A Blog on McConnell Center Life

Sean Southard Class of 2015 What do families, churches, businesses, schools, and government have in common? Each one of the groups mentioned is an institution.  Religions and businesses call for certain expectations of the individuals that operate within them. Likewise, the same can be said of families, in how a father ought not to beat his wife and children; of schools and government officials, in how they ought not to abuse their power and treat people fairly. The notion that something is out of place in each of those institutions points to what Hugh Heclo called an “institutional order,” in a 2008 book published by Oxford University Press titled On Thinking Institutionally .  In it, Heclo argues that the modern world is almost completely devoid of any sort of institutional thinking – whether those institutions be families, businesses, religions, or even branches of government. Institutional thinking, Heclo writes, is about developing an appreciative mindset of...

Danielle Robinette Class of 2015 In 1996, the World Conference on Linguistic Rights produced the Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights in which they advocated for the protection and respect for all languages and their use in private and public spheres.  Of the rights and provision enumerated by the Declaration, the right to access to education in one’s native language serves to not only preserve, but also grow languages facing endangerment or extinction.  In countries with numerous language groups existing simultaneously, the government must address bilingual education policy in order to comply with the propositions made by the Declaration.  The linguistic divisions that exist in Ecuador only serve to reinforce the social stratification between the Amerindian and Mestizo populations. With the imposition of Spanish as the language of government in Ecuador, the indigenous languages of the region have gradually diminished.  Of the twenty-two indigenous...

Ocey Holland Class of 2018 As far as intense debates go, I believe in one rule, the silver rule. It implies that utilizing resources and controlling ones behavior could lead to a triumphant win in a debate. Its concept regards the sensitivities of thought, cultural ideology, and religion but nurtures the notion that debate is about hard facts. Ideally, this rule is firmly rooted in the conceptual implications of relevant evidence, so lets recap on the debate that granted the birth of such an ideal. This past Friday the McConnell Center had the opportunity to host the debate “Jefferson vs. Hamilton: Who’s the MVP of the American Founding?” with Michael Schwarz and Michael Federici, both acclaimed professionals in their specific field of study at U.S. accredited universities. The director of the McConnell Center, Dr. Gary Greg, insisted that George Washington was the true winner amongst America’s patriarch, and proclaimed that the debate would be on who actually finished second...

Benjamin Whitlock Graduation is quickly approaching. As I prepare to leave the University of Louisville, I am reflecting more and more about the advice that I have been given, and one particular piece that stands out to me comes from a great mentor who will remain nameless. It was this: “Think about the man that you want to be...and be it.” This is great advice, but if I’ve learned anything from UofL History Professor Thomas Mackey, it is to “go to the sources, go to the sources, go to the sources.” The McConnell Center, likewise, has taught me to emulate great men...so...I have been doing my research! Ladies and gentlemen, I present three "manly men" worthy of emulation and draw from two great articles on my favorite site,  The Art of Manliness , to unravel and identify traits I seek to emulate. Teddy Roosevelt Teddy Roosevelt infused life and energy into everything he did. In " Fists of Theodore Roosevelt ," Brett and Kate McCay point out that e...

Cathrine Mountain Class of 2015 We all know that interviews can be truly terrifying experiences. Whether it is the reoccurring nightmare of being late, an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction, or having to answer the dreaded, “What is your worst quality?” question, my palms get a little sweaty just thinking about it.  Fortunately for us folks that are prone to pre-interview anxiety, the McConnell Center hosts Mock Interviews to increase confidence in our interviewing skills.  This past Monday, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Colonel Wynder, UofL’s first US Army War College Fellow, and Mrs. Sarah Carter, a current student at our university’s medical school. However, I did not interview with these mentors on the basis of any specific position like many of the Scholars do. By focusing on an anticipated interview, many scholars are able to concentrate on the particular skills they may want to highlight for that specific internship or job, for instance. Since I am stil...

Samantha Roney Class of 2015 For the past two years I have had the opportunity to work for the University of Louisville as a Cardinal Ambassador. As an ambassador, I serve as an official tour guide of U of L and have the opportunity to show prospective students my great university. As a part of our program some of my coworkers and I had the opportunity to take a historical tour of U of L led by longtime archivist and metro-council member Dr. Tom Owen.  In an hour tour I learned that the area Belknap campus currently resides on was once a cemetery. After the cemetery failed to attract enough tenants, the city of Louisville sold the land to the Louisville House of Refuge--later named the Industrial School of Reform. The House of Refuge was an orphanage and also provided homes for wayward youth. During that time they built several buildings still used by the university today. The oldest of those buildings was Gardiner Hall. Originally a dormitory built in 1872, it cur...

Andrew Stewart Class of 2015 This summer I had the humble opportunity to be an intern at the Capitol in Washington DC. I had the privilege of interning in the office of Congressman Brett Guthrie (2 nd District of KY). He is a Republican in the House of Representatives and is from Bowling Green, KY. Before being an intern I had friends tell me that it was going to be a wonderful experience filled with numerous opportunities. I guess I had expectations that I would do meaningless jobs, wearing a nice suite and working in a nice building for very important people. I didn’t go in expecting much more than that, and I am actually glad that I didn’t. I didn’t want my expectations to be too high only to be disappointed. I have been to DC before, but my experience as an intern trumps my previous trip. I was an intern for about 5 weeks, and that was a quality amount of time to really take in the whole experience as an intern. First, Congressman Guthrie’s staff was the best. Basically m...

Sam Whittaker Class of 2015 Roughly one month ago, I completed my last retreat as a McConnell Scholar at Carter Caves State Park near Ashland, Kentucky. In the time that has elapsed since, I have also completed my last Fall Fraternity Rush and begun my last fall semester at the University of Louisville. It was not until very recently that I came to terms with the fact that the twilight of my undergraduate career at U of L and the McConnell Center is now upon me. Over the past several years, I have written serious blog posts on topics such as the use of drones, the two party system, and the potential minimum wage increase. I decided that, as this is my last hurrah at the University, it would be appropriate to hearken back to my lighter blog posts of Freshman year and write a short blog on my personal experience as a McConnell Scholar and U of L student. In this capacity, I would also like to offer a bit of personal advice to students within the McConnell Program and the University a...

Joel Thomas Class of 2015 It seems like I was in China just the other day—it’s difficult to believe that I’ve already started my “last-first semester" of college, and even harder to believe that I’m no longer a Freshman! Nonetheless, the start to my senior year has been nothing short of fantastic. A full, course load, an exciting internship, and tons of applications all make for, what I think will be, a memorable year. My advice to those just starting to college—cherish every moment and seek to better yourself whenever possible. As I settle into the groove of school, I’m doing my best to balance the time I have left here with my obsession with planning for the future. Between applying for a Fulbright grant, the Peace Corps, Graduate school, additional internships, and even jobs, I’m king every effort to enjoy and invest in the friends and faculty members who care about me most. Occasionally it’s difficult, but ultimately I know that it is a top priority for myself—no on...