Populism, Properly Understood

 

Few terms in contemporary politics are as bewildering to the average citizen and the scholar as populism.  Now comes Professor Benjamin Moffitt to the rescue.  His recent tome,  _Populism_ (Polity, 2020) is a helpful resource. In this engaging and lucid study, Moffitt (Australian Catholic Univ.) offers a helpful guide to the "veritable explosion" in the use and abuse of the concept of populism in the existing literature, reviewing particular cases in six clearly defined chapters. While incorporating the insights of earlier studies, Moffitt presents novel insights from emerging fields of scholarly inquiry as well. Viewing the term "populism" as representing a construct closely aligned with political theory (alongside its use in political practice), Moffitt introduces the major debates in chapter one. His second chapter surveys how particular scholars have approached the topic, typically concentrating on the separation of the "people" from the "elite." Chapters 3 and 4 explore the differences between populism, nationalism, and nativism, and points to the relationship between populism and socialism. Chapter 5 correctly demonstrates how populists on both the Right and the Left share an attachment to "illiberalism" when "institutions and procedures" are considered. Moffitt's final chapter questions whether populism is a "good or a bad thing for democracy," without offering any final judgment. The book makes a solid contribution to understanding populism, while also tending to affirm the concept’s conflation with common notions of popular rule.

 

Trump and the Republican Future: A Georgia Professor's Lament and Rejoicing

Now, five weeks after our presidential election, there remains much tension and some confusion about our political situation and the destiny of our political order.  No prospect is more unclear than the future of the Republican Party, and the impact of the Trump Presidency and persona weighs heavily into any related calculation.  The myriad campaign lawsuits to influence the election outcome, the Paxton/Trump comic Supreme Court juggernaut, and the choir of  sycophantic Republican voices--including the Gang of 106 who back the Paxton and the Trumpian assault on democratic processes--suggest the rot is much deeper than most people could have imagined.  While the possibility of Democrats winning both of Georgia’s U. S. Senate seats on January 5, currently held by two leading Trumpian fawners, is unlikely, there has been long term damage to the Republican Party in Georgia and in the nation. The culprit is President Donald Trump and his band of enablers.

As a political science professor for three decades and a Republican, the slow decline of the Republican Party, not to mention the diminishing role of political parties in our politics more generally, have been a great concern to me.   The Founders were of two minds in regards to political parties, considering parties as little more than “factions” and sources of political corruption on one hand, but on the other hand, as James Madison noted, parties are also “natural to most political societies.” 

When my students visit Europe or other parts of the world on study abroad trips, they often return to regale me with stories of how vital political parties are in the countries they visit, and how they purchased political memorabilia at every stop, and were constantly engaged in political discussions during their travels.   Political parties remain vital in Europe, for example, because the only way a person can run for office is to typically be nominated by a political party, and voters are more likely to use a party label to select the representatives in any given election as well.

While our political parties are in decline, our parties are the oldest in the world.  As the result of changes in our political culture and the laws and regulations that dictate the work of parties, they are no longer as powerful as our parties were in the past.  The rise of celebrity politics also allows previously marginal or disaffected figures to seek political office outside of the normal process of recruitment and selection that was central to the life of our political parties.  The slight nostalgia some may experience in persistence of and the eventual election of Joe Biden does not mean the Democratic Party is immune from these challenges as well. 

In the Age of Trump, however, no one should be surprised that the Republican Party must now chart a path to recovering their vitality, and the answers are not simple.  The sources of renewal can be found some place between the “Never Trump” advocates, who opposed Trump even before he was the Republican candidate in 2016, and the deniers of democracy, including our two senators, who continue to invent evidence of election fraud and urge we Georgia citizens not to vote in the upcoming Senate runoff elections. 

For starters, Republicans have to admit that the Trump experiment, to put it delicately, was a failure, and that Trump lost the 2020 election.  The Biden Administration has already announced plans to reverse many of Trump’s initiatives, and Trump’s actual successes in domestic and foreign policy were either accidental or of fleeting significance.  To make matters worse, Trump, out of his own ignorance and abject narcissism, continued the anti-democratic practice of recent presidents by simply issuing executive orders to exert his political influence.  Unfortunately for Trump, a President Biden, or the incoming Congress, or the Federal courts can strike down his executive orders, especially in cases where he exceeded his constitutional powers.  Trump, the anti-democrat, will see his policy initiatives undermined very quickly.

