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\nBrokaw, longtime “NBC Nightly News” anchor and one of the most
\nrespected people in broadcast journalism, and Barksdale, a sitting
\njudge on the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, have both been named
\nas Sally McDonnell Barksdale Fellows. The program’s goal is to energize
\nthe academic environment for the entire campus, said Douglass
\nSullivan-Gonzalez, dean of UM’s Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors
\nCollege.\n<\/p>\n
\n“Our students are not simply spectators in
\neducation,” Sullivan-Gonzalez said. “They are participants, and this
\nallows them to learn from two people who have helped shaped American
\nhistory.”\n<\/p>\n
\nA special correspondent for NBC News and frequent visitor to
\nOxford, Brokaw has agreed to lecture for a journalism course led by the
\nuniversity’s Cook Chair of Journalism, Curtis Wilkie. The course, “The
\nChanging Face of America,” calls for students to read Brokaw’s books
\n“The Greatest Generation” (Random House, 1998), which examines the
\nWorld War II peer group, and “Boom! Voices of the Sixties” (Random
\nHouse, 2008), a reflection on the tumultuous era.\n<\/p>\n
\n“Tom (Brokaw) is one of the smartest, most thoughtful
\nindividuals that I’ve ever known,” said Wilkie, who met Brokaw during
\nthe 1976 presidential campaign. “He’s equipped and in a unique position
\nto help show the students how to deal with changes in society, and
\nhe’ll also provide insight into how we, as journalists, try to keep up
\nwith those changes.”\n<\/p>\n
\nBrother of UM alumnus and philanthropist Jim Barksdale, Rhesa
\nBarksdale earned his law degree from UM in 1972 and served as a law
\nclerk for Supreme Court Associate Justice Byron White in 1972-73.
\nPresident George H.W. Bush nominated Barksdale as a federal judge. He
\nwas confirmed in 1990 and earned senior status this summer.\n<\/p>\n
\nHe will lecture for a political science and history course
\nco-taught by Bob Haws and John Winkle. The course, “Quarrels That Have
\nShaped Our Understanding of the Constitution,” enables students to
\nexamine the central role of the U.S. Supreme Court in major political
\ncontroversies that have shaped our understanding of the Constitution.\n<\/p>\n
\n“Judge Barksdale has been directly involved in many of the cases
\nthat have molded our society,” said Bob Haws, UM chair of public policy
\nleadership. “His perspectives and real-world experiences will be
\nextremely valuable in the classroom as he examines the role of federal
\njudges.”\n<\/p>\n
\nBesides being tapped as a Barksdale Fellow, Barksdale will be
\nhonored in the spring as the Trent Lott Leadership Institute’s
\ninaugural Leader-in-Residence.\n<\/p>\n
\nWith active careers and lives often dictated by world events,
\nboth Brokaw and Barksdale are available only on a limited basis. Brokaw
\nis slated to be on campus for a week next spring, and Barksdale is
\ncommitted to two weeks of lectures. Both classes are taught in a
\nseminar format.\n<\/p>\n
\nCourse enrollments are limited to 15 to 20 students, and Honors
\nCollege students receive first choice. If any openings remain, students
\nmust have a 3.0 grade point average to enroll, Sullivan-Gonzalez said.\n<\/p>\n
\nFor more information on the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College, visit http:\/\/www.honors.olemiss.edu\/.<\/a>\n<\/p>\n