Gregg leads civic symposium at alma mater

(JAN 12, 2016) ELKINS, W. Va. — McConnell Center Director Gary Gregg travels to Davis & Elkins College to deliver a lecture on American political institutions.
Gregg leads civic symposium at alma mater

McConnell Center Director Gary Gregg with a student at Davis & Elkins College

McConnell Center Director Gary Gregg, PhD, delivered the keynote address for Davis & Elkins College’s First Year Symposium last week.

Gregg’s talk focused on the importance of being aware and active in politics, and Gregg urged students to consider the role of American political institutions before they vote.

"Too many people in the American political system act without thinking, so I'm going to encourage you to think - think institutionally," Gregg said. "We're obsessed with personalities right now. The personality from Trump to Bernie Sanders to Hillary to Cruz, whoever it is. And I think we need to look at these candidates and ask the question, 'Alright we know what they want, how're they gonna get it?'"

The talk emphasized the role of the U.S. Constitution in shaping and defining American political institutions, and each student in attendance received a copy of the Constitution from the McConnell Center.

Gregg stressed focus and humility as keys to college success, ideas he often uses with McConnell Scholars.

Gregg received his bachelor's degree in history and political science from Davis & Elkins, before earning master's and doctoral degrees in political science from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Photos and media coverage of the talk are available online:

Established in 1991, the McConnell Center is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2016. Since its inception, the Center has helped to educate and change the lives of more than 200 McConnell Scholars and has awarded more than $3.5 million in scholarships. It has also provided thousands of hours of professional development to Kentucky's teachers and, since 2014, has served as a model of strategic broadening for the U.S. Army.