Helms School of Government to host public policy conference March 24-26

For the second consecutive year, Liberty University’s Helms School of Government will facilitate a groundbreaking public policy conference that will advance crucial ideas of our time. The event, “A Nation Divided? Assessing Freedom & the Rule of Law in a Post-2020 World,” runs from Thursday, March 24, through Saturday, March 26, in the Montview Student Union, Alumni Ballroom. This year’s keynote speaker is Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who will address conference attendees and Liberty’s student body in Friday’s Convocation.

(Visit Liberty’s Facebook page to view Convocation live).

Former Virginia Governors Bob McDonnell and George Allen are also participating in the conference, during a panel on Friday to be held directly after Convocation. Later Friday afternoon, there will also be a panel on the Ukraine Crisis featuring four distinguished Helms School faculty: Rear Admiral Tony Cothron, Dr. Gai Ferdon, Dr. Tom Metallo, and Professor Scott Roenicke.

The conference will kick off on Thursday with a panel featuring the new Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates Todd Gilbert and Virginia Senator Steven Newman, which will be followed by a welcome reception.

More than 70 students, faculty, alumni, and friends of Liberty submitted research papers for the conference. The research will be presented in 14 break-out sessions, with topics ranging from COVID-19 pandemic policies, reclaiming federalism and self-government, confrontations with China, education policy and children, and more.

A professional advisor panel will moderate the sessions and include members of The Family Research Council, Department of Defense, Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, Heritage Leadership Foundation, and others.

All panels will be available in person and remotely. The School of Government and its Journal of Statesmanship and Public Policy are cooperative sponsors for the events.

“We hope and pray that our conference will prove to be an educational and useful exercise in promoting the great principles upon which America was founded: self-government, free markets, and the Rule of Law,” said Helms School Dean Robert Hurt.