A Blog on McConnell Center Life

And swing he did...Dr. James W. Loewen, that is. The author of Lies My Teacher Told Me spoke at the McConnell Center co-sponsored event this previous week, swinging at our education system and it's 'poor' efforts in teaching history to my generation. Specifically during the lecture, Dr. Loewen focused on the secession of South Carolina from the Union. He took a poll of the packed Chao Auditorium on the reasoning for the state's secession, providing 4 choices: a)Slavery, b)States' Rights, c)the election of President Abraham Lincoln, d)Taxes and Tariffs. So go ahead and quiz yourself. See if you have been poorly educated by the accused 'lies' of our school system. Got an answer? If you remember the show 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire', there were 3 'emergency' options to help answer a question: ask the audience, phone a friend, and 50/50. So first, I'll eliminate 2 choices for you. Now, instead, choose from a)Slavery and b)States Rights......

After acting as Chief Justice for moot court practice Thursday evening and opening Friday morning with a breakfast discussion on legal careers, Dr. Barbara Perry still had the energy to give a wonderful public discussion Friday afternoon. Needless to say, the McConnell Center is honored to have such a dedicated non-resident fellow. The luncheon was entitled May It Please the Court and Dr. Perry discussed many traits of effective oral arguments. She also included a look into her book on the Michigan affirmative action cases and the oral arguments that helped shape the decisions. The tips she presented were useful for those interested in legal careers and beyond. An effective lawyer knows more than just their side of the case- they know their opponents side as well. This way, they are able to refute any arguments going against their case. An effective lawyer has practiced enough to have heard most of the possible questions that will come their way- this practice can come from a mo...

Dr. Barbara Perry, a non-resident Fellow of the McConnell Center, held a discussion with several scholars about legal careers on Friday morning, October 29th. She offered advice by detailing her extensive and illustrious path through some coveted internships, academic programs, and profession positions. Law school requires a passion and planned use for legal studies (i.e. desiring a law degree for more than just the title), Perry said. “I know many lawyers/law school students who are unhappy with their choice.” Perry, once having contemplated law school, said she preferred the life of an academic to that of the average lawyer. She noted that subsets of law, such as Constitutional law and civil litigation, were of interest, but emphasized that the proportion of lawyers occupied therein is rather low. Perry stressed the importance of a minimum of international experience. “A scholarship with the English-Speaking Union that sent me to study at Oxford really opened my eyes to my preference...

In the latter stages of a routine seminar with Dr. Andrew Tadie, the discussion ventured away from abstract suppositions about the autobiographies of HG Wells and GK Chesterton. Dr. Tadie introduced a brief article from the Economist. It said: IN MANY European countries, dwindling Christian flocks can barely cope with the patrimony they have inherited, from steeples to statues. Georgia, which adopted Christianity 17 centuries ago, faces almost the opposite problem: such is the strength of a religious revival that began after the fall of communism that a hectic programme of building and restoring churches—from tiny chapels to Tbilisi’s vast new Holy Trinity cathedral—can hardly keep up with demand. And perhaps inevitably, the rush to refit ancient places of worship can easily run up against other priorities, including the latest international thinking about archaeology and conservation which holds that intervention should be kept to a minimum. In some Georgian holy sites the choice is m...

The McConnell Center had the privilege of welcoming Ms. Gretchen Morgenson, financial columnist of the NY Times today for a Q&A luncheon. She started off the luncheon by giving a little background on her life--going from a secretary at Vogue magazine, to Wall Street, and eventually to the New York Times. As she reflected on the details on her life story, she shared the wisdom she gained from each step in the process. This wisdom was not specific to a certain age, gender, social class, etc., but what I felt was universal wisdom touching on topics that people of all ages and classes deal with. Specifically, I was impressed by the relevance it had to my own life and that of my college-aged peers that seem to have the somewhat consistent question in our minds of, "What will I be when I grow up?" My mother, now nearly 50 years old has told me throughout my life that she still has not figured out what she's going to be when she grows up. That's not to say that with o...