The George Wythe University Online Services website (OLS) is available again after a brief outage earlier this week. To our knowledge there was no loss of data. If you have any questions about end-of-semester assignments please contact your mentor.
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Despite our still being in the process of accreditation, GWU alumni increasingly earn admission into law school and other graduate programs. Additionally, one has now been elected to the Canadian parliament. Jim Hillyer of Alberta, who earned his Masters degree at GWU, was elected Monday in a landslide victory for Canada’s new legislative majority, the Conservative Party. Although the Calgary Herald mistakenly describes GWU as an LDS school, it provides a fair summary below. We offer our congratulations to Jim Hillyer as he works to advance the cause of liberty in Canada.
By Vicki Hall
Published: Calgary Herald, May 3, 2011
Conservative campaign manager Ethan Gorner kicked off the celebration at 9:27 p.m. “Ladies and gentlemen,” he bellowed. “Your next member of Parliament for Lethbridge.” With that, Jim Hillyer walked in and soaked up the love from family members and supporters at the end of an election marred by turbulence.
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George Wythe University kicked off its Accreditation Fundraising Campaign last week with a letter from President Schulthies. As the highest administrative priority at the school, GWU has been making preparations for accreditation with the American Academy of Liberal Education (AALE). President Schulthies revealed that only $380,000 is now needed to meet the financial ratios required for accreditation. Accreditation will open numerous tuition funding options for students, as well as permitting foreign students to attend GWU with student visas. Donations to this campaign are being received through a new online tool on the school’s Ways to Give page. Read the letter from President Schulthies to learn more about this campaign.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Cedar City, Utah – In collaboration with the Board of Trustees, the new president of George Wythe University, Shane Schulthies, has developed a plan to infuse a preparatory foundation of leadership ethics training throughout the curriculum as an additional emphasis of the school. Implementation of this added preparation for students will characterize the theme of Schulthies’ tenure as president.
“The frequency at which leaders in all sectors self-destruct due to ethical lapses is alarming,” said Schulthies. “These tragedies don’t need to happen. By tying lessons in the classics to modern case studies and rigorous simulations, we can buffer students against the risks when they assume leadership positions later in their lives.”
Ten years ago, Schulthies chaired the Human Subjects Committee over BYU’s three campuses while serving on their faculty. This committee enforced ethical standards for all research involving human subjects. His experience scrutinizing proposals, holding researchers to accountability standards and training faculty to keep themselves in check inspired the GWU Board of Trustees to consider potential ways in which the principles and practices might be transferable for the benefit of GWU students.
“If your institutional mission is to plant and nurture the seeds of statesmanship, it’s impossible to over-prepare on this,” said Schulthies. “We intend to make it an overt characteristic of the school culture, from students and faculty through administration.”
“We’ve actually had a lot of discussion about the principles of ethics on the board over the last year,” said Curriculum Committee Chair Vicki Jo Anderson. “We’re particularly excited for the benefits this training will bring to students, and by extension to society.”
Rather than add a specific course in ethics, classes across the curriculum will probe more frequently into questions presenting ethical challenges for leaders, with many courses receiving additional case study readings, analysis, discussion and simulations throughout a student’s enrollment.
“We really want this ingrained in our graduates,” said Schulthies. “We want it to last a lifetime.”
Currently only two handbooks are required as universal supplements to GWU classes: a style manual for English composition and Robert’s Rules of Order. With this change, a third will be added which will serve as an anthology of case studies in ethics.
This handbook will be chosen from a list comprised of texts currently being used in Masters and Doctoral programs in Public Administration and Political Science across the country.
“We compared books from quite a few programs,” said Schulthies. “From Stanford, Princeton and Harvard to local institutions like BYU.”
The first screening narrowed the list to a dozen books. Three finalists will be tested this semester. Two of these, Ethics Moments in Government and Combating Corruption/Encouraging Ethics, are published by the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA). The third, Ethics for Adversaries is published by Princeton University Press. A packet of readings will also be included that evolves over time by including new case studies from current events.
The school already implements a variety of simulations within the majority of courses as well as campus-wide competitions. These will be enhanced with the kinds of unforeseen ethical dilemmas typically faced by policymakers and business leaders, particularly the subtle traps that to lead to escalating compromises in integrity and destructive ends.
