Former New Hampshire Executive Councilor and gubernatorial candidate Andru Volinsky is Franklin Pierce University’s first Civic Scholar-in-Residence. He’ll hold his first lecture on Friday.
“I am delighted to join Franklin Pierce,” Volinsky said, “because it gives me the opportunity to work with young people and, in particular, to work with them around a topic that really excites me, which is civic engagement.”
The topic of civic engagement is important to Volinsky, with his history as a public defender and his career in public service. “I’ve learned as a trial lawyer, it’s best to stay close to who you are and what’s of interest to you,” he said.
Volinsky said that the position of Civic Scholar-in-Residence came about after he gave a talk on the death penalty in February 2020 and got in contact with the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, Matthew Konieczka.
“Our students will learn greatly from Mr. Volinsky’s breadth of experience as a lawyer, elected official, and advocate as we continue to provide them opportunities to be confident and knowledgeable citizens,” stated Konieczka in the announcement of Volinsky’s position.
University director of communications Kathryn Gross Gann said that the goal with this position was to continue to fulfill the university’s commitment to providing “stimulating, challenging courses that extend undergraduates’ intellectual boundaries and expand their worldview.”
“By fostering open dialogue on topics relevant to today’s ever-changing world, we are preparing our Ravens to live as conscientious, engaged citizens,” said Gann.
Volinsky will serve as the university’s Civic Scholar-in-Residence is for one year – this term, he will give a total of three lectures, and will teach an upper-level seminar in the spring entitled Law and Public Policy for Change.
“I’m looking forward to learning as much as I can from the students. It’s a two-way street,” Volinsky said. “I think we are in such divisive times, that it’s important for people to be – I hate to say it, because it’s worn out – but, civically engaged. You have to participate in your community.”
Volinsky said that topics related to this that he plans to cover include community organizing, instilling a knowledge of state and federal government, and how to engage in politics.
“I want to talk about ‘how to,’ and why it’s important,” he said.
Along with this, he said, his first lecture this term will hopefully pass on some of those lessons. Entitled “Can the Constitution save the American Dream?” Volinsky’s first lecture will focus on the 1973 Supreme Court case San Antonio v. Rodriguez, in which the court held that the U.S. Constitution does not guarantee a right to public education.
“I want people who attend the lecture to have a concrete example of how the Supreme Court works, how it impacts us as a society,” Volinsky said. And this particular topic is both close to his expertise, he said, and is relevant to the state of New Hampshire as well, and what Volinsky called an unequal level of education quality across public schools in the state.
Additionally, this lecture will be held as part of the university’s Constitution Day celebration, recognizing the day the Constitution was adopted.
Volinsky’s other two lectures this term are scheduled for Oct. 28 and Nov. 9, with the second one’s topic being voting rights. Volinsky is still deciding on the topic for the third.
Friday’s lecture will be held at 11 a.m. in Spagnuolo Hall at Franklin Pierce University.