 The following year, the university's debating society renamed itself the Barkley Forum.The university also created the Alben W. Barkley Distinguished Chair in its Department of Political Science.Barkley tried to mentor Scott Lucas and Ernest McFarland, his immediate successors as floor leader, by teaching them to work with the vice president as he had during Truman's vice presidency, but Truman's unpopularity made cooperation between the executive branch and the legislature difficult.