For illustrative purposes in mentoring and faculty training, Schulthies has also compiled a collection of ethical dilemmas faced by academic researchers during his years chairing the Human Subjects Committee. The first of these is introduced in the President’s Welcome Message on the school website.
“The classics in a liberal arts education already provide tremendous material for this kind of training” said Schulthies. “The difference will be in how we mentor, so that students can apply what they learn in modern times.”
Implementation of the new ethics emphasis will begin during Fall Semester, 2010.
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Contact: Gary Arnell
Vice President of Administration
George Wythe University
435.586.6570
About George Wythe University: George Wythe University is a non-profit classical liberal arts school created for the sole purpose of building statesmen for the 21st century. In addition to its main campus and extension programs in many states, it now offers live online virtual classrooms serving students anywhere in the world. GWU was founded on the principles and methods of classical liberal education in the Western Tradition. It was inspired by the example set by George Wythe, the first law professor in the American colonies, as he mentored Thomas Jefferson and other statesmen of his day. Other core elements of the methodology include scenario-based simulations and field experiences. GWU sets itself apart by seeking innovative and effective ways of applying the traditional principles of the classical approach in order to achieve its mission of preparing students for a lifetime of leadership. The school’s current main campus is located in Cedar City, Utah. For information visit: www.gw.edu.
“To build men and women of virtue, wisdom, diplomacy and courage, who inspire greatness in others and move the cause of liberty.” – GWU Mission Statement
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Registration is now open for the fall 2010 semester with tools to make enrollment planning easier than ever before. Each course now features a calendar icon which displays a list of semesters in which any given class will be offered over the next few years (example). Students can also access a list displaying classes by their on-campus or online availability at any given time (example).
Your feedback has played a key role in helping us shape the website into the convenient tool it has become. As you test these new features, please send us your comments so that we can continue making these kinds of improvements.
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In the past, George Wythe University has encouraged its faculty, staff, and board members to develop personal companies related to statesmanship education. The reasoning has been two-fold. It allowed employees to supplement their incomes; and it allowed various associates of the school to promote GWU’s mission in their own particular way.
However, this blending of effort also created two challenges. First, George Wythe Foundation is a nonprofit corporation, while most individual businesses are not. The potential for conflicts of interest becomes difficult to avoid under these circumstances and may place a nonprofit’s standing in jeopardy. Secondly, while the purpose of the individual companies has been to support the larger nonprofit mission of the university, it may also appear, from an outsider’s point of view, that the reverse is true instead. Avoiding not only actual conflicts but also the appearance of them is good business practice in the non-profit world. The Board of Trustees, therefore, has recently approved a comprehensive and transparent conflict of interest policy which may be viewed here.
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As we continue to improve the quality of our programs and prepare for accreditation, in May the Board of Trustees approved the following measures:
Those students who may be affected by these policy changes have been identified and contacted by the school. If you wonder if you may be affected and you have not received a letter, please contact us so we can answer any questions.
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In preparation for accreditation, all degree programs at George Wythe University have been reviewed or are in the review process to evaluate their ability to instill the knowledge, skill, and character necessary to support our mission of promoting statesmanship.
As part of this review process, significant improvements have been made to the undergraduate program. These changes will affect all incoming students. We encourage all current students to evaluate the improved curriculum and graduation requirements. We believe you will agree this is a program worth switching over to in your path to graduation.
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Shane S. Schulthies, PhD
As I reflect over the festivities of this month during which many of us in the United States celebrated the birth of our country with parades, picnics and fireworks, I am reminded of John Adams’ foresight in a letter to his wife Abigail:
I am apt to believe that [Independence Day] will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more (sic)1.
Adams’ prophetic statement was correct about everything but the date. He was speaking of July second, the day the Continental Congress formally passed the resolution for independence, rather than July fourth, the day Congress approved the careful wording of its public declaration.
Independence Day shifted from the second to the fourth almost by accident. During the 1770s and 1780s it was celebrated infrequently. In 1777 Congress neglected to mark the day until July third, but by then it was too late to celebrate July second. As a result, the first anniversary of our independence was celebrated on the fourth of July, complete with patriot songs played by the Hessian band captured the previous winter2. Apparently the Fourth of July stuck.
