The Robert C. Byrd Center for Legislative Studies (Byrd CLS) will host Dr. Kate Scott on Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. for a discussion of her newest book.
Scott, the assistant historian of the United States Senate, will be discussing her book, “Reining in the State: Civil Society and Congress in the Vietnam and Watergate Eras.”
Dr. Jay Wyatt, director of programs and research for the Byrd CLS, granted The Picket an interview to discuss Scott’s visit. “[A]ttendees will learn about the various ways that concerned citizens, journalists and editors, and congressmen reacted to state-sponsored domestic surveillance and data collection during the 1960s and 1970s.” Wyatt also argues the topic to be “timely…given the current controversies over the National Security Agency’s domestic surveillance and data collection activities.”
He believes the main goal of the Byrd CLS is to act “as a hotspot for thoughtful and reasoned discussion and debate on the Shepherd campus.” Wyatt pointed to Scott’s visit as a means to achieve this goal and noted other “respected experts in their fields” who have visited, including Richard Baker, a former United States Senate historian.
Even though the Byrd CLS isn’t directly affiliated with Shepherd — with the exception of its location — Wyatt suggests the activities are an excellent service to students. The “book talks give students an opportunity to see prominent authors and intellectuals speak and then participate in a discussion with them in an intimate setting for free.”
Wyatt went on to discuss the Byrd CLS’s commitment to continuing the late senator’s legacy. He “believed in the importance of making education available and accessible to all.”
Hannah Geffert, adjunct professor of political science, believes “[i]t is always useful to our students to have the real world perspective presented.” Further, she said, “Dr. Scott has not only the academic credentials but also the experience to make her presentation meaningful and not just theoretical.”
Robert Dugan, an undergraduate student preparing to transition to the MAT program said, “It is exciting to see the Byrd Center hosting more events. History has become an unfortunately overlooked subject in some respects, especially in the public school curricula.” He also added that “students should use history as a lens with which to view current political events.”
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