With the 2020 election, we can trust Chris Krebs, the technological boy wonder of Bush Administration and Microsoft fame, and Trump’s own Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).  Krebs was on the mark when he stated that the 2020 election was "the most secure in American history."  Krebs’s comments were soon echoed by Attorney General William Barr, Senator Romney and others, with Senate Majority Leader McConnell promising an “orderly transfer” of power.  While Krebs truth-telling led to his own Twitter dismissal by Trump, the reality cannot be denied by any honest observer.  Sad gatherings led by once-prominent lawyers in our state in the last week, abusing the populist tenor of the contemporary Republican Party’s electorate, and urging Republicans not to vote in the January runoff election, only undermine our faith in elections and democratic practices, and damage Republican electoral prospects now and in the future.

Amidst the confusion, Republicans can recover from the loss of the White House, but the process will be painful and require serious engagement with our democratic principles that Trump has actively undermined.  We must affirm the value of frequent and free elections, and not attempt to undermine voting.  The central value of a free press, even in our media age that offers a smorgasbord of ideologies for our choosing, remains a central democratic value.  Republicans must aggressively cultivate the authentic media and seek the truth at all levels instead of sponsoring and abetting sources of disinformation.  In returning to the traditional Republican “politics of prudence,” as my mentor Russell Kirk described it, we must serve as the loyal opposition to the incoming Biden Administration, strengthening local and state party organizations along the way.  The time-honored Republican notions of a strong national defense, budgetary restraint, the free exchange of economic goods, and the principled diffusion of political power, demand reinvigoration in the coming years.  We also cannot neglect the recruitment of statesmen instead of celebrities at all levels.  If vigilant, the Republican Party can be renewed, and America needs a vibrant two-party system.

 

H. Lee Cheek, Jr. is Professor of Political Science and the former dean at East Georgia State College, and a Senior Fellow of the Alexander Hamilton Institute.  Cheek’s books and other publications can be viewed at www.drleecheek.net.

  

Dr. Cheek Wins Statewide Teaching and Mentoring Award

     At the annual meeting of the Georgia Political Science Association, Dr. Lee Cheek, Professor of Political Science and former Dean at East Georgia State College, was awarded the James T. LaPlant Award for excellence in teaching and mentoring in political science.  Cheek was nominated for the prestigious award by his students, former State Representative and current professor, Roger Byrd, and State Representative Matthew Gambill (District 15).  In nominating Cheek, both Byrd and Gambill noted that “We strongly believe Dr. Cheek’s profound commitment to student mentoring and preparing political science students for careers in public service and the law demonstrate he is a deserving recipient of the award.  During his thirty-five years of teaching in and leading political science programs, Dr. Cheek has amassed an amazing record of success in mentorship that continues even today.  We both were, for example, political science majors under Dr. Cheek’s tutelage.”

     The James T. LaPlant Award recognizes exemplary student teachers and mentors at either the undergraduate or graduate level. The award provides recognition to a faculty member for outstanding service to students.  The decision is made by an award committee of past presidents, chaired by the immediate past president.

     In terms of Cheek’s personal and professional “narrative,” he began teaching and mentoring students at Western Carolina University in 1986, where many of his students were encouraged to assume positions in state government and in the diplomatic ranks.  He created a model experiential program called the Washington Practicum, and took students to Washington, D.C., every semester for an extensive public policy experience.  He continues to lead this groundbreaking program, which now has a strong alumni base of support as well.

     The remainder of Cheek’s career has been spent at several institutions: Brewton-Parker College, Lee University, Athens State University, University of North Georgia, and East Georgia State College.  At Brewton-Parker College, Cheek actually created a political science program and served as division chair from 1997-2000.  Over thirty students majored in the program Cheek developed and the majority of these students remain in public service or education pursuits.  According to Gambill, “Cheek implemented a process of student mentoring, civic awareness and engagement that has continued from his first day of teaching in 1986 until today.  His “pattern” or “model” is wonderfully wise and productive: at every institution where he has taught, Dr. Cheek has created student research forums for political science student research; taken students to political science professional meetings on at least a yearly basis; created internships of both a policy and law orientation available to all students; and, he has created honor society chapters to celebrate student accomplishments.”

