Robertson School of Government Newsletter: March 2021
In this Issue
Regent University Launches M.A. in International Development Program
Dean’s Corner
More from RSG Social Media
Upcoming Webinar: Webinar: Analyzing American Election Integrity
Upcoming Webinar: The Longer Telegram: The Future of US-China Relations
RSG Launches Social Media
Student Highlight: Abigail Rouser and Asher Peck
Featured News of the Month
Regent University Launches M.A. in International Development Program
Regent University is pleased to announce a new online degree program beginning in Fall 2021: the Master of Arts in International Development. Regent is the only Christian university offering this program in a school of government.
“By offering a new M.A. in International Development degree program, Regent is standing in the gap to fulfill a critical need that employers and international partners are seeking,” said Dr. Gerson Moreno-Riaño, executive vice president for Academic Affairs at Regent University. “This program will provide leading-edge applied policy training to prepare students for strategic and positive impact in political, social, and economic environments around the world.”
Regent’s M.A. in International Development provides advanced skills in program evaluation, policy oversight and analysis, and economic growth and trade. The program will help prepare students to improve economic, social, and political conditions globally. Students will also be equipped to work with governmental, nonprofit, and humanitarian organizations to lead disaster response and anti-poverty efforts around the world. This program is delivered fully online with some courses also available on campus in Virginia Beach, VA.
Dr. Andrew Nolte, program director and assistant professor in the Robertson School of Government, shared that the program is timely amidst current global crises. “From COVID-19 to the alarming rise in religious persecution around the world, it’s never been more important to have Christian leaders on the ground to serve, protect, and empower the world’s most vulnerable people.”
Regent’s M.A. in International Development degree program features:
- 30 Credit Hours: Earn your degree in as little as four semesters.
- Real-World Experience: Enjoy a directed project with one of our partner organizations for hands-on experience.
- Practical Application: Learn how to develop on-the-ground international development projects and lead humanitarian disaster response within the U.S. and abroad.
To learn more about the M.A. in International Development at Regent University’s Robertson School of Government, call 800.373.5504 or visit https://www.regent.edu/program/ma-in-international-development/.
Dean’s Corner
Dear Friends,
Election Integrity is the front burner issue of our day in the United States. Why?
Americans just experienced the greatest crisis in Election Integrity at all levels of our government, at the federal, state, and local levels. We observed chaos, disorder, crisis, in swing state after swing state on election night 2020. Many state election officials condoned voting irregularities, or personally created conditions to be ripe for fraud. Bizarre voting processes, some perhaps unconstitutional, were put into place for the first time in the 2020 election.
It wasn’t just one election irregularity that caused problems, voter fraud issues were obvious across the board in one state after another, even to the point of judges, governors, secretaries of state, or commissioners putting in place multiple unconstitutional actions to change state voting laws to benefit one political party. They created the conditions for outcome based voting, that is, voting that ensures a preferred result. That is wrong. It is the reason we have election laws in the first place.
Many state legislatures stood down or looked the other way in the face of voter fraud.
Many state and federal courts stood down or looked the other way in the face of voter fraud.
The real victim was the American voter who wondered if their vote counted.
But the biggest casualty of all was America’s system of governance, given 400 years ago through the Mayflower Compact. That principle is known as “Rule by the Consent of the Governed”. It is a biblical principle given to us by the Pilgrims of Plymouth Rock. They formed a system of government whereby the people voted for their leaders and for the laws they would live under.
In 2020, millions of people still question if their vote counted. They wonder if illegal votes were added to other candidates to ensure their victory.
In America, if our vote no longer counts, then our vote no longer matters.
Without an honest count of votes, we won’t have a way to remove leaders we don’t want. We won’t have a way to get rid of laws we don’t like. Leaders will not be held accountable for their votes and actions.
Instead, a permanent group of elites will ensure their own continued power and will require the American people to live the way the elites tell them to. In other words, we will have ended the 400 year experiment in America of rule by consent of the governed.
We will no longer have competitive elections and America’s freedoms may end!
That’s sobering, but it is a real threat.
Before the 2020 election and after people were intimidated into not questioning the election results. We saw various people lose their jobs if they questioned Georgia or Wisconsin or Michigan or Pennsylvania or Arizona or any other state’s election results. What was wrong with people asking questions about the 2020 election?
People were thrown off social media platforms, cable news refused to talk about election issues, newspapers, magazines, websites all saw the handwriting on the wall and decided to be silent on questions about the 2020 election results rather than face the punishments meted out by hordes of internet mobs.
Even the 45th President, a candidate for President, was silenced by the all-powerful media and by financial platforms. Since the election, President Donald Trump has been “memory holed”, quoting George Orwell in his famous book, 1984. Event President Donald Trump was not allowed speak, much less raise concerns about the last election.
Here at Regent University, Robertson School of Government, the Master’s in Campaigns and Political Leadership program, we are committed to free elections.
We are committed to constitutionally protected rights of free speech.
