Former Vice-President Mike Pence will take part in a symposium with College of the Ozarks in September.
Pence will be the fourth featured speaker as part of The National Symposium on Patriotic Education.
It takes place via livestream on September 16 and 17.
Press Release
Michael R. Pence, 48th vice president of the United States, is the fourth featured speaker to be announced by College of the Ozarks as part of The National Symposium on Patriotic Education, to be held via livestream Sept. 16-17, 2021.
The purpose of the Symposium, which is hosted by The William S. Knight Center for Patriotic Education at College of the Ozarks, is to revive historic American values and virtue on the eve of the 250th anniversary of America’s founding. Pence joins other speakers, including Dr. Ben Carson, former United States Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, former White House press secretary, and Edward Graham, assistant to the vice president of Programs and Government Relations for Samaritan’s Purse.
The people of east-central Indiana elected Pence six times to represent them in Congress. On Capitol Hill, he established himself as a champion of limited government, fiscal responsibility, economic development, educational opportunity, and the U.S. Constitution. On April 7, 2021, Pence announced the launch of a new political advocacy group, “Advancing American Freedom.” The group’s stated goal is to “promote the pro-freedom policies of the last four years that created unprecedented prosperity at home and restored respect for America abroad, to defend those policies from liberal attacks and media distortions, and to prevent the radical Left from enacting its policy agenda that would threaten America’s freedoms.”
During the Symposium, participants can expect to hear from nationally known speakers, learn about patriotic education programs, connect with thought-leaders and practitioners, and access innovative patriotic education content and resources.
To learn more about this free event, and to register, visit: https://cofo.edu/nspe
The Symposium will feature sessions centered around the following four pillars of patriotic education, as defined by The William S. Knight Center:
- Liberty’s Lessons: Expand knowledge of American heritage, especially individual and religious freedom
- Liberty’s Cost: Honor the sacrifices of Veterans and their families
- Liberty’s Foundation: Strengthen free enterprise through hard work and entrepreneurship
- Liberty’s Legacy: Promote public, civic, and military service
“There are many who talk about what is wrong with America,” said College President Jerry C. Davis. “At C of O, we believe there is much that is right with our country. We intend to take a leadership role in patriotic education by helping students of all ages learn about liberty, sacrifice, free enterprise, and service. Respect for these critical building blocks of our nation has eroded, and we intend to help restore that respect.”
Dr. Marci Linson, vice president for patriotic activities and dean of admissions, sees this as a critical time for such an event.
“Vice President Pence has undoubtedly witnessed the decline in American patriotism in the halls of government and in our communities,” Linson said. “We are honored to have him speak at the Symposium on the importance of reversing that trend.
“Offering this as a complimentary livestream event increases our outreach and allows us to draw many concerned citizens into the conversation about the importance of patriotic education. We trust that accessing the content of this meaningful online event will prove convenient and educational for our guests.”
Learning Liberty’s Foundation
College of the Ozarks administrators hope to affect change in our nation, providing a response to statistics noted in current culture. Young Americans misunderstand the value of capitalism for the flourishing of our nation, and socialism is as popular as capitalism among young adults in the U.S., per a 2019 Gallup Survey. Over a quarter of Americans (26 percent) support the gradual elimination of the capitalist system in favor of a more socialist system (2020 Victims of Communism Poll).
Dr. Andrew Bolger serves as the director of The Keeter Center for Character Education and The William S. Knight Center for Patriotic Education.
“To discover Liberty’s Foundation, we must strengthen free enterprise through hard work and entrepreneurship,” Bolger said. “Hard work gains traction when our economic system strengthens free enterprise. At the College, we understand this well, as so many of our students, through hard work and education, escape prisons of poverty through the College’s work education program.”