      For Gambill, “While Cheek has always been aware of the need to explore, counsel, and promote the professional possibilities of political science students, his efforts began to prosper at an even higher level.”  Gambill continued: “In his last year at Lee, for example, ten of his Lee University political science students were accepted into law school, a record for law school admissions during an academic year within the Appalachian College Association.  It is not hyperbolic to suggest that his pattern of career mentorship has been remarkable, especially given his commitment to institutions without large support networks or endowments.”

     “For all these years, Cheek has also involved many of his students in student-faculty research opportunities.  When one encounters one of Dr. Cheek’s books, each introduction, for example, is filled with notes of gratitude to the students who helped him in his research and the preparation of the manuscripts,” suggests Professor Byrd.

     Dr. Cheek continues to direct College's Correll Scholars Program.  He received his bachelor's degree from Western Carolina University, his M.Div. from Duke University, his M.P.A. from Western Carolina University, and his Ph.D. from The Catholic University of America.  As a senior minister in the United Methodist Church (Western North Carolina Conference) for thirty years, Cheek has served as a parish minister, visiting cleric, and U.S Army chaplain.

     Dr. Cheek He has been a congressional aide and a political consultant. Dr. Cheek's books include Political Philosophy and Cultural Renewal (Transaction/Rutgers, 2001; reprinted, Routledge, 2018 [with Kathy B. Cheek]); Calhoun and Popular Rule, published by the University of Missouri Press (2001; paper edition, 2004); Calhoun: Selected Speeches and Writings (Regnery, 2003); Order and Legitimacy (Transaction/Rutgers, 2004; reprinted, Routledge, 2017); an edition of Calhoun's A Disquisition on Government (St. Augustine's, 2007; reprinted, 2016); a critical edition of W. H. Mallock's The Limits of Pure Democracy (Transaction/Rutgers, 2007; reprinted, Routledge, 2017); Confronting Modernity: Towards a Theology of Ministry in the Wesleyan Tradition (Wesley Studies Society, 2010); an edition of the classic study, A Theory of Public Opinion (Transaction/Rutgers, 2013; reprinted, Routledge, 2017); Patrick-Henry Onslow Debate: Liberty and Republicanism in American Political Thought (Lexington, 2013); and, The Founding of the American Republic (Notre Dame University Press, 2022 [forthcoming]). He has also published dozens of scholarly articles in academic publications, and is a regular commentator on American politics and religion. Dr. Cheek’s current research includes completing an intellectual biography of Francis Graham Wilson (I.S.I. Books), and a book on Patrick Henry's constitutionalism and political theory. He currently serves on the editorial boards of Studies in Burke, Humanitas, The Political Science Reviewer, Anamnesis, VoegelinView, and The University Bookman, as a Senior Fellow of the Alexander Hamilton Institute, and as a Fellow of the Academy of Philosophy and Letters (elected). Cheek has been a Fellow of the Wilbur Foundation, the Earhart Foundation, the Horowitz Foundation for Social Policy, the Center for Judicial Studies, and the Center for International Media Studies. Dr. Cheek lives on Tybee Island, Georgia, with his wife, Kathy B. Cheek.

Routledge Republishes Dr. Cheek's First Book

Routledge Publishers, the world's leading academic publisher in the Humanities and Social Sciences, has recently republished Political Philosophy and Cultural Renewal, edited by Dr. Lee Cheek, Professor of Political Science at East Georgia State College.  The book was co-edited with Kathy B. Cheek, a former instructor at Lee University and choreographer and teacher of dance, and M. Susan Power, Professor of Political Science at Arkansas State University.

Founded in 1836, Routledge has published many of the greatest thinkers and scholars of the last hundred years, including Adorno, Einstein, Russell, Popper, Wittgenstein, Jung, Bohm, Hayek, McLuhan, Marcuse and Sartre.

The book was originally published by Transaction Books at Rutgers University in 2001, but due to the continued scholarly interest in the tome, Routledge republished the volume in eBook and paper editions in late 2019.  According the Routledge, “We publish thousands of books and journals each year, serving scholars, instructors, and professional communities worldwide.  This book certainly deserves a wider audience.”

