Visiting Scholar Program

Every other year the Center asks a distinguished public intellectual to serve as a visiting scholar. The scholar is asked to deliver a public lecture, be a part of an ongoing class at St. Mary's College, and spend time in small groups with students.

David Healey has been a journalist, teacher and ghostwriter. He has written three Civil War novels, including "Sharpshooter" and a non-fiction book, "1812: Rediscovering Chesapeake Bay's Forgotten War." His articles and essays have been published in many magazines, including American History, The Washington Times, Blue & Gray, Running Times and Maryland Life.

Thomas Penfield Jackson, U.S. District Court Judge (1982-2004), served as 2009's Chaney Visiting Scholar for the Center for the Study of Democracy. Judge Jackson is a member for the St. Mary's College of Maryland Board of Trustees and an advisory board member for the Center for the Study of Democracy. During his time as the Chaney Visiting Scholar, Jackson will hold a public lecture entitled "Maryland Designe: The First Wall Between Chruch and State" based off of his Occasional Paper that was written for the Center in the Fall of 2008. Jackson is scheduled to visit three classes during his term as visiting scholar. He will discuss mandatory sentencing guidelines to Dr. Helen Daughtery's Sociology class, 17th-century Maryland in Dr. Christine Adam's History class, and the Mircrosoft case in Dr. Charles Holden's Democracy Studies Class.

Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson was named a U.S. District Court Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by President Ronald Reagan in 1982. He presided over many well-known cases, including the Microsoft antitrust case, the drug trial of former District of Columbia Mayor Marion Barry, the public disclosure case over former Senator Bob Packwood's diaries, and the case involving the constitutionality of the presidential line-item veto.
Prior and after retiring his judgeship in 2004, Judge Jackson was counsel for the law firm of Jackson and Campbell, where according to his firm he specialized in defending physicians and hospitals in malpractice suits.

Professor Larry Sabato, the Robert Kent Gooch Professor of Politics at the University of Virginia, served as the Center's second visiting scholar in March 2007. Dr. Sabato spoke to a audience of students, faculty, and community about the 2008 presidential election. He also lectured to an American Politics class about the history of television campaign advertising and lunched with political science students.

Princeton University History Professor James McPherson (at left) was the Center's first visiting scholar in November 2004. the He was in residence in St. Mary's during November 2004. Dr. McPherson is a former President of the American Historical Association and the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for History. He is the author of several books about the American Civil War including, Battle Cry of Freedom, Hallowed Ground: A Walk at Gettysburg, For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War, and Crossroads of Freedom: Antietam. Dr. McPherson participated in St. Mary's College Professor Charles Holden's Civil War seminar and gave a public lecture during his residency at the Center.