In the wake of the devastating attacks on Minnesota elected leaders on June 14, 2025, Dean Nisha Botchwey offered a message to the Humphrey School community that speaks to the deep grief and civic urgency of this moment.
“Public service, at its best, requires not only courage, but compassion,” she shared. “When violence replaces dialogue, our democracy frays. Yet in moments like these, true leadership calls on us to listen, to seek understanding, and to engage across difference.”
In her message, Dean Botchwey reminded the community of the legacy of the School’s namesake, Hubert H. Humphrey, who viewed democracy not simply as a system of governance, but as a moral commitment to human dignity. “He believed,” she noted, “that the right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be taken seriously, but it does require that the speaker be taken as a fellow human being.”
As a School rooted in public leadership and civic purpose, the Humphrey School reaffirms its commitment to preparing leaders who meet complexity with open minds, strong hearts, and an unwavering dedication to the common good. “We believe principled disagreement, grounded in shared purpose, is not a weakness,” Botchwey said. “It is essential to democratic leadership.”
The School extends its deepest sympathy to those affected by the June 14 attacks, and rededicates itself to the ongoing work of strengthening civic dialogue and compassionate leadership as pillars of a just and inclusive democracy.