Initially it seems that the Declaration of Independence itself fared little better than the celebrations. Most viewed the document as a mere formality necessary to announce independence. For example, John Adams called it “dress and ornament rather than body, soul or substance.”3 John Wilkes, an American supporter in England described it as “the most awkward and uncouth dress of language.”4 Additionally, almost all attention was focused solely on the last paragraph, the words that actually declared independence. The principles in the first two paragraphs were largely overlooked. However, by the mid 1790s the Democratic Republicans, led by Jefferson, began to see the Declaration as much more—a statement of their rights and a barrier to the expansion of government power promoted by the Federalists. Eventually, the Federalists also began to also view it as a powerful document that described the rights of all men. By the 1820s the Declaration was recognized by almost all Americans as the expression of the fundamental principles of our county. This sentiment was expressed by Jefferson, who called it “the best guide of the distinctive principles . . . of the United States,” and “the fundamental act of union of these States.”5 The heart of these principles is found in the first two sentences of the second paragraph, which reads:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights governments were instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.
I hope we are familiar with these principles. Equality before the law, natural rights, and popular consent form a foundation of our liberties. But underneath these principles lies a footing upon which this foundation rests. First, that there is a standard of right and source of truth superior to any man or group of men—be he king or be they parliament. Second, that one might know these principles with a certainty sufficient to take up arms in their defense.
Jefferson’s original wording, “We hold these truths to be sacred and undeniable6,” suggests a divine source of these truths, which he directly stated elsewhere in the document. Likewise “undeniable” underscores the surety with which one could know them. The change to “We hold these truths to be self-evident” removed the religious language, but kept the surety. For self-evident does not simply mean obvious, as a one might assume. Rather, it describes a truth that is inherent in the principle itself, without external proof. Such principles are true, not because of empirical evidence or logical disquisition, but because our intellectual and moral sensibility say they are true. Or to look at it inversely, such principles are true because our intellectual and moral sensibility cannot comprehend the opposite proposition, that God created some men to rule and others to be oppressed.
Whereas self-evident truths are not dependent upon empiricism and logic, this knowledge lies above them, not below. This distinction is vital in understanding the power of a liberal education. Plato may give the best description of this process.7 Quoting Socrates, he speaks of learning as a journey with identifiable stages: training the physical body and the moral sense, understanding the world though learning and experience, development of reason through mathematics, and finally knowing8 fundamental principles through dialogue with oneself or others. In pondering these stages, it appears that this ability to know is developed sequentially after years of searching for truth, as a combination of moral discernment, general knowledge, the ability to reason, and the ability to ponder and discuss. In Abolition of Man, C.S. Lewis seems to recognize this sequence as he first argues for the development of the one’s heart and then for the development of one’s reason.9
Developing moral character and the ability to know truth is the primary aim of the classics, and any institution devoted to their study.
Self-evident truths form the moral foundation of society. Yet, historically our ability to know these truths has been impeded by human weakness and error. Hence, whether right or wrong, many acts that one generation has felt morally justified in committing have been deemed immoral by subsequent generations. These adjustments in the moral canon10 are seen by some as reason to reject the idea of truth, or to despair of ever knowing it. Many even promote the idea that the search for truth is dangerous. President Obama spoke for this relativistic mindset when he alleged:
It was not just absolute power that the Founders sought to prevent. Implicit in [the Constitution's] structure, in the very idea of ordered liberty, was a rejection of absolute truth, the infallibility of any idea or ideology or theology or “ism,” any tyrannical consistency that might lock future generations into a single, unalterable course….11
Two objections to this line of reasoning come to mind. First, the very existence of changes in the moral canon over time refutes the claim that it can “lock future generations.” Rather the moral canon challenges the innovator to a respectful duel of ideas. One may propose new moral ideals, but in so doing must grapple with thousands of years of argument. To evade the rigor of this challenge by simply denying absolute truth is an intellectual shortcut, and a cheat to the great men and women who have lived before and passed to us their wisdom.
