The National Academy of Public Administration honored former Secretary of the Treasury and Secretary of State James Baker III and Sen. George Mitchell with the Elliot Richardson Prize for Public Excellence on Wednesday in Lohrfink Auditorium.

Presented in partnership with The Georgetown Public Policy Institute, the $100,000 prize honors individuals who share the virtues of the late Elliot Richardson, the only U.S. public servant to hold four Cabinet-level positions in the government.

In his opening remarks, John Thomas Smith II, a member of the Elliot Richardson Board of Directors, acknowledged the dedication, service and integrity that aligned Richardson’s public service career with those of Baker and Mitchell.
“[Elliot Richardson] showed an unrivaled generosity of spirit,” Smith said. “The honorees sought to perpetuate Elliot’s memory and emulate public service through courage and integrity.”

Michael Rogers, chair of the Elliot Richardson Board, presented the prizes, commending Baker for his excellence in service as secretary of state during the post-Cold War era, as secretary of the treasury under President Reagan and as White House chief of staff under both Reagan and George H. W. Bush.

“[Baker] shares an integrity which has been a hallmark of his career, a generosity of spirit and courage,” Rogers said.

Mitchell, former chairman of the Peace Negotiations in Northern Ireland and the current special envoy for the Middle East, was awarded for serving “selflessly with great distinction in all three branches of government…uncompromising excellence and courageous optimism,” Rogers said.

The discussion addressed a broad range of topics including the disconnect between the government and the public, the economic crisis, media and its influence on public opinion and examples of exemplary presidential leadership.

Baker and Mitchell also stressed the importance of understanding the political process through a public policy background.

“It’s absolutely necessary,” Baker said. “Presidents will trust people who have been through the fire with them. Political experience gives you an understanding of the process. You don’t serve the president well if you don’t tell him what you really think . and they appreciate an informed opinion.”

Mitchell agreed, adding the president in particular needs aides to provide him with empirical data.

“The higher one goes into American politics, the greater one reaches self-delusion. The president gets in a cocoon, and it’s difficult finding about what’s going on in the world,” he said. “They’re starved for genuine information.”

Audience members said that while the discussion was interesting, the primary appeal of the event was the individuals being honored. Eitan Paul (SFS ’12), chair of the International Relations Club, said he relished the chance to see the two policymakers discuss the current state of the nation.

“The focus was definitely on their interaction with decision-makers,” Paul said. “It was nice getting a window into their perspective on their service and where the country is going.”

Janice Shon (SFS ’11) also admired the men for their extensive and far-reaching public service careers. “These are people who dedicated their lives for it. I wanted to know their motivations and how they were able to have such a wide breadth of public service capacities,” she said.

Christopher Joyner, a professor and director of the Master’s Program in International Law, even used the occasion as a field trip opportunity for his Globalization and International Law students.

“To me the substance was not as important as the reflection of the two men who were present for policy-making in the Senate and international diplomacy,” Joyner said. “I was hoping they would see two important historical figures of the late 20th century.”

The honorees plan to donate their award money to further the study of public service. Baker will contribute to the Baker Institute of Public Policy at Rice University and Mitchell to the Mitchell Institute scholarship program.

At the end of the evening, Mitchell told the crowd of public policy students that service was always his ultimate goal.

“You will want fame and status, but the more of them you’ll get the more you’ll realize that they don’t mean anything. A genuine meaning, a goal to which you can devote yourself – it will come through in public service. It’s the most rewarding thing in life.”