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RSG Newsletter – January 2020

February 6, 2020

Featured Story

JUDGE KEN STARR SPEAKS TO THE FEDERALIST SOCIETY AMID TEACHING REGENT LAW STUDENTS

Written by Dawn Reed

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (January 30, 2020) – Judge Ken Starr, J.D., Regent University’s newest senior lecturing fellow for the School of Law, spoke to a packed house on Tuesday, January 28, in a premier event hosted by the Federalist Society on Regent’s Virginia Beach campus. Law students, members of the local community and honored guests, including Bob McDonnell, former governor of Virginia and Regent Law alumnus, were in attendance.

Starr, who argued 36 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, has had a distinguished career in academia, public service and the law. He served as U.S. Solicitor General, United States Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit, Counselor and Chief of Staff to U.S. Attorney General William French Smith, and law clerk to both Chief Justice Warren E. Burger and to Fifth Circuit Judge David W. Dyer. He was appointed to serve as Independent Counsel for five investigations, including Whitewater. He also served as president and chancellor of Baylor University and dean of the Pepperdine School of Law and is a New York Times best-selling author.

Just weeks ago, Starr was announced as a member of President Donald Trump’s legal team for his Senate Impeachment Trial.

Starr spoke about his defense of the president at the impeachment trial, what constitutes an impeachable offense, and the importance of protecting our Constitution. “You are called to be warriors for the law,” he challenged Regent Law students.

Citing parts of the preamble of the Constitution … “We the people of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect union, establish justice … and secure the Blessings of Liberty” … Starr stressed that “there will be no ‘domestic tranquility’ if we don’t have justice.”

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina Mark Martin, who resigned from the bench to become dean of the School of Law, introduced Starr, highlighting his remarkable career and the experience he brings to the school and students. Starr acknowledged, “Regent lawyers are everywhere now. … I came here to teach because I was inspired by Regent’s vision for the law. Religious freedom needs the type of law students Regent is producing.”

Regent Law walked into 2020 with a powerhouse of activity, with momentum building. In less than one year Martin has added more than 10 senior lecturing fellows to its already well-anchored law faculty. When asked about adding Starr, yet another high-profile expert to Regent Law, Martin said: “It’s a tremendous honor to have Judge Starr here with us. We are so pleased that he is teaching our students. Opportunities like this, which when you put them all together, have become a series of distinguished speakers. It’s also become the new norm here and something that sets us apart.”

Regent Professor James Duane, J.D., who is co-teaching the religious liberty seminar with Starr added: “His presence here on our campus is a tremendous blessing for all of our university community. He has a simply stellar record of professional achievement.” Duane noted that Starr’s willingness to share his lifetime of legal experience and insight with Regent Law students speaks to the school’s commitment to provide a world-class legal education. His presence further positions Regent Law as a fierce competitor in the field of law.

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Robertson School of Government Dean’s Corner

Dear Friends,

As shown in this newsletter, the New Year has started off with a bang. Wonderful opportunities to meet and hear from important speakers set the semester off at high speed. RSG faculty member, former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, organized a series of panelists who toured some Hampton Roads area locations on National Racial Healing Day, January 21. The panel included descendants and relatives of principle participants in the Dred Scott and Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court cases, major decisions that were overturned by the Civil War and the passage of emancipation in the case of Dred Scott, and then by Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.

Then on January 28, fresh off his participation on the President’s defense team from the Senate impeachment trial, former Circuit Court Judge, U.S. Solicitor General, and Independent Counsel Ken Starr spoke about the history and legacy of impeachment in the US Congress. He addressed the current inability of the prosecutors to convince a single one of the over 200 members of the President’s party to vote against him in the house, and of the way the impeachment was authorized by the Speaker of the House as opposed to having a House of Representatives vote. While the President was acquitted, the process will forever be influenced by what happened in 2020. He then took questions from an audience of students, lawyers, and judges among others.

In addition, some RSG folks were among the many Regent students and faculty who attended the March for Life Rally in Washington, DC on January 24 where they got a chance to hear the President speak directly, along with many other politicians and leaders of non-profit groups supporting the protections for the baby before birth.

Finally, February started off with a watch party for the Iowa Caucus results. Professors AJ Nolte and Nick Higgins led the party and recorded the opening parts of a Blind Politics podcast at the event. The many students in attendance left disappointed that no results were forthcoming. The podcast’s conclusion, likewise, had to wait until after caucus results were actually released after 5:00 p.m. the next day.

Elsewhere in this newsletter, a visit by former Virginia Congressman Frank Wolf addressed civility in politics, and our concentration in Emergency Management and National Security was named among the top online programs in the nation. I’m so proud to be at the helm at this momentous time in the history of the Robertson School of Government.

Sincerely,

Stephen D. Perry, Ph.D.

Interim Dean and Professor

More from the RSG Blog

Recent Events

INTELLIGENT.COM ANNOUNCES BEST EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DEGREE PROGRAMS FOR 2020

Regent University is ranked 28th out of 166 for best online Emergency Management degree program and is 11th for online graduate programs. The ranking by Intelligent.com indicates increased earning potential with career opportunities upon graduation from Regent’s Masters in Public Administration degree with a concentration in Emergency Management & Homeland Security.

SEATTLE (PRWEB) DECEMBER 08, 2019 – Intelligent.com, a trusted resource for online degree rankings and higher education planning, ranked Regent in their list of the Top 60 Emergency Management Degree Programs for 2020, the second straight year Regent has been in those rankings. Each program is evaluated based on curriculum quality, graduation rate, reputation, and post-graduate employment.

The 2020 rankings are calculated through a unique scoring system which includes student engagement, potential return on investment and leading third party evaluations. Intelligent.com analyzed schools, on a scale of 0 to 100, with Regent earning a score of 65.45. The methodology also uses an algorithm which collects and analyzes multiple rankings into one score to easily compare each university.

Students who pursue any one of these programs can expect to gain employment much quicker in comparison to candidates without a degree. In addition to accessibility and cost, the steady job growth in this market is one of the many reasons Intelligent.com researched and ranked the Top Emergency Management Degree Programs.

FORMER CONGRESSMAN FRANK WOLF ON CIVILITY IN POLITICS AND THE IMPERATIVE OF RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

 

Former Congressman Frank Wolf recently lectured at Regent University discussing the importance of fighting for religious liberties in America and around the world. Wolf’s message was humble and precise: “We need to pray. We need to speak. And then, we will need to act… I would love to see the college campuses aflame” – aflame with the zeal to bring aid to those who are persecuted because of their religious beliefs.

Watch both videos here.

 

 

SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF RECONCILIATION – NATIONAL DAY OF RACIAL HEALING

Black Law Students Association and the Federalist Society co-hosted an event on January 21, 2020, at Regent University’s Robertson Hall, in honor of the National Day of Racial Healing.

The event brought history to life as it featured a panel made up of descendants of Dred Scott, Homer Plessy, Chief Justice Taney, and Judge Ferguson. These were individuals who lay at the heart of two of the worst Supreme Court decisions in American history; decisions which denounced basic human dignity and have weighed on the process of healing between black and white Americans for generations. Panelists discussed how the 19th century Dred Scott decision remains relevant today.

Student Highlight

ANTHONY HARPER INTERVIEWS WHITE HOUSE PRINCIPAL DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY, HOGAN GIDLEY

Dean Perry introduces us to Regent University Doctoral student, Anthony Harper. Mr. Harper is the editor and correspondent for the Intermountain Christian News based in Idaho. Mr. Harper recently had an opportunity to interview Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley regarding President Trump’s comments on religious freedom.

Watch the interview here.