Second, a rejection of truth risks throwing the proverbial baby out with the bath water. How are we to judge our actions or those of any government without a standard? If we have no standard of truth, then by default, self-interest becomes the standard by which to judge. You may have heard the argument, “I will respect your rights in the hopes that you will respect mine.” Said in other words it amounts to, “I’d abuse your rights, except for fear that you would abuse mine.” Consequently, threat of force replaces reason and morality as the compelling motive of men and governments. I do not deny that that self-interest has always been a powerful motivator in the lives of men, possibly even the primary motivator. But with whom would you feel most secure? A ruler who only recognizes self-interest and force as legitimate, or one who seeks to temper his own interest and power with a higher moral standard—a standard that has been debated and discussed for thousands of years?
The self-evident truths affirmed in the Declaration of Independence—initially overlooked by nearly everyone—have become the lens through which the Constitution is interpreted and the primary safeguard of our liberties. Yet their ability to discourage government abuse of power is dependent upon the extent we recognize the veracity of these truths. In the last century, nearly every expansion of government power has been justified by a rejection of the self-evident truths restricting it. In 1926 the eminent economist, John Maynard Keynes, stated:
Let us clear from the ground the metaphysical or general principles upon which, from time to time, laissez-faire has been founded. It is not true that individuals possess a prescriptive ‘natural liberty’ in their economic activities. . . We cannot therefore settle on abstract grounds, but must handle on its merits in detail what Burke termed “one of the finest problems in legislation, namely, to determine what the State ought to take upon itself to direct by the public wisdom, and what it ought to leave, with as little interference as possible, to individual exertion.12
Within three years the world would be thrust into the Great Depression. Having rejected the “principles” and “natural liberty” upon which free enterprise was based, mankind sought to determine the extent of government intervention “on its merits.” Within a decade, the annual budget of the United States tripled13 and national debt as a percentage of GDP increased from 15% to over 50%.14 This was accompanied by an unprecedented shift of power from individuals and local institutions to the central government. Similar shifts occurred during the same period of time in nearly every other industrialized country.
In his inaugural speech in 2009 President Obama mirrored the words of Keynes:
The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works, whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified.15
Using what “works” as the criteria for government intervention, our federal spending has increased by over 27% in just two years.16 The national debt is expected to increase from 70% of GDP to over 100% by 2012.17 New regulations, industry bailouts and government expansion into healthcare are accelerating at a staggering pace. If this trend continues we will see a centralization of federal power that will exceed the welfare states of Europe. Of course, history teaches us another truth as well—one that is based on mankind’s experience and therefore not self-evident—that the political machinery used for wielding such power is almost always abused in due course.
The principles articulated in the Declaration of Independence stand as a bulwark against such danger. I encourage all, whether citizens of the United States or not, to carefully read it and regularly re-read it. But whether we recognize its principles as morally binding the actions of men and governments, or as mere metaphysical ideas to be discarded as they inhibit our particular interests—this will depend largely upon the development of our moral character and intellectual skill. Our goal at George Wythe University is to contribute to this development though the study of the classics and applying the principles found within them. For it is only by engaging in the Great Conversation of the ages and drinking from its wisdom that we refine our hearts and minds to recognize those self-evident moral truths which have stood the test of time.
The fifth president of George Wythe University, Shane S. Schulthies received his Ph.D. in Exercise Science from Brigham Young University where he subsequently taught for 13 years. During his tenure he chaired the Human Subjects Committee, overseeing the ethical standards of all human research at Brigham Young University’s three campuses, and training faculty in ethics in human research across multiple disciplines. He has served on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Athletic Training, as an associate editor to the Journal of Sport Rehabilitation, and has been a contributing author for 23 peer-reviewed articles. He has lectured in the United States, Europe and Asia and has been awarded a variety of professional distinctions in research and teaching. Since engaging in a comprehensive personal education in the liberal arts, he has become significantly involved in political and legislative processes, including various roles in leadership, policy, campaign execution, and advocacy. Prior to his current position, he served as provost at GWU. He is married to the former Kimberly Hanson of San Francisco, California.
