The mission of the George E. Pataki Leadership and Learning Center is to educate students on how state government operates, how it affects their everyday lives and the crucial importance of public service in our State and Nation.

The Center is a non-partisan organization that encourages students of all ages to be active participants in student government and their communities. Initially, the Center will focus on providing educational programming for students in the 4th through 8th grades whose courses include the study of New York State Government. The Center’s curriculum and activities will draw primarily from the experiences of New York’s 53rd Governor, George E. Pataki.

The Center will also provide students with hands-on experiences, encouraging them to be “Governor for a Day.” A reproduction of the Governor’s Executive Chamber office will allow students an opportunity to take part in discussion and debates on important public policy issues. From time to time, students will be joined by former Pataki administration officials or the Governor himself to talk about the important issues facing our state and nation, as well as significant events in New York history.

As “Governor for a Day,” students will have the unique opportunity to immerse themselves in the life of a governor, participate in bill signings, sit at the Governor’s desk, consider clemency requests, issue disaster declarations, read authentic correspondence from important events and learn first hand the demands of the Office of the Governor. When the New York State Legislature is in session, with the use of Smartboard technology, they can even watch legislative proceedings as they take place in Albany.

Students will also experience what it is like to be a newsmaker. The Center will have a press room where students can step up to the podium and take questions as “Governor for a Day” or they can become part of the press corps asking tough and insightful questions. The experience, which can be videotaped, will help students improve communication skills, deepen their knowledge of important public policy matters and gain a better understanding of how electronic media shape the news. The Center will also have on display interactive exhibits, memorabilia, and archives documenting
Governor Pataki’s years in public service.

From his preservation of over one million acres of land to leading New York through the dark days following September 11th, 2001, students will have the ability to gain a deeper understanding of the seminal events and accomplishments that defined George Pataki’s years as Governor.

From his modest upbringing on a farm in Peekskill to his twelve historic years as Governor of New York, George Pataki’s career in public service will provide an inspiration to all young people who dream that they too may someday be governor of the Empire State. To make that dream a reality for the next generation of young New York leaders, the Center will provide scholarships to support those students who have demonstrated a commitment to public service.

We have taken the first step toward making the Center a reality by establishing the Committee for the Governor George E. Pataki Leadership and Learning Center. The Committee is charged with raising sufficient funds to hire professionals to develop and organize the Center’s future programs and collections and to obtain a State Charter.