Helms School of Government Newsletter- Spring 2024

Welcome from Interim Dean Cox

Greetings from the Helms School of Government!

As our Liberty students leave for the summer, we wanted to share with you our latest Helms School newsletter for Spring 2024

First, we hope that you will join us in congratulating Liberty University’s Class of 2024! Our Helms graduates have worked hard to earn their degrees and we are expecting great things from them. And we hope that each of you will join us at the Liberty Arena on Thursday, May 9 at 6:00 p.m. for the undergraduate degree program and the Multipurpose Center on Saturday, May 11 at 10:00 a.m. for the graduate degree program as we present special awards and confer degrees to the Class of 2024

You are also invited to Liberty University’s main Commencement Ceremony featuring South Carolina U.S. Senator Tim Scott on Friday, May 10 at 6:30 p.m. at Williams Stadium.

This semester, we were blessed to have a number of distinguished guests engage with our students. These guests included former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Mayor Jason Warren, Lt. Col Dave Grossman, Lt. Col. Allen West, and Commander Kirk Lippold, among many other distinguished guests.

We were also pleased to lead several trips during the semester. We hosted a Legal and Public Policy Forum at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, Professor Scott Roenicke led trips to the Chinese and Norwegian embassies and led a group of LASI students to make a presentation to analysts at the Pentagon. We hosted our annual Public Policy Conference, and we hosted White House simulations

In closing, we want to thank all our outstanding faculty members again for the work they do every day in Training Champions for Christ. We are especially thankful to those professors who go above and beyond to serve our students in class.

As we seek to better engage with our entire Helms family, we hope that you will enjoy this newsletter. And we ask that you help us do that by joining the conversation on our Facebook and Instagram pages.

We hope that you have an excellent and safe Summer, and we look forward to seeing you back on campus in August

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Visits

The Helms School of Government was delighted to welcome Former Secretary of State and CIA Director Mike Pompeo back to campus! During his Visit, Secretary Pompeo had the pleasure of meeting with distinguished Law School students, Government students, and various directors across the university by attending classes and participating in a Fireside Chat hosted by President Dondi Costin We are grateful for his visit and look forward to having him on campus throughout the semester. Read more about his visits here

2024 Spring Public Policy Conference

The Helms School of Government extends heartfelt gratitude to all the students and faculty who played a pivotal role in our 2024 Spring Public Policy Conference. This year’s theme, “American Revival: Citizenship and Virtue,” was brought to life by the insightful contributions of our student and speaker participants. We were privileged to hear from so many distinguished speakers on the Constitution & Public Policy, Free Enterprise & Economic Policy, International Relations & Foreign Policy, National Security & Intelligence, Criminal Justice & Rule of Law panels. To read more about the conference, click here.

International Relations Panel with Dr. Mary Prentice , His Excellency Ambassador Tadeous C hifamba, and Former U.S. Ambassador Lisa Gable

National Security & Intelligence Panel with Admiral Tony Cothron , Lt. Col. Allen West , Dr. Carl R ehberg, Rachel Davis, & Rear Admiral Michael Studeman

Human Trafficking Panel with Professor Larry Pressley, Dr. Jarrod Sadulski, Detective Paul Osborn , and Ms. Joy Cover

Lt. Col Dave Grossman & Commander Kirk Lippold Visit

The Helms School of Government was honored to host Lt. Col. Dave Grossman for a special training presentation to criminal justice students and members of law enforcement from state and local agencies. Read more here.

April 2 The Helms School of Government was delighted to welcome speaker and author Commander Kirk Lippold, USN (Ret). Commander Lippold was the Captain of the USS Cole, which suffered a catastrophic attack from a ship-borne improvised explosive device delivered by a terrorist cell on October 12, 2000, in Aden harbor, Yemen. He and his sailors valiantly managed to save the ship from sinking; however, not before seventeen American sailors lost their lives and nearly 40 were injured in this horrible terrorist attack. Our national security and intelligence students learned about critical U.S. national security challenges (e.g., Iran, terrorism, and China), a military perspective on the importance of timely intelligence, and effective leadership strategies. Our students expressed their sincere gratitude to him for his presentation on a difficult and complex set of topics. To learn more click here

U.S. Navy Admiral James Foggo Visit

Last week, U.S. Navy Admiral (4-star, Ret.) James Foggo visited the Helms School of Government to engage students on the emerging global threats to U.S. national security. Admiral Foggo has had a distinguished career serving the Nation at the highest levels of the U.S. military. He currently serves as the Dean for the Center for Maritime Strategy – a Washington DC-based think tank that is part of the Navy League of the United States. Our national security, criminal justice, and strategic intelligence students benefitted from his valuable insights on leadership, terrorism, military operations, and key strategic threats facing our nation today. Admiral Foggo also took time to meet with Air Force ROTC cadets and Liberty medical students to encourage them in their careers as future professionals and leaders. To learn more about his visit click here.

Heritage Foundation Trip with Tim Goeglein

The Helms School of Government Visited the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. for a Liberty Forum hosted by Tim Goeglein. Guest speakers at the Forum included Sarah Parshall Perry, Senior Legal Fellow for Legal and Judicial Studies, Bill Wichterman, Senior Advisor of Covington and Burling LLP and President of Faith and Law, Amanda Banks, and Vice President of Education at Family Policy Foundation. After the presentations students were able to tour the U.S. Capitol. For more information click here.

