”.)
Following the conclusion of the formal program, Dr. Luntz remained available to talk with students individually until he had to leave to catch his transport home. Perhaps his fundamental message to the students from the visit was to LISTEN to other people, don’t just talk AT them.
Dr. Luntz with Cadets after All-School Event
Doug Neumann, John Davis, Dr. Frank Luntz, Craig Duchossois, Bill Cleavenger, and Tom Westbrook
The Aftermath
In reviewing online postings and emails, it is hard to tell who was more impressed with whom: Dr. Luntz with Culver or Culver faculty and students (and ’62 alums) with Dr. Luntz.
First, here is what Dr. Luntz posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account:
I finally found an American high school worthy of this space. The @CulverAcademies in Indiana are the most character-focused learning environment I have ever encountered.
The Culver Military Academy is producing thoughtful, respectful, articulate young men exceptionally prepared for the rigors of real life.
The Culver Girls Academy is filled with especially talented young women ready to take on the world and make it a better place.
The @CulverAcademies are character-driven and character-focused. If being a good person is just as important as getting good grades, look no further. And the facilities at Culver are as good or even better than some colleges.
Second, see the next section which contains feedback received from students, faculty, and classmates.
Quite the mutual admiration society.
CLASS OF 1962 STUDENT ENRICHMENT FUND EVENT FEEDBACK
Speaker – Dr. Frank Luntz
March 1, 2024
Student Feedback
As compiled by Alan Loehr, Director of Stewardship
“Thank you for reaching out. I truly had a great experience today. I would say that the experience of hosting Dr. Luntz at Culver campus has given me insight in the importance of asking genuine questions to better understand others. I look forward to applying his words of advice.”
--Adie Squires, ‘24
“Attending the ‘62 speaker series event featuring Dr. Luntz was a profound experience that deeply resonated with me. It not only provided me with valuable insights into effective communication and leadership but also instilled in me a sense of responsibility towards fostering civil discourse. Dr. Luntz’s visit has empowered me to approach future classroom discussions and interactions with a newfound confidence, knowing that I can contribute meaningfully and positively to any forum. I am grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of this transformative event, and I look forward to applying the lessons learned in my academic pursuits at Dartmouth College and beyond.”
-- Spencer Reagan, ‘24
"Dr. Luntz's visit was an incredible opportunity for myself and my peers to learn about the value of civil discourse, free expression, and how to be more impactful leaders. I look forward to applying these skills during the rest of my time at Culver, in college, and beyond."
--Eamon Seeley ‘24
"Dr. Luntz helped remind me of the importance of seeking those with a difference in opinion as yours in order to develop a well-rounded point of view."
--Aislin Schaefer-Murray, ‘24
“With Dr. Luntz’s visit, I gained insights into the modern-day political dynamics and the reasons behind the polarization of the current American political landscape. He was able to provide us with tools needed to engage in thoughtful conversations and constructive conflicts to solve problems that our generation will face.”
--Kevin Zhang, ‘24
“Interacting with Dr. Luntz opened my eyes to the idea that it is possible to have difficult conversations in a manner of civility and respect - where both sides can voice their opinions and truly listen to the opposing views in order to gain a more balanced and well-rounded worldview. It was an incredible opportunity to have Dr. Luntz on campus, and it is not one that I will soon forget.”
--Alexandrine Harig CGA ‘25
Faculty Feedback
“Frank Luntz’s visit to Culver energized students enormously. Those who were lucky enough to participate in or see the impromptu focus group in Beason the night he arrived, or the formal one on Friday morning loved his approach. It’s clear that he got them thinking about what the nation’s problems are and how they can be helpful in addressing them. He emphasized the valuable diversity of the Culver community and implored students to be endlessly curious about those from other countries, other ideologies because it is only through conversation and curiosity that we can hope to rebuild our country.”
--Jen Cerny, Master Instructor, Humanities
“My humble opinion, here are three important points Luntz made during his visit:
Our goal is to pursue truth, which means we need to consume media broadly and carefully, not watch only one channel or read only one newspaper
Negative partisanship is widespread in today’s political climate; it is problematic when voters aren’t excited about the vision or ideas of a particular candidate or even party but are instead voting against the “other” side
Our country needs values-driven institutions like Culver to help shape and form young people into contributing citizens and future leaders that can think beyond self-interest and about long-term outcomes “
--Kurt Christiansen, Master Instructor, Humanities
“Dr. Luntz’s visit provided an opportunity for multiple layers of interaction in addition to the all-school meeting: a faculty dinner; informal discussion at Beason; breakfast with administrators, faculty, students, and Class of ’62 members; student discussion groups, and adult discussion groups. His presence on campus galvanized conversations around politics, civil discourse, and civic responsibility. Faculty and students alike said his visit served as a reminder about just how difficult it is to discuss fraught topics when we may not feel united, and his visit inspired many to (re)commit to that challenge.”
--Emily Uebler, Senior Instructor, Humanities
Alumni Feedback
“I personally feel that Frank Luntz was one of the more outstanding speakers that our class has sponsored. Not only was his visit timely as we enter the 2024 political season, but very informative as to the science of public opinion gathering. I found Frank to be somewhat neutral in his opinions, and his years of experience provided some valuable insight as to what we are witnessing today."
“I thought that the student body, with one minor exception, was very attentive, polite, and thoroughly engaging. I look forward to having many more speakers the likes of Frank Luntz.”
--Bill Cleavenger, ‘62
“The Class of ‘62, presenting events to the Culver student body featuring nationally known speakers and influencers, is offering timely real-world experiences that encourage thoughtful examination of problems and solutions. I found it especially hopeful to hear many of the young Culver leaders emphasize the need for cooperative, collaborative, inclusive discussion leading to positive growth and success for both individuals and nations. Good job, Culver alumni!”
--Edie Neumann