Villanova University Hosts Political Science Conference Examining Bush Presidency and Administration
Twenty-one prominent social scientists and practitioners from around the nation will explore topics including Bush’s foreign and domestic policies Nov. 22
Advisors from Bush and Clinton administrations, principal spokesman for 9/11 Commission highlight slate of conference speakers
VILLANOVA, Pa., Nov. 13, 2008 – With the historic 2008 Presidential Election having reached its conclusion, Villanova University will host a comprehensive full-day conference examining the presidency of George W. Bush. On Saturday, Nov. 22, from 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. in Villanova’s Connelly Center, 21 prominent social scientists and practitioners from around the country representing diverse political views will explore the Bush presidency and administration. Free and open to the public, the conference is sponsored by Villanova University, the University of Arkansas and the University of Southern Mississippi.
Highlighting the conference’s slate of speakers are John J. Dilulio, Alvin S. Felzenberg and William A. Galston. DiIulio, former director of the White House’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, will provide the keynote address titled Mayberry Machiavellis After All? Why Judging George W. Bush’s Presidency Is Never So Easy as It Seems. Felzenberg, who served as principal spokesman for the 9/11 commission, has held several positions in the Bush Administration including adviser to the U.S. Departments of Defense and State. Galston, a prominent political scientist, was a domestic policy adviser for the Clinton Administration.
The conference also features distinguished Villanova University faculty members Lara Brown and Michael Moreland. Brown, an assistant professor in the Villanova University Political Science Department, is an expert on topics such as presidential aspirants, political parties, congressional incumbents and national elections. Moreland is an assistant professor in the Villanova School of Law. Before joining the Villanova faculty, he was Associate Director for Domestic Policy at the White House, where he was responsible for coordinating policy development on a range of legal issues, including immigration, crime, civil rights and tort reform.
Robert Maranto, a former Villanova Political Science faculty member who recently accepted the 21st Century Chair in Leadership in the Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas, will participate in the conference in addition to serving as one of the conference’s directors.
A book based on the conference will be published by Stanford University Press in 2009.
For more information on the conference and details on all the conference participants visit: www.villanova.edu/artsci/psc/newsevents/
Villanova University, a co-educational Roman Catholic institution, was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine in 1842. A premier institution of higher education, Villanova provides a comprehensive education rooted in the liberal arts; a shared commitment to the Augustinian ideals of truth, unity and love; and a community dedicated to service to others. A wide variety of undergraduate and graduate degree programs are offered through the University’s four colleges: the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Villanova School of Business, the College of Engineering and the College of Nursing, as well as the Villanova School of Law. With a total enrollment that surpasses 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students, Villanova is the oldest and largest Catholic university in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. For more information see www.villanova.edu.
Conference Schedule
Date:
November 22, 2008
Location:
Connelly Center, Villanova University
| 9:00 AM | Welcoming Remarks Jack Johannes, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Villanova University |
| 9:10 AM | SESSION I: THE SETTING Presidential Greatness Reconsidered Neil Reedy, FBI Jeremy Johnson, Brown University Tom Lansford, University of Southern Mississippi Robert Maranto, University of Arkansas Bush's Brain (No, Not Karl Rove): How Bush's psyche affects his decision-making. Robert Maranto, University of Arkansas Richard E. Redding, Chapman University |
| 9:40 AM | QUESTION & ANSWER Moderated by Al Felzenberg, University of Pennsylvania |
| 10:15 AM | SESSION II: INSTITUTIONS The Bush White House and Bureaucracy David B. Cohen, University of Akron Karen Hult, Virginia Tech Charles Walcott, Virginia Tech The Cheneyization of the Bush Administration Shirley Anne Warshaw, Gettysburg College President Bush and the Use of Executive Power James P. Pfiffner, George Mason University A Realignment in the Judiciary? Lori Johnson, Mercer University Michael Moreland, Villanova University |
| 11:15 AM | QUESTION & ANSWER Moderated by Jeremy Johnson |
| 12:30 PM | KEYNOTE ADDRESS Mayberry Machiavellis After All? Why Judging George W. Bush’s Presidency Is Never So Easy as It Seems John J. DiIulio, University of Pennsylvania |
| 1:30 PM | SESSION III: DOMESTIC POLICIES
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| 2:15 PM | QUESTION & ANSWER Moderated by Robert Maranto |
| 3:15 PM | SESSION IV: CRUSADE: BUSH FOREIGN POLICIES Forging an American Empire Lawrence Korb and Laura Conley, Center for American Progress Fighting Two Wars Jack Covarrubias, University of Southern Mississippi Tom Lansford, University of Southern Mississippi |
| 3:45 PM | QUESTION & ANSWER Moderated by David Barrett |
| 4:15 PM | SESSION V: JUDGING GEORGE W. BUSH Missed Opportunities: Conflict and Polarization in the Bush Years William Galston, Brookings Institution and University of Maryland Comments by Al Felzenberg, University of Pennsylvania |
| 4:45 PM | FINAL QUESTION & ANSWERModerated by Catherine Warrick, Villanova University Robert Maranto, University of Arkansas. |