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For immediate release – June 3, 2009
Salt Lake City, Utah – Glenn Beck called for a return to studying the classics rather than progressive indoctrination in his keynote address at George Wythe University’s (GWU) annual gala Saturday night at the Utah State Capitol. Beck urged supporting the private classical liberal arts university’s singular mission of building statesmen and made a personal donation of $25,000. The event coincided with the school’s national debut of its live online virtual classrooms, which will allow students to attend classes in real-time from anywhere in the world.
In lieu of dining with state dignitaries, Beck sat with students, engaging them with inquiries into principles of good government and the merits of various ways to reclaim the nation’s liberty.
“Three weeks ago in Washington, I had dinner with the head of the GOP [Michael Steele], Newt Gingrich—a fascinating man who knows history inside and out—and a couple of other people,” 
Beck said during his keynote address. “I had a better conversation tonight with the students of George Wythe—by far more intriguing.”
Beck’s donation was also inspired by 14-year-old Rachelle Harkey, who raised the $500 to pay for her seat plus a $1000 gift to GWU by finding donors who would pledge a penny for each page that she read from a list of classics. Her table consisted entirely of youth who did similar things for their seats.
Unable to attend, Mitt Romney introduced Beck via video as “a friend and a statesman in his own right,” adding “I salute those of you in this room tonight, who are all united in moving forward the cause of liberty, in building men and women of virtue and wisdom, diplomacy and courage, which is part of the mission statement of the university itself.”
Beck spoke for nearly an hour, focusing extensively on America’s “progressive” march toward ignorance and dependence, but shared his renewed optimism in the recent awakening to rediscover the principles of liberty. He noted that a key to this awakening is the kind of education that happens at GWU
—studying original sources so that students “learn how to find the answers,” said Beck, and to think for themselves rather than rely solely upon textbooks and professors.
“Quite honestly, the first thing that attracted me was that to graduate you have to know all of the principles behind The Five Thousand Year Leap,” Beck said in a separate interview. “It is the book to read for this period in our country’s history.”
The first of three dozen books read during the freshman year, W. Cleon Skousen’s The Five Thousand Year Leap identifies 28 principles the American Founders relied upon to establish a free society. “By Winter Semester, freshmen are citing all 28 principles during debates, simulations, and oral exams,” said Andrew Groft, University President. “We want them understanding the foundational principles of liberty while thinking on their feet.”
“I came to George Wythe because of its mission to build statesmen,” said Austin Russell, a student who sat at Beck’s table. 
“Plato wrote that education should be designed to make men good, and that really is what George Wythe does. I’ve definitely seen a change in myself and my peers. I view the world through a much clearer lens.”
Russell begins law school at George Washington University this fall. Averaging 9 to 12 hours of daily study over his four years at George Wythe, he feels prepared for this next step. Appreciative of his undergraduate experience, he reflected, “the curriculum is so well balanced that any student who is truly passionate about gaining an excellent education will find satisfaction from the richness it provides.”
The event concluded with Beck receiving the school’s Statesmanship Award from the George Wythe Foundation Board of Trustees.
“Hope is alive and I am thrilled with the kind of students that are coming out of George Wythe,” said Beck. “If there was ever a time for more statesmen and fewer politicians, it’s now.”
Fall registration to attend the live virtual classrooms is now open nationwide.
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Contact:
Gary Arnell
Vice President of Administration
George Wythe University
435.586.6570
About George Wythe University: George Wythe University is a non-profit classical liberal arts university created for the sole purpose of building statesmen for the 21st century. In addition to its main campus and extension programs in many states, it now offers live online virtual classrooms serving students anywhere in the world. GWU was founded on principles and methods used by George Wythe, first law professor in the American colonies, to mentor Thomas Jefferson and many other statesmen of his day. The university uses a unique principle-based educational model centered on studying classical texts under the guidance of mentors. Other foundational elements include scenario-based simulations, field experience, a rigorous study load, and a personal mission-oriented emphasis toward leadership education. Degrees offered range from a Bachelors program in Statesmanship to a Doctoral program in Constitutional Law. GWU is rapidly gaining notice as an innovative, refreshing and timely alternative to conventional models of higher education. With ambitious expansion plans, the school’s current main campus is located in Cedar City, Utah. For information visit www.gw.edu
“To build men and women of virtue, wisdom, diplomacy and courage, who inspire greatness in others and move the cause of liberty.” – GWU Mission Statement
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