Copper Mountain, Colorado
(This is not an official Regis University Web Page)
2013©
to my web page! I plan to periodically expand and
enhance this page so that it will remain useful and interesting to my friends, students
and colleagues. The information contained will be both personal and professional. This is,
I think, appropriate in order to get a sense of my values, goals and person. I invite all
comments and suggestions for improvement (in particular please let me know if any links
are out of date). No doubt there could be improvement on my picture
but it will have to do for the time being. Thank you for taking the time to view and
consider what I have provided.
Retirement Notice
After more than three decades as a member of the My
start at Regis was in January, 1976 after previously being on the faculty at the To
all of my former students, know that I will be available to help in any way that I can as
you pursue your chosen careers or further education. Regis
has generously granted my request to maintain both my existing e-mail account and web
page. Feel free to contact me via those
avenues. In the coming months I plan on modifying and updating my page so
that it will continue to be of use to Regis students.
I invite you to use it as you see fit. Suggestions
for improvement and or criticisms are welcome. |
Open Letter to the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform:
Members of the Commission:
Mark the words of the Greek Orator Isocrates:
Current Issues of Great Significance
America's War Against Islamo-Fascist Terrorists John O'Neill: The Man Who Knew National Debt and Public Policy Sites Outstanding Research Papers of My Students (begun 9/06) Peter Fanning Lessons for Chief Justice John Roberts William Dong An Analysis of the Oral Argument Presented Before the Supreme Court Will Gohl Jimmy SengenbergerChallenges to Anthropegenic Climate Change Theories Below are several links to web sites containing information challenging to prevailing orthoroxy regarding the issue of global warming/climate change. These references are included on my page to encourage critical and thoughtful consideration of this matter of public concern. In my view one can be a strong proponent of environmental protection (as am I) and simultaneously harbor doubts about the extent, if any, of human caused climate change. |
Short Cuts
You may access the information in this web page either by scrolling down, clicking on the table of contents to the left, or on the major headings below. By clicking on the "Back" button on the tool bar you will return to the page from whence you came.
My undergraduate education was obtained while attending the University of Missouri at Columbia and Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Despite an early flirtation with becoming a math major, I quickly became fascinated with the subject of politics and obtained my B.A. in 1962 from SIU with a major in Government and minor in History. While in high school I had been required -- as a punishment for misbehavior -- to write out the U.S. Constitution three times and the Illinois Constitution twice! As such I knew the material for the Illinois test on the two constitutions and made a very high score. It also prepared me well for Introduction to American Government course. Who says that rote memorization has no benefits?
The next two years were spent at SIU working on my master's degree which I obtained in 1964 with a Thesis on the subject of the White Citizen's Councils in the southern regions of the U.S. After a one year hiatus from academia (much of the time spent laying sewer lines in the swamps of Southern Illinois) I returned to graduate studies attending the University of Kansas where I began my Ph.D. program. After one year at KU I resumed my studies at SIU in the fall of 1966. I spent the next four years there finishing my doctoral program. In 1971 I was awarded the Ph.D. My dissertation was on the subject of juvenile courts with a special emphasis on their establishment, development and functioning in Illinois.
During my graduate years at SIU and KU I was fortunate to be given my own classes to teach so when I obtained my first full-time position in September, 1970 at the University of Nebraska/Omaha I was more than a little familiar with the responsibilities of college instruction. My position at UNO lasted through December, 1975 when I resigned from UNO and assumed my position at Regis College (now Regis University) in Denver in January, 1976. I have remained at Regis to this time. Other than Regis I have taught in Colorado at CU/Boulder, CU/Denver, Colorado School of Mines, Metro State College and Denver University. The Regis University Home Page will provide much useful information about my home institution. Let me urge you to also access the Web Page for the Regis Department of History & Politics for a description of the Department and its members.