We are committed to academic freedom.
We are committed to going where the truth will take us. We stand on the Bible at Regent University and the Bible tells us to let freedom ring.
Sincerely,
More from RSG Social Media
Blind Politics with Dr. Nolte: Evangelicals, Immigration, and the Way Ahead for the GOP
Servant Leader Moments with Dr. Gary Roberts: Stop, Look, and Listen
Research and Praxis with Dr. Elijah Agyapong: Overheard Democracy
Upcoming Events
Webinar: Analyzing American Election Integrity
Regent University’s Robertson School of Government will host a virtual conference on election integrity on Tuesday, March 23, 2021, from 12 PM to 6 PM ET.
“Election integrity is the foundation for every citizen’s right to vote in a free and fair election,” said Michele Bachmann, dean of the Robertson School of Government at Regent University. “The electoral process is a significant, fundamental component of political freedom. Through this important conference, our goal is to educate individuals about election integrity and to raise awareness surrounding the electoral process.”
Throughout the event, panelists and keynote speakers will highlight the importance of freedom of speech, election integrity in a representative democracy, election irregularities and correlated impacts on future elections, and voter ID, among other topics.
The election integrity conference will feature nationally-renowned speakers and panelists including:
Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, Dean of the Robertson School of Government at Regent University
Dr. Ben Carson, Former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Mr. Mark Steyn, New York Times best-selling author and Tucker Carlson guest host
Mr. Eric Metaxas, New York Times best-selling author and radio host
Secretary Kris Kobach, Former Secretary of State of Kansas
Secretary Jay Ashcroft, Secretary of State of Missouri
Mr. John Fund, Political Journalist for National Affairs Report for National Review Online and Senior Editor at The American Spectator
Mr. Hans von Spakovsky, Attorney, Former Member of Federal Election Commission, Manager of the Heritage Foundation’s Election Law Reform Initiative, and a Senior Legal Fellow in Heritage’s Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies
Messrs. Joe / Jim Hoft, The Gateway Pundit
Additional Expert Panelists
The event is free and open to the public. To reserve your space at the conference, please visit this link: https://www.regent.edu/misc/analyzing-american-election-integrity/registration/
Webinar: The Longer Telegram: The Future of US-China Relations
On Wednesday, March 31 at 7 PM, the Robertson School of Government will host a webinar on US-China relations. Speaking will be current RSG professor Dr. Josh Hastey, former RSG professor Dr. Ionut Popescu, and Dr. J. Michael Waller from the Center for Security Policy. If you are interested in attending, please register at this link.
RSG Launches Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin
In order to keep all of our wonderful RSG supporters up-to-date with our latest happenings, RSG is launching Facebook and Instagram accounts! Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn to hear all about our latest updates!
Student Highlight: Abigail Rouser and Asher Peck
Robertson School of Government Student Named a Regional Winner of the 2021 NASPAA-Batten Student Simulation Competition
The Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA) and the University of Virginia Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy have announced the winners of the 2021 NASPAA-Batten Student Simulation Competition. Abigail Rouser representing Regent University’s Robertson School of Government was a member of the third place team in one of the assigned “virtual regions” of the competition.
“We’re so proud of this accomplishment by Ms. Rouser. It is a great experience for our students to work with others from multiple universities on trying to solve national problems in a simulated setting. The fact that Ms. Rouser helped her team to this strong finish is highly commendable,” said Dr. Stephen Perry, Interim Senior Associate Dean in the Robertson School of Government.
Perry also praised Asher Peck, who received an honorable mention as a member of the 4th place team in another “virtual region” of the competition. Both Peck and Rouser are working on the MA degrees in Government. Perry noted that last year, when the competition was held in person, Leah Roach was on the championship team in her region and that team took the global championship. “She helped prepare our students for what to expect on this year’s team, which was a great help,” Perry said.
This year, over 400 students from 120 universities in 30 countries took part in the NASPAA-Batten Student Simulation Competition. Participants competed virtually at one of the four virtual competitions hosted on February 27 and March 6, 2021. The competition—a partnership between the University of Virginia Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and NASPAA—annually connects public policy students from a vast network of universities worldwide through simulated gameplay. Developed by experts at the Batten School’s Center for Leadership Simulation and Gaming (CLSG) and backed by real-world data, the simulation places students in leadership roles within a time-sensitive, fast-paced environment where they must work together to minimize the impact of a deadly infectious disease.
“Simulation-based learning is incredibly valuable, as it applies theory to practice, and goes beyond conventional modes of learning,” said NASPAA Simulation Education Director Supriya Golas. “Through these simulations, students can take what they’ve learned in the classrooms and apply it to simulated real-world experiences. We hope these tools will prepare students for the next major global event, whether it’s a pandemic or climate crisis.”
100 participating teams were evaluated on simulation scores, teamwork, organization, policy decision making, and policy presentations. The four winning teams from each site are moving on to the global “All Star” round in which a panel of prominent judges will identify the global winner.
