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News and Upcoming Events
McConnell Scholar Alumni Earn Top Honors
Goins Named Outstanding Atlantan
On November 7, Jonathan Goins (McConnell Scholars Class of 1999) was honored by Outstanding Atlanta as one of ten outstanding young Atlantans for 2008. He joins 39 previous groups of honorees, cited for their outstanding contributions to leadership and service in both their professions and the community.
In addition to his undergraduate work at the University of Louisville, Jonathan is a 2002 graduate of The Howard University School of Law. He is he recipient of several law and community service awards, including the King & Spalding Pro Bono Service Award, recognition in the Georgia Bar Journal, and Who's Who in American Law. He is currently employed by Kilpatrick Stockton LLP. For more information on the Outstanding Atlanta organization, visit their website.
Ballard Awarded Dartmouth Fellowship
Jonathan Ballard, (McConnell Scholars Class of 2004), has been awarded a Paul Ambrose Fellowship at Dartmouth Medical School. The fellowship is a medical residency program that allows resident physicians to undertake a quality improvement project while doing their general medicine residency. In such, he will take business, management, and public health courses from the various Dartmouth departments during his final medical training and will earn a Masters of Public Health degree. The namesake, Paul Ambrose, was a young physician who took it upon himself to do this type of plan at Dartmouth and then while working in the Office of the Surgeon General in Washington, was lost tragically early in his life aboard American Airlines flight 77 that crashed into the Pentagon on Sept 11th, 2001. In his memory, Dartmouth created this fellowship program where a resident physician is selected each year to train in preventive medicine and medical leadership while completing their medical residency.
Moot Court Team Wins the Regional District Championship – Advances to Nationals
SAVANNAH, Georgia- November 21-22. 2008. Participating in the Southeast 
Undergraduate Regional Moot Court Competition, the McConnell Scholars Moot Court Team of the University of Louisville faced off against teams from Patrick Henry, Lyons College, Liberty College, and the University of North Carolina. Moot Court is a simulation of an appellate court proceeding.On the first day of competition, Team Charlie Helms/Katlin Rust, Andrew Carroll/Kirk Laughlin and Brad Atzinger/Katie Miller went through three rounds and finished 6-3 over the nine rounds that U of L faced that day. Teams Carroll/Laughlin and Atzinger/Miller were invited back to play in the Sweet 16 Tournament the next day. More on the Regional District Competition
Kentucky Student Essay Contest--Enter today!
Each year, the McConnell Center Civics Education Program sponsors an essay contest for Kentucky students. This year, students in grades 5-12 will have the opportunity to win cash prizes and books in Senior (Grades 9-12) and Junior (Grades 5-8) divisions. To read this year's prompt, view guidelines, and download the Official Essay Contest cover sheet, visit our Civics Education page.
Contest Deadline: February 15, 2009
Now is the time to apply for the McConnell Scholarship 
Scholarships are awarded to talented, deserving high school seniors reflecting the state's geographic diversity. The goal of the McConnell Scholarship Program is to train Kentucky's future generation of leaders. Application deadline: Jan 15 More on the scholarship
Spring 2009 Speaker Series coming soon
View the entire McConnell Center Fall 2008 Speaker Series
CHIEF JUSTICE VISIT POSTPONED
The visit by Chief Justice Roberts needs to be rescheduled, and we look forward to setting a date for a future visit.
No further details are available at this time. We apologize for the inconvenience.
U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts to Speak in McConnell Center Series
Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts will speak October 27 at 10:00AM on the University of Louisville’s Belknap Campus. The talk is free and open to the public. Tickets are required for the event and will be allotted on a first-come, first-served basis.
Roberts will deliver opening remarks before taking part in “A Conversation with the Chief,” a panel discussion with people who have studied and written about the U.S. Supreme Court.
Roberts, the nation’s 17th chief justice, was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2005, succeeding William Rehnquist. Prior to the appointment, he was a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit for two years.
America's Forgotten Founders
The McConnell Center recently hosted a successful conference for educators, students, and citizens on the weekend of September 12-13, 2008 exploring America's forgotten patriots. Drs. Gregg and Hall launched their co-edited book enitled America's Forgotten Founders at the conference. The book publishes the results of a year-long survey the two had worked identifying the top ten 'forgotten founders.' America's Forgotten Founders can be purchased through the Butler Books website.
Explore media coverage for the event.
About the McConnell Center
The McConnell Center is dedicated to providing a non-partisan, well-rounded education that encourages top undergraduates to become valued citizens and future leaders of the Commonwealth and the Nation. The Center also facilitates public discourse on the major challenges of our time, while encouraging an understanding of our shared past.
More about the Center
The beauty of the way Americans choose their president