Steven W. Fitschen to speak as part of committee speaker series

Steven W. Fitschen, Research Professor of Law at Regent University School of Law, will deliver a lecture May 1, 2007, on “Religion and Government: Accommodation, Encouragement, and Establishment.”

The talk, which is the third in a series of speakers hosted by the William and Mary Committee on Religion in a Public University, will be held at 7 p.m. in Washington Hall, auditorium 201. A question-and-answer session with Fitschen will follow the talk. The lecture is free and open to the public.

In addition to his post at Regent, Fitschen is the president of the National Legal Foundation, a public interest law firm that has litigated numerous prominent cases including Board of Education of Westside Community Schools v. Mergens and Equality Foundation of Greater Cincinnati v. Cinncinati at the United States Supreme Court. Before joining the NLF, Fitschen worked in various capacities at the American Center for Law and Justice. He has also been a teacher, a business owner and has worked for two Fortune 500 companies.

Fitschen has written more than 45 articles, papers and pamphlets on topics including religious liberty, constitutional law, public policy, economics and forestry. His law review article, Impeaching Federal Judges: A Covenantal and Constitutional Response to Judicial Tyranny, was cited 25 times at the Clinton impeachment hearings in 1999. He has been interviewed by local, national and international media outlets, including the Today Show, CNN and Family News in Focus. In addition to his law degree, Fitschen holds a master of divinity degree and a master’s degree in public policy. He was named as an “Up and Comer” in Christianity Today magazine in 1996 and has served as an elder in several churches.

The committee, which is made up of alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends of the College, was appointed earlier this semester by William and Mary President Gene R. Nichol to explore the role of religion at a public university, including the use of the College’s historic Wren Chapel. The committee will be inviting other speakers to campus next fall.

For more information, please contact Cheryl Corvello at (757) 221-1159.