Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military to be Renamed as Michael D. Palm Center UC-Santa Barbara Research Institute Announces $1 Mil

The Director of the Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military (CSSMM) at the University of California, Santa Barbara, announced today that the think tank will change its name to the Michael D. Palm Center. The name change will honor the legacy of philanthropist and activist Michael D. Palm and will reflect the generous support for CSSMM given by his foundation in the form of a $1 million donation.

Though its name is changing, the new Palm Center will continue CSSMM's focus on studies surrounding sexual minorities in the military and is considering expanding its data-driven focus on topics in the public policy realm. "Our mission is one that Michael D. Palm believed in very much," said Professor Aaron Belkin, Director of the Center. "The new name of the organization will honor his memory and will reflect his interests, his forward thinking and remarkable legacy."

The Palm Center's primary mission will be to build an architecture of facts and social science for sound public policy. "To date we have been very successful in reaching and educating Pentagon officials, members of Congress, newspaper editorial writers, and leading scholars," Dr. Belkin said. "Michael Palm's generous donation legitimizes our past efforts and jump-starts us with the resources we need to enhance our organization and continue achieving our evidence-based education goals."

The new think tank will continue its highly regarded research initiatives and panels that have highlighted data on sexual minorities in the military for over seven years.

Steven Gluckstern, the new Chairman of the Michael D. Palm Center Board of Directors added, "I am honored and proud to be part of helping the Center continue its highly grounded analysis of the service of gay men and lesbians in the military. The research they have accomplished is unique and of great purpose -- politically, socially, and economically." Gluckstern was a friend of the late Michael Palm and former Director of the Michael Palm Foundation.

Editors Note: For media kit please visit http://www.palmcenter.org/press/dadt/news_kit and for more information, contact Alyssa Friedland at afriedland@witeckcombs.com

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The Michael D. Palm Center is located at the University of California, Santa Barbara and is directed by Dr. Aaron Belkin. The Palm Center uses rigorous social science to inform public discussions of controversial social issues, enabling policy outcomes to be informed more by evidence than by emotion. The Center promotes the interdisciplinary analysis of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other marginalized sexual identities in the armed forces. The Center's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell Project' will continue to be its first priority. The goal of the DADT Project is to improve the quality of information available to public deliberations about the military policy.

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