Religion at a Public University

William and Mary Committee on Religion at a Public University

Press Release: Steven Fitschen Presentation May 1

"...I announce the creation of a presidential committee to aid in the exploration of these large questions. I will ask its members to examine the role of religion in public universities in general, and at the College of William and Mary in particular—including the use of the historic Wren Chapel. It will be co-chaired by two of our most distinguished faculty members—Dr. James Livingston, emeritus chair of the College’s religious studies department; and Professor Alan Meese, accomplished legal scholar, teacher, author, and leader in the Faculty Assembly.

The committee will be balanced—as the appointment of these co-chairs suggests. It will include an array of alumni, students, staff, and faculty. I will ask that they report back to me by the end of the semester. I have also requested that the provost consult with the chairs and invite, during the course of the year, experts, scholars and activists from varying perspectives, to explore such broad-ranging claims and their ties to our mission as a public university."

Gene Nichol
State of the College address
January 25, 2007

William and Mary Committee on Religion at a Public University

Research Professor of Law at Regent University School of Law, will deliver a lecture May 1, 2007, on "Religion and Government: Accommodation, Encouragement, and Establishment"

The talk, which is the third in a series of speakers hosted by the William and Mary Committee on Religion in a Public University, will be held at 7 p.m. in Washington Hall, auditorium 201. A question-and-answer session with Fitschen will follow the talk. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Committee Members:

Alan Meese, Class of 1986, Ball Professor of Law

Dr. James Livingston, Professor Emeritus of Religion

Sulaiman Bah, Class of 2007

Deborah Basket, Associate Dean of Admissions

Dr. Brian Blount, Class of 1978

James Brinkley, Class of 1959

Dr. Davison Douglas, Arthur B. Hanson Professor of Law and Director of the Election Law Program at the Marshall-Wythe School of Law

Julie Galambush, Associate Professor of Religious Studies

Rev. Holly Hollerith, Rector of Bruton Parish Church

Dr. Lu Ann Homza, Associate Professor of History

Jim Murray, J.D., 1974