A Blog on McConnell Center Life

             I am sitting here writing this blog in disbelief that another semester has flown by in my collegate career and in a matter of days I will be a junior. College does fly by as everyone says and it is double that speed here at the McConnell Center . We have had a remarkable and historic year here with visits from the current Vice-President, the unforeseen replacement of Sen. Ted Kennedy and historian and my personal favorite guest, Dr. John Lukcas. The insight and knowledge that has been accumulated here in the last two semesters would take the average person two full years in college just to start grasping. With the addition of Dr. Gregg’s class, I can say that I have been enlightened beyond my wildest imagination and that I would be able comprehend things now, that many people don’t want to even look at. Furthermore, the memories of all the good times with the scholars at retreat, kamping, or just the day to day run-ins have been great. I...

I found this video on www.wimp.com, which is a website that generates random videos. Usually, the videos are silly- such as cats running on treadmills or babies with a hilarious laughs similar to Dr. Gregg's chuckle. Yet, I found this specific video to be inspirational and quite moving. If you have a few free minutes, take the time to listen to Shane Koyczan use slam poetry to express his opinion on our country, political system, and the people that he finds to be heroes in our history. It is so impressive to hear people use their talents to express their feelings and views in a creative way. I hope you enjoy this and maybe it will inspire you to find a unique way to be politically proactive. www.wimp.com/myvoice

My first year as a college’s student and McConnell scholar is coming to an end. I would be sad, but I don’t have time with my finals. While I was thinking about things to take my mind off of finals, it hit me what I could do. I am going to write a poem about the McConnell Center . Here goes: M-inority Leader Mitch McConnell comes first, without him this would not be possible. C-oming in second is Tina Tally, because she always makes me smile. J C-ountless opportunities have been given to the McConnell Scholars, and we are grateful. O-once upon a time, came a man named Dr. Kleber; who is dearly loved and will be missed. N-ow I need to thank Dr. Gregg for pulling me out of the cave. I am very appreciative. N-ext is a shout out to the seniors, good luck in your future endeavors. E-lsewhere, the incoming freshman are getting ready for the adventure that is college. L-ooking back, this semester has been a great one thanks to the people at the McConnell center. L-ast but not least, Sherry ...

This has been a wonderful, but exhausting, semester for me. Some of the peaks include meeting Vice President Joe Biden, being intrigued by philosophical leadership debates in Dr. Gregg's class, and simply having intellectual and comical conversations with everyone in the center. The only disappointment from the program this semester is Dr. Kleber's retirement. He is a true inspiration to everyone, and I am deeply saddened that he is leaving after I have only known him for such a short time. But I know that he will still visits us, and hopefully I will see him at future retreats and camping trips. His essence will forevermore be present in the center if one just glances at the replica of the Thomas Walker House that causes us scholars to regurgitate repressed memories from McConnell Retreat 2010. After this rough semester, I am looking forward to an exciting summer. After going home and seeing family and friends, I will be doing an internship at the Kentucky ACLU here in Louisv...

Often times when someone is discussing the diversity of an institution or of a group of people, they look only at the color of someone’s skin or the background that they have. While I feel that it is important to have a number of different races, cultures, and lifestyles found in a group of people, I think that diversity means much more than that. Diversity can also be defined by different opinions, viewpoints, and arguments. It can be defined as different personalities, interests, and aspirations. When you take all of these definitions of diversity into account, The McConnell Center is one of the most diverse groups of young men and women I have ever seen. If someone not accustomed to being in a seminar with a group of scholars were to sit in and listen, take part, and argue along side the scholars, he could tell you just how diverse this group is. The scholars have different views on religion. These views differ in their opinion of who God/god is, what he does and has...

On March 30, 2011 the Freshmen McConnell Scholars enjoyed an evening with seven alumni of the McConnell Program. After entering the program, scholars are paired with an alumnus. The McConnell Program works hard to match scholars with someone in their field of interest. Having such a network system is extremely beneficial to the scholars. The evening began with dinner from Qdoba and a reintroduction of the scholars and guests. After becoming acquainted, the floor was opened to questions from scholars. Internships and study abroad programs were the main topics of discussion. McConnell Scholars are required to complete an internship before graduating from the program and the Freshmen will be searching for internships in the near future. The Freshmen were able to learn about internship opportunities ranging from those in Frankfort, KY to Washington, D.C., and even a few out of the country. The Wednesday evening was well spent with sch...

