FOX News Contributor, WaPo Columnist to Visit CU

You may recognize him if you’re a FOX News die-hard.

Charles Krauthammer, FOX News contributor and Pulitzer-prize winning columnist for the Washington Post, will visit Cedarville University for Constitution Day. The Center for Political Studies hosts “An Evening with Charles Krauthammer” 7 p.m. Sept. 17 in the Dixon Ministry Center’s Jeremiah Chapel.

In addition to success as a journalist and political commentator on FOX News’ “Special Report with Bret Baier” and other programs, Krauthammer is a physician and the author of “Things That Matter: Three Decades of Passions, Pastimes and Politics.”

“He is very good at articulating conservative principles,” said Marc Clauson, professor of history and law at Cedarville University.

Center for Political Studies

Mark Smith, professor of political science at Cedarville, said federal law requires a formal commemoration of Constitution Day each year by institutions that receive federal aid. At Cedarville, this celebration provides the opportunity to host higher profile speakers to discuss political topics and constitutional princicples with the student body and community.

“One of the goals of the center of political studies is to bring in experts to our community so that our students can either learn from them or, in some cases, interact with them and get a sense of how things happen in the broader world,” Smith said.

Students and faculty from the departments of communication and history and government can attend a question and answer session with Krauthammer at 3:30 p.m. before the evening event.

Cedarville’s Center for Political Studies annually invites speakers for the celebration for a talk that in some way gets back to the founding principles of the U.S., Clauson said. Speakers share from their expertise or discuss constitutional issues from a Christian or secular perspective as they relate to current events.

Another perspective

Smith said speakers akin to Krauthammer bring a different element to students’ education, as such speakers are active in the professional world, from different walks of life and offer unique perspectives.

“We try to bring people who are role models or points of reference for our students,” said Smith.

Previous Constitution Day celebrations have featured Mike Huckabee and Karl Rove, both of whom, Smith said, are unique and well-known in the political realm.

“Huckabee goes from being a Southern Baptist minister to becoming the governor of Arkansas to being a presidential candidate,” Smith said. “Rove, he was a really obscure guy from virtually nowhere who just got launched into the stratosphere of politics by his relationship with President (George) Bush.”

Smith said Krauthammer has an interesting story as well. Yet Clauson said Krauthammer has a bit larger appeal.

“This is a little bigger than the normal (speaker),” he said.

Smith said Constitution Day 2015 has already proved to have a considerable outreach. As of mid-August, nearly 800 people had registered for the event with Krauthammer.

Smith said speakers of such high profile have the potential to reach the surrounding communities of Cedarville, Dayton and possibly Cincinnati as well.

Admission to the event is free with advance registration at www.cedarville.edu.Registration closes Friday, September 11. Subject to availability, tickets will be sold at the door prior to the event for $10 each.  Doors open at 6 p.m.

Amy Radwanski is a junior journalism and broadcasting/digital media double major and digital editor for Cedars. She is pursuing a career in broadcast performance with her studies.