Virginia General Assembly Trip

Professor Aaron Van Allen and our Public Policy students visited the Virginia General Assembly in Richmond, Virginia, hosted by Delegate Walker. Students were given a tour of the building and a history of the Commonwealth. Delegate Walker spoke on the history of Virginia politics alongside Delegates Tim Griffin and Mike Cherry Delegate Walker also recognized the group during the House of Delegates proceeding. Additionally, students were given the opportunity to meet with Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin. Learn more here

Chinese and Norwegian Embassy Trip

On April 5, Helms School of Government students engaged with senior foreign diplomats during a trip to the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China and the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Washington, D.C. The delegation comprised students from Professor Scott Roenicke’s International Relations and Post-Communist Politics classes. At the Chinese Embassy, the Liberty delegation was hosted by Minister Counselor Liu Pengyu, Head of the Information Department. Students engaged senior Chinese diplomats on topics of mutual interest; Students then visited the Norwegian Embassy, where they participated in a diplomatic engagement with Deputy Chief of Mission Torleiv Opland. Learn more here

Western Virginia Regional Jail and “Jail For a Day”

Criminal Justice, Government and Psychology students were afforded an extraordinary opportunity to be in “Jail for a Day” through a partnership with the Western Virginia Regional Jail. WVRJ has been a tremendous partner for Liberty University and has allowed over 75 students to come to the correctional facility in Salem, Virginia. Students participated in several offender processes, including meal service, recreation, and daily living confinement. Click here to learn more.

Criminal Justice Students Visit FBI Academy

Students from the Criminal Justice program visited the FBI Academy and FBI Laboratory Division in Quantico, VA. The tour of the FBI Academy included the training facility, Hogan's Alley, and the firing range. The tour showcased information on forensic DNA examinations and the unique cryptanalysis unit. Students gained valuable insights into this specialized and unique analysis and its application to criminal investigations. Additionally, the FBI Academy gave a tour of the gun vault containing over 8,000 weapons, including items from World War Il and the Kennedy assassination investigation. See more about their visit here.

International Relations Students White House Simulations

Our International Relations students conducted a series of White House “Principals Committee” meeting simulations. The exercises were designed to develop policies to respond to an unforeseen Russian regime change crisis. Students engaged as various Cabinet-level officials and presented their recommendations to Professor Scott Roenicke who chaired the meeting as National Security Advisor. During his 33-year Department of Defense career, Professor Roenicke served in the White House as Director for Russian Affairs, and he was able to offer our students a “real world” approximation of actual Cabinet-level meetings. We look forward to our students contributing to real national security solutions upon graduation! For more information on their simulations, click here.

Pig On the Mountain

The Liberty University Pig on the Mountain Crime Scene Event took place on Friday, April 19, with over 50 students and eight law enforcement agencies participating in the event. The law enforcement agencies included the Lynchburg Fire Marshal, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, Virginia State Police, Bedford and Amherst County Sheriff’s Offices, Lynchburg, Richmond, Roanoke, and Chesterfield County Police Departments. Students worked alongside the law enforcement agencies in processing the crime scenes and documenting and collecting physical evidence. The students were also aided in the understanding time of death estimations using forensic entomology (bugs) by Professor McClintock, the director of the Liberty University forensic science program and forensic entomologist. Read more here!

Moot Court Competes in the AMCA National Tournament

The Moot Court Team competed at the AMCA National Tournament in Lubbock, Texas. This tournament consisted of the top 32 teams in the nation that qualified for the tournament through Regional and Super Regional Tournaments. Liberty Qualified four of the top 32 teams in the nation. Colton Hughes and Emerson Allen finished as a top 8 team in the nation, and Emma Scharstein and Riley Banker finished as a top 16 team. Colton Hughes was recognized as the 4th best speaker, Emerson Allen was the 3rd best, Riley Banker was the 2nd best, and Emma Scharstein was recognized as the best speaker, bringing home a National Championship as the Best Advocate in the Nation. Congratulations to the Moot Court Team for their hard work this year. Learn more here.

Norfolk Naval Base Trip

Last week, students in Professor Cothron’s Strategic Intelligence class were provided the unique opportunity to visit the United States Navy’s newest and most powerful warship, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) in Norfolk, VA. Students toured the 100,000-ton ship including a visit to the flight deck and the Carrier Intelligence Center (CVIC) where they were able to see how intelligence supports Naval operations. They heard stories about the USS Ford’s recent deployment to Europe where it was the first to respond to the war in the Middle East.

After the tour, students participated in a luncheon with Intelligence officers from the ship squadrons. This meeting is an annual event to provide practical experience in this highly classified profession. Professor Tony Cothron, a retired US Navy Rear Admiral and former Director of Naval Intelligence coordinated the visit to the USS Ford.

Liberty Analytical Support Initiative Presentations

On April 22nd, a team of Liberty University students constituting the Liberty Analytical Support Initiative (LASI) visited the Pentagon to brief senior Department of Defense officials. The topics for analysis this semester had been provided by Pentagon officials and represent critical national security challenges currently under consideration by the U.S. Government.

Students from diverse fields of study engaged senior decision-makers with their ideas for how the U.S. national security and defense architectures can effectively address the emerging threats facing our country.

Prior to their formal presentations, these teams briefed their findings to Liberty University President (Major General, USAF, Ret.) Dondi Costin and University Provost Scott Hicks, and former US 6th Fleet Commander and Commander, Naval Forces Europe Admiral (4-star, USN, Ret.) James Foggo.

The student analytical teams also visited the 9/11 Memorial at the Pentagon to pay their respects to those who lost their lives on that fateful day in 2001.

Liberty University is deeply grateful to the Department of Defense for its support of our students’ education and for the honor to serve the Department of Defense in this capacity. We look forward to future opportunities to provide analytical support to the Department of Defense.

To read the electronic version of this publication scan the code below or type in the below https://bit.ly/3UxLP6L

Many thanks to Titus Pettman, Lia Tsamoutalidis, and Destiny Hutchins (HSOG ‘25) for their efforts in compiling this Spring 2024 Newsletter