The Palm Center is a
think tank
A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmenta ...
founded in 1998 at the
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Barbara County, California, Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduate ...
, that produces scholarship designed to improve the quality of public dialogue about critical and controversial
public policy
Public policy is an institutionalized proposal or a decided set of elements like laws, regulations, guidelines, and actions to solve or address relevant and real-world problems, guided by a conception and often implemented by programs. Public p ...
issues. It commissions and disseminates research in the areas of gender, sexuality, and the military that has been published in leading social scientific journals and cited in the press. The Palm Center is a resource for university-affiliated as well as independent scholars, students, journalists, opinion leaders, and members of the public.
At its founding in 1998, it was known as the Center for the Study of
Sexual Minorities
A sexual minority is a group whose sexual identity, sexual orientation, orientation or practices differ from the majority of the surrounding society. Primarily used to refer to lesbian, gay, bisexual, or non-heterosexual individuals, it can als ...
in the Military. It was renamed in 2006 in recognition of a one million dollar endowment gift from the Michael D. Palm Foundation.
The Palm Center's research has been cited on the floor of Congress and covered by newspapers and radio and television stations throughout the world. Palm scholars have delivered briefings and lectures at the
British Ministry of Defence
The Ministry of Defence (MOD or MoD) is the Departments of the United Kingdom Government, department responsible for implementing the defence policy set by Government of the United Kingdom, His Majesty's Government, and is the headquarters of ...
, the
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...
at West Point, the
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...
, the
United States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academy in El Paso County, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and Uni ...
, the
Army War College and the
National Defense University
The National Defense University (NDU) is an institution of higher education funded by the United States Department of Defense, intended to facilitate high-level education, training, and professional development of national security leaders. As ...
.
The director of the Palm Center is
Aaron Belkin
Aaron Belkin (born March 12, 1966) is a political scientist, researcher and professor. He currently teaches political science at San Francisco State University and is the director of the Palm Center, a think tank that commissions and disseminates ...
.
[''New York Times'']
Scott James, "Celebration of Gay Pride Masks Community in Transition," June 25, 2011
accessed February 1, 2012
Notes
External links
Elaine Donnelly and Aaron Belkin Debate DADT at Maxwell Air Force Base, summer 2010official website
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Research institutes established in 1998
Social science institutes
Don't ask, don't tell
University of California, Santa Barbara