The Famous Dr. Kleber! What can be said about this famous man, besides awesome, besides brilliant, besides hilarious, Dr. Kleber is what we all inspire to be like. On Sunday evening, the McConnell family gathered together to celebrate our most dear senior fellow and send him off to his retirement with fireworks, or rather, cake, original song (thanks to Adam), and the unveiling of a cinematic creation solely about our very own, Kleber. We lured him to the Kentucky Center for the Arts under the pretenses of viewing the "The Kentucky Show!", however, after the show finished we had our own showing of "The Kentuckian Kleber", which included a surprise clip of his mother, who told all about of his inaiblity to perform his own laundry duties. We had clips from fellow students talking about what story or moment they most cherish about their time spent with Dr. Kleber, although how can you choose from so many moments and stories? Also featured in the movie, Senator McConnel...

Now that we have concluded the Debate Tournament and the Debate ELO for the semester, I wanted to quickly reflect on what we have done in our meetings. Without a doubt, Debate has been one of the more enjoyable and meaningful experiences for me this semester. From picking the topics that we were going to debate to doing research about the topics, Debate has certainly provided a number of learning opportunities. I personally have debated topics ranging as widely as whether felons should retain their voting rights and whether news stations need to maintain their partiality. I would have no other reason to research something like this, but because I had to debate it, I have actually formed some definitive opinions about the ideas that I may never have had the opportunity to do without Debate. And this says nothing about the debates themselves. During the debates, it is always interesting just to listen throughout the meetings to what everyone says and, more importantly, how ...

In honor Dr. John E. Kleber's retirement from the McConnell Center, I wanted to include on this blog a parody video poking fun at Dr. Kleber's greatest McConnell blunder... our trip to the Dr. Thomas Walker House. Starring Jessica Bagby and Tina Talley, this video is our McConnell rendition of MTV Cribs. I hope you enjoy!

"As he grew accustomed to the great gallery of machines, he began to feel the forty foot dynamos as a moral force, much as the early Christians felt the Cross. The planet itself seemed less impressive, in its old-fashioned, deliberate, annual or daily revolution, than this huge wheel, revolving within an arm's-length at some vertiginous speed, barely murmuring, - scarcely humming an audible warning to stand a hair's breadth further for respect or power, - while it would not wake the baby lying close against its frame." Henry Adams recorded this passage - a recollection of his encounter with electric generators in a museum exhibition at the Great Exposition of 1900 - in his autobiography, The Education of Henry Adams. While the author expresses his nigh-supernatural awe of the machines, he confesses later in the book a nagging disappointment in their weakness when compared to the Virgin Mary, the "dynamo" of the West in earlier ages. "Symbol or energy, t...

On April 4, Dr. Patrick Deneen visited the McConnell Center to discuss the middle portion of The Education of Henry Adams . Dr. Deneen serves as an Associate Professor of Government as Georgetown University and holds the Markos and Eleni Tsakopoulos-Kounalakis Chair in Hellenic Studies. Deneen’s seminar focused on the influence of science and technology in late nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century thought. Deneen began the event by examining Henry Adams’s emphasis on coal-powered technology. Adams expressed amazement at the ability of coal to transform everyday life, stating that his eighteenth-century education failed to prepare him for that innovation. Deneen argued that coal technology initiated a shift in the way people viewed time. Prior to the use of coal for electrical power, people lived their lives in cycles based on the sun. The repetition of day and night, months, seasons, and even liturgical calendars in some religions demonstrated the prevalence of these cycles. ...

Born January 31, 1924, John Lukacs remains one of the few individuals to live a pre-World War Two life. For this reason, he generated a sense of admiration and wonder in my eyes. Even before I read his literature and listened to his lectures, his age and experiences created instant credibility. Thus, despite Dr. Lukac's telling arguments on the end of the modern age, his April 8 th visit to UofL proved clouded by my desire to inquire about pre-World War Two society. The last American veteran of World War One died on February 28, 2011. The death symbolized the end of a citizenry that knew the world before American dominance. Indeed, time existed before McDonald's, Wal-Mart, and Hollywood. Yet, the death and the little attention it received also symbolized the lack of care our generation has for history, especially history before our superpower status. Though I had much to ask concerning Dr. Lukac's conclusions on communication, I could not rid myself of...

