By Kipp Miller | Echo
For the John A. Halbrook Freedom Lecture series, Tim Goeglein spoke on Monday, Feb. 11 during chapel about his time serving on Capitol Hill.
Halbrook, who the lecture series is named after, graduated from Taylor in 1967 with an engineering degree. He served as Chairman and CEO of the Woodward Governor Company and acts as the company's director. Halbrook currently lives in St. Augustine, Florida.
"The series was established in response to Halbrook's vision that every student will gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for the freedoms and responsibilities afforded citizens under the U.S. Constitution and that they will carry that knowledge and understanding into their workplaces," Director of Media Relations Jim Garringer said.
The series is also meant to help students understand the freedoms of America's free enterprise economy.
Dean of the School of Humanities, Arts and Biblical Studies Tom Jones provided details on the history of the lecture.
The first Halbrook Freedom lecture was presented in the fall of 2015 by Robert George, a well-known Constitutional and legal scholar from Princeton.
The second lecture was presented by a professor from American University Daniel Dreisbach in the spring of 2016. Dreisbach has researched and written about the influence of religious thought on the U.S. Constitution.
The third lecture was in the fall of 2016 and featured a discussion between former Congressman Lee Hamilton and former U.S. Senator Richard Lugar. They talked about topics related to the Constitution and their years of government service.
"Lugar would be considered a moderate Republican, Hamilton would be considered a moderate Democrat," Garringer said. "I mean, there are a lot more similarities to the two of them than, maybe, differences."
Garringer found it refreshing that two men could disagree on something of a political nature and be civilized toward each other. He appreciated that their differences of opinion did not make the other stupid or evil.
The fourth Halbrook lecture was given by Ryan T. Anderson. Anderson researches and writes for the Heritage Foundation. The Foundation's website states that its mission is to promote the ideas of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values and a strong national defense.
The fifth lecture was given by Holly Kuzmich, executive director of the George W. Bush Presidential Institute and senior vice president of the George W. Bush Presidential Center. She gave her lecture in the spring of 2018.
Goeglein gave the sixth lecture in February. Goeglein is the Vice President of External Relations for Focus on the Family and is a former special assistant to George W. Bush during his presidency. His speech focused primarily on humility and grace, which he learned through his resignation from the White House after a plagiarism scandal.
In addition to the lecture series, there is also a scholarship associated with Halbrook. The Halbrook Scholarship was established to advance Taylor's mission of developing servant leaders with a passion to minister Christ's redemptive love.
Assistant Director of Admissions Nate Chu said the scholarship is meant to encourage students to understand the place of free markets. The Halbrook Family Foundation believes servant leaders will do their best work as free people participating in free markets.
To apply for the scholarship, students must have filed the FAFSA and be accepted to Taylor.
"There is a special, though not exclusive, interest in helping students interested in entrepreneurship, education, media and government," Chu said.
The scholarship gives up to $5,000 per year to students whose applications are accepted. In the application, students must explain why the U.S. Constitution is still relevant today and give an example of how they have been entrepreneurial or describe the role that entrepreneurs play in shaping culture.
