Randolph ('22) publishes article on cultural development of conservationism
McConnell Scholar Scott "Will" Randolph ('22) published a research article on the cultural development of American conservationism in the inaugural issue of The Cardinal Edge.
In "Evolution or Revolution: The Cultural Development of American Conservationism from U.S. Grant to Theodore Roosevelt," Randolph explores the legal protections for American wilderness as the result of various cultural and intellectual movements during the middle to late 19th century. Specifically, he considers the rise of scientific analysis of the American West, the humane movement, romanticizing of the West and increased federal power after the Civil War as principle contributors to the development of conservationism.
In addition to their experiences in the traditional undergraduate classroom, McConnell Scholars engage in extensive leadership development which includes a focus on furthering personal scholarship. Programming is limited to 40 top students at the University of Louisville and includes Socratic-style seminars, public lectures, and travel opportunities focused on the foundations of leadership and political and social thought in America.