Business & Government

Why are presidents more powerful, but less popular? UVA’s Miller Center wants to know

American presidents are more powerful, more partisan and more unpopular than ever, and the University of Virginia’s Miller Center wants to know how, why and what can be done about it.

The center will host two dozen experts who have served in presidential administrations, including President Donald Trump’s first term, for a two-day conference Sept. 24-25 to look for reasons and answers.

William Antholis, CEO and director of the Miller Center, believes the center’s focus on the presidency and presidents rather than parties has helped it gain access to the inner workings of administrations. (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)

The conference, “Toward a More Responsible and Effective Presidency,” will include former and current members of Congress, scholars and journalists, and members of the Miller Center’s governing board, as well as others in the University community.

“It’s about trying to solve a problem. We’re trying to figure out not just how to understand the problem, but if we all agree – Democrats and Republicans – that this is a problem, what are we going to do about it?” said William Antholis, CEO and director of the Miller Center. “The Trump presidency has been proud to embrace this approach. But this is just the latest in a broader trend where presidents use their power toward partisan ends, but that doesn’t necessarily make them more popular.”

The conference is part of a series of events the Miller Center is sponsoring to celebrate its five decades of delving into the U.S. presidency. Since its inception, the center has hosted hundreds of experts in public discussions, conducted numerous seminars, and studied everything presidential from secret White House tapes to oral history interviews with senior officials. The Miller Center’s encyclopedic website hosts more than 5 million unique visitors each year.

Antholis credits his predecessors with building a reputation for nonpartisan excellence. Previous director Philip Zelikow served as executive director of the 9/11 Commission that investigated the 2001 terrorist attacks, reviewing intelligence agencies, law enforcement, diplomacy, immigration and border control, and other aspects of the events. Later, as a member of the center’s faculty, he led the COVID Study Group, producing a comprehensive assessment of how the government prepared and responded to the global pandemic.

Previously, the center had helped host and steer a variety of commissions studying and recommending changes in the selection of federal judges in 1996 and federal election reform in 2001. Under the directorship of former Virginia Gov. Gerald Baliles, the center hosted commissions on presidential war powers in 2009, immigration reform in 2014; and containing health care costs in 2014.

McIntire Amphitheater before students return to Grounds

McIntire Amphitheater after students return to Grounds

The University of Virginia’s nonpartisan Miller Center is celebrating 50 years of exploring the American presidency. Move the slider left and right to see the center in 1975 and now. (Before photo contributed; after photo by Lathan Goumas, University Communications. Illustration by John DiJulio, University Communications)

“We are a trusted broker, regardless of your political position or party. People know that this is a place where you can come and have good, fair discussions,” Howard Witt, the center’s director of communications, said. “That’s why we can get Democrats, Republicans, progressives and conservatives to participate.”

It’s part of the Miller Center’s DNA, created a half-century ago when UVA alumnus White Burkett Miller, UVA President Edgar Shannon and then-Virginia Gov. Linwood Holton formed the nonpartisan center. The idea was to create an independent institution to bring scholars, policymakers, students and the public together to solve societal issues.

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The center has its own governing board that Antholis said neither Virginia’s governor nor the UVA president or Board of Visitors appoints, although the University board does approve members. Although not intentional, the center’s board is nearly an even split between former public servants who have served under Republican and Democratic presidents. Holton would serve as Governing Council cChair for more than two decades. The current Governing Council chair is George Martin, a former UVA rector.

“I had never previously counted and resisted counting until I was recently asked,” Antholis said of board members’ party affiliations. “Of those who had held public office, we had one more Republican than Democrat. And I don’t know and will never ask the party registration of those who have not held public office. It’s not by counting, but by culture. We’ve had a whole lot of people with political views across the spectrum. All of them put country above party.”

Antholis, Lindsay M. Cervinsky and Saikrishna Prakash speaking before an audience at the UVA Miller Center

Antholis, Lindsay M. Cervinsky and Saikrishna Prakash discuss the impact James Madison had on the presidency during a Sept. 4 panel, part of the Miller Center’s 50th anniversary celebration. (Photo by Lathan Goumas, University Communications)

Antholis said that sort of nonpartisanship is what makes the Miller Center able to attract scholars and insiders from nearly every presidential administration and political bent.

“We want to be the most trusted institution in the country, period. People are looking for something to trust right now, and that’s a huge, hard burden,” Antholis said. “Being trusted doesn’t mean avoiding criticism. But it does mean being curious and being constructive. That’s who we are.”

That includes looking at current trends in presidential politics to provide glimpses into possible futures.

“We want complex diversity. We want people who are interested in foreign affairs, domestic affairs, in economics, politics, people from across the country and people with a range of industry perspectives,” he said.

“I think much of our politics is driven right now by trying to respond to people’s lack of trust in institutions. On all ends of the political spectrum, there are people who are successful at taking advantage of that lack of trust. We want to understand how to create and sustain trustworthy institutions.”