My primary areas of professional interest are U.S. Constitutional Law, Judicial Process, American Politics generally and PreLaw activities. As a member of the American Association of University Professors, American Political Science Association, Colorado\Wyoming Political Science Group, PreLaw Advisor's National Council (past chair), Western Association of PreLaw Advisors (past president and founder), former member of the Colorado Supreme Court Committee on Public Education, and the American Bar Association PreLaw Committee, I have found that participating in organizational activities is both professionally and personally rewarding. Having served as President of the Regis University Chapter of AAUP and as its Chief Negotiator, the benefits of Regis University administrative/faculty collegiality are especially apparent to me.
Teaching at the college and university level is a privilege I have enjoyed for many years. During that time I have occasionally thought about my profession from what might be called a philosophical perspective. A favorite professor of mine best captured my sentiments and beliefs when he wrote a short piece entitled: Educational Philosophy. I urge you to read it.
Being born and raised in southern Illinois, I have a particular love for small town America. Some very old pictures are available if you want to see them. After losing my parents while in high school and having no siblings, it quickly became clear that self-reliance supported by education was essential to achieve my desired goals. Fortunately for me higher education was more affordable then than it is today (as I painfully learned recently when I paid tuition and other fees for Lee, my oldest son, who entered college in Fall, 2003).
In addition to spending much time on Crab Orchard Lake near SIU, I was fortunate enough to tour Europe with friends. During these wonderful summer trips of 1967, 1969 and 1971 I rode a BSA Lightning and Triumph Bonneville motorcycle. The road from London to Istanbul (with many stops in between -- Paris, Rome, Athens, Belgrade, Amsterdam, Lisbon, Salzburg, Vienna, Istanbul, Palma, Brussels and others) was filled with adventure, challenge, fun. tough times and lots of wonderful memories. Once in Yugoslavia our path was blocked by a parade of very large automobiles one of which contained Marshal Tito who was waving at a genuinely appreciative crowd of admirers. Aside from touring Europe I lived there for several months offering graduate and undergraduate courses to U.S. armed forces personnel. While living in Madrid, Spain and Wiesbaden, West Germany I acquired a perspective on European affairs otherwise not available to me. It was a marvelous learning experience as well as a challenging assignment.
There were other memorable experiences not the least of which was making several journeys to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin for the Spring Spring races and RoadAmerica 500. When ever we went we always tried to look cool.
In 1984 and 1986 I became the father of two boys -- Lee and Scott. Here they are as teenagers. We spent much time together skiing, biking, traveling, searching museums, zoos and other sites. Raising two sons I am now very appreciative of the role mother's have traditionally played in our society: homemaker, nurse, disciplinarian, cook, chauffeur -- not to mention that of provider. From the time they were little they are sometimes marvelously friendly and on other occasions they are just having fun . (I won't show the arguments and other manifestations of sibling rivalry.) Occasionally they went fishing. Lee has recently become adept at developing his own web page and now has a professional page. Now that both Lee and Scotty have graduated from high school he has to have his own picture for distribution to all his friends. Scotty chose this one. They have each finished college now but occasionally I can get them together as I did when we went to the zoo in summer, 2005.
Being avid downhill skiers and explorers of Colorado we spend much time out-of-doors. In particular we enjoy traveling, exploring deserted mining towns, visiting historical sites and finding places off-the-beaten-track. They, however, also thoroughly enjoy the very "beaten" tracks of such places as Disneyworld and Disneyland. Sometime we might even get to view a launch of the Space Shuttle.
In the Summer of 1998 we enjoyed a week at a working ranch in Wyoming with lots of horseback riding, camping, fishing, boating and rodeoing. One of our most memorable days this summer was in Aspen hiking the Maroon Bells. There is one picture of the boys, Janie and I on our trek up to a 9,000 foot lake at the base of the mountain and another at Thanksgiving (see also Thanksgiving 2002 and 2003. Several years ago Janie and I got married. Our Golden Retriever, Sam, is very happy with the new family and especially his new friend "Sanity the Pug (also known as the Chunk)."