            There are many posts written on this blog that say how a certain event might have enlightened a scholar, how great a speaker was, or even how a perspective was discussed in a way that was ingenious. Regardless, I do not think that most of the scholars can tell you that an event or that a speaker truly touched the core of their soul. Dr. John Lukcas touched my core and even my soul. Over the course of his visit here at the McConnell Center, he held three events, and yours truly was amazed to higher levels at each event. Dr. Lukcas is not just a professor or a historian, but he is a poet, one who can make the most complex ideal seem like common sense with simple comparisons.             During his lecture "At the End of the Modern Age" Dr. Lukcas notes how now there is no such thing as a "middle class" because it is becoming less and less possible to differentiate between the middle and the working ...

Today I had the distinct honor of meeting Kentucky author Wendell Berry at the Butler State Park in Carroll County along with a group of 15 other scholars. Surely it has been a day I will never forget. Berry pulled into the parking lot as we anxiously awaited his arrival; when I spotted the livestock enclosure in the bed of pickup truck I knew it must be him. Berry is very busy during this time of year because lambs are birthing on his farm. Oddly enough, before he arrived we were joined by two Canadian twins who found themselves in the right place and the right time as they were “stalking” (their words not mine) one of their favorite American authors. After introductions and taking in his unmistakable Berry charm, we headed down to the meeting room. Berry opened with a discussion of “The Future of Food,” which explored the fundamental problems of conflict between the natural and industrial worlds. Berry spoke of industrial destructiveness as a disease with poverty, health issu...

Agrarianism is an organic system. An agrarian community can succeed only insofar as its participants adapt themselves to one-another and their environment. Its culture is defined by the collective memory of its members, and evolves with their traditions and beliefs. In essence, it cannot arise spontaneously, but builds upon itself as the experience of its members accrues -much in the way that limestone accumulates layer on layer with the gradual deposition of alluvial sediment. Consequently, it would follow that no such community could be artificially contrived - that is, consciously engineered within the space of a single generation - and still meet with success. In numerous instances, history reaffirms that assertion. Utopian communities founded spontaneously on agrarian principles have generally met with disaster: Harmonists, New Harmonists, Benthamites, Oneidans, and Shakers, to name a few. The Amish, Midinites, and other German Agrarian Protestant groups cannot claim exception, as...

It was recently the privilege of myself and several other scholars to dine with renown Kentucky author Wendell Berry at Butler State Park. Over dinner, Mr. Berry engaged us in a lively discussion of various topics, including his philosophy of agrarianism. Agrarianism can trace its origins to the earliest human communities, but gained concrete definition at the dawn of the industrial revolution as the antithesis to its opponent philosophy, industrialism. Agrarians posit that human quality of life depends on the quality of human relationships, both with each other and the environment. Agrarians acknowledge that all living things in an ecosystem - and all people in a community - are interdependent, and credit the richness and vitality of the relationships that create this interdependence with the maintenance of human health and happiness. Conversely, agrarians believe that people suffer when they break communal and natural bonds, as this results in a sense of isolation that compels indivi...

Senator McConnell often talks about how one of the goals of the McConnell Center is to create an "Ivy League-type" experience at the University of Louisville. This weekend Mary Kennedy and I had the opporurunity to have that experience more literally than usual. Former Secretary State Trey Grayson has recently invited the McConnell Center to partner with Harvard's(Kennedy School) Institute of Politics of which he was recently named Director . This allowed Mary and I to travel up to Cambridge,Massachusets for a weekend conference on public service and civic engagement. Together with about fifty other like minded students, we spent the weekend at Harvard discussing issues ranging from civility in the public arena and how to effectively engage others in our community. Guest speakers included former Congressmen Bart Stupak and Bob Inglis, former speechwriter for George w. Bush, John McConnell, and Blue State Media- the marketing company that oversaw Obama's internet campa...