Pell Honors Program hosting lecture on “symbols of statesmanship”

Gary Gregg, director of the McConnell Center for Political Leadership at the University of Louisville, will present a Pell Honors Program lecture, “George Washington and the Symbols of Statesmanship,” at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 16 in the Bazarsky Lecture Hall.

We tend to think of the office of the presidency as one of action and decision making regarding public policy. Since our earliest days, however, presidents have also understood the need to provide symbolic leadership for the nation they represent.

Gregg will discuss how George Washington took on the role of symbolic leader of the nation and how he used the office of president of the United States to set the tone for his countrymen and establish the foundations of national unity.

An award-winning political science teacher and expert on the U.S. presidency, Gregg has written several books, including “Securing Democracy: Why We Have an Electoral College.” That book was reviewed in the National Journal and Washington Post and led to many national television and radio appearances for Gregg. His most recent scholarly work, “Thinking about the Presidency” was published in 2005.

The McConnell Center for Political Leadership is a non-partisan program that attracts the best and brightest students from around Kentucky and grooms them for careers in effective leadership.