During June, 1999 we spent almost three weeks on a trip to Europe. Janie, Lee, Scotty and I visited Germany, France, the Czech Republic, and Austria. Kristen, Janie's daughter got married in Stuttgart. This was my first visit to Europe since 1984. Pictures here!
Somehow it seems that we always take our vacations in June. This year of the new millennium was no different. For the first time in four years we went to Florida. Although travelling around the country is always enjoyable, skiing in Colorado remains one of my great pleasures.
For 2001 our trip was to spend time searching American history in the middle eastern seaboard states of Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and Washington, D.C. You are welcome to take a peek at our time there.
In late May, 2002 we took a trip to San Francisco. This was one of our few trips that was strictly urban. It was expensive but fun. Great food, eye-opening diversity of people, unique cosmopolitan environment -- all there! Shortly thereafter Janie and I visited her daughter and son-in-law (Christi and Frank respectively) in Bonn, Germany. We spent about ten days travelling through wine country, floating on the Rhine and enjoying beer, brats and sauerbraten. As usual there are some images of our trip you are welcome to view.
In late July and early August of 2003 we were in New York City and surrounding environs for a 10 day vacation. Well, for everyone except Janie it was a vacation. Her current assignment is in New York City so she had to work much of the time that we played and explored. If you are interested you can see some images of our time there. We also visited in the summer of 2005.
Lee turned 21 this fall. Although I had hoped I could take him to New Orleans for a birthday trip the tragedy of Katrina prevented that. Instead, we went to Las Vegas for a few days. Despite my best efforts, Lee managed to win a few dollars at the slot machines. Hopefully he will not get bitten by the gambling bug although he didn't escape Vampira. As always I took a few pictures.
Lee accomplished something that is increasingly unusual in this day and age: he graduated from college in four years (eight semesters). Earning a college degree is an admirable achievement in and of itself, but doing so with a very high GPA and in four years, well, that's remarkable (of course, as his Dad, I am unashamedly prideful). . He was very happy as you can see. If you have a few minutes to wait for the image to load, you can see a short video of Lee's graduation and Scotty's boistrous but loving congratulations. Scotty graduated a year later from CSU. What a wonderful feeling it is to have your youngest successfully complete a four year college curriculum. Way to go Boys!
On several occasions we have visited our good friends Phil and Jan in Southern California, just north of San Diego. On a recent trip we spend much time on the beach and in LA. Here are a few images.
For Summer of 2007 we travelled to Maui to clebrate Scotty's twenty-first birthday. Fortunately we were a couple of weeks ahead of a hurricane which skimmed along the southern portion of the islands. It was a trip filled with new sights, sounds, and experiences. Here are some images.
The following syllabi have been used in my classes. The date on the syllabus will indicate if it is currently in use or not. Although these documents are comparably extensive I believe firmly that students are entitled to have detailed information about the course in which they are enrolled. Of special importance, it seems to me, are the standards used in grading as well as the foundation on which grades will be determined. You may access the desired syllabus or other links by simply clicking on the name of the class.
Within the syllabi below are schedules of daily class discussions. These course titles are linked to an on line image of the class lecture/discussion outline. Moreover, these outlines contain additional hypertext links to sites with information pertinent to the named topic.
Below are various WWW links that may be of use to students of Politics and those interested in politics generally.
The Discipline of Politics| Regis University Politics Area | Department of Politics and Political Science WebPages |
| Ultimate Political Science Links | American Political Science Association |
Government Resources on
the Web
Current Political Event
Sites
State and Local
Government Sites*Other state web pages may
be found by typing in the "open" box on the taskbar the following:
"www.state.[state abbreviation].us"
Miscellaneous Political Reference SitesHere are additional links to Congress, the Executive Branch, and the Courts |
Information About the Regis
University PreLaw Program
Links to Professional
Organizations
PreLaw Information on Other
Campuses and Elsewhere
Please
any comments and suggestions to me.