The book contains essays by one of America’s most prominent political scientists, Francis Graham Wilson, who was a central figure in the revival of interest in political philosophy and American political thought in the mid-twentieth century. While he is best known as a Catholic writer and political theorist, his most significant contribution is his original interpretation of the development of American politics. According to Dr. Cheek, “Central to his thought was a process of self-interpretation by the citizenry, a quest for ultimate meaning turning to a divine, transcendent, basis of history and shared experience. Although Wilson's writings were extensive and influential, they have not been readily available for decades.”

Political Philosophy and Cultural Renewal brings together a coherent and representative selection of his work, highlighting his concern for the common good and his belief in personal and societal restraint as an alternative to political partisanship and superficiality.  Dr. Cheek also noted that “Wilson's affirmation of a republican inheritance encourages contemporary students of politics to revisit the Founders' views of diffused political authority. His remarkable contribution to American political philosophy is a full-fledged theory of cultural renewal that has lost none of its relevance for contemporary political and social issues.”

Dr. H. Lee Cheek, Jr., is Professor of Political Science and the former Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at East Georgia State College.  Dr. Cheek also directs the College's Correll Scholars Program.  He received his bachelor's degree from Western Carolina University, his M.Div. from Duke University, his M.P.A. from Western Carolina University, and his Ph.D. from The Catholic University of America.  As a senior minister in the United Methodist Church (Western North Carolina Conference) for thirty years, Cheek has served as a parish minister, visiting cleric, and U.S Army chaplain.

Previously, he was Dean of the School of Social Sciences at the University of North Georgia (Gainesville State College), Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at Athens State University in Alabama, and Vice-President for College Advancement and Professor of Political Science at Brewton-Parker College. Dr. Cheek taught at Brewton-Parker College from 1997-2000, and from 2005-2009. In 2000, 2006, and 2007, the student body of Brewton-Parker College selected Cheek as Professor of the Year; and, in 2008, the Jordon Excellence in Teaching Award was bestowed upon him by the College's faculty and administration. From 2000 to 2005, Dr. Cheek served as Associate Professor of Political Science at Lee University. In 2002, Dr. Cheek was given Lee University’s Excellence in Scholarship award; and in 2004, he received Lee University's Excellence in Advising award. In 2008, Western Carolina University presented Dr. Cheek with the University's Distinguished Alumni Award for Academic and Professional Achievement.  Pi Gamma Mu, the International Honor Society in the Social Sciences, bestowed upon Dr. Cheek the society's Outstanding Alumni Award in 2017.

He has been a congressional aide and a political consultant. Dr. Cheek's other books include Calhoun and Popular Rule, published by the University of Missouri Press (2001; paper edition, 2004); Calhoun: Selected Speeches and Writings (Regnery, 2003); Order and Legitimacy (Transaction/Rutgers, 2004); an edition of Calhoun's A Disquisition on Government (St. Augustine's, 2007 and 2017); a critical edition of W. H. Mallock's The Limits of Pure Democracy (Transaction/Rutgers, 2007; Routledge, 2017); Confronting Modernity: Towards a Theology of Ministry in the Wesleyan Tradition (Wesley Studies Society, 2010); an edition of the classic study, A Theory of Public Opinion (Transaction/Rutgers, 2013; Routledge, 2017); Patrick-Henry Onslow Debate: Liberty and Republicanism in American Political Thought (Lexington, 2013); and, The Founding of the American Republic (Manchester University Press, 2020 [forthcoming]). He has also published dozens of scholarly articles in academic publications, and is a regular commentator on American politics and religion. Dr. Cheek’s current research includes completing an intellectual biography of Francis Graham Wilson (I.S.I. Books), and a book on Patrick Henry's constitutionalism and political theory. He currently serves on the editorial boards of Studies in Burke, Humanitas, The Political Science Reviewer, Anamnesis, VoegelinView, and The University Bookman, as a Senior Fellow of the Alexander Hamilton Institute, and as a Fellow of the Academy of Philosophy and Letters (elected). Cheek has been a Fellow of the Wilbur Foundation, the Earhart Foundation, the Center for Judicial Studies, and the Center for International Media Studies.

American Liberty Reconsidered

By Lee Cheek|July 3rd, 2019|As we celebrate American Independence, it is appropriate to reflect upon the foundations of our liberty that the American Founding—especially the Founders’ Declaration of Independence and Constitution—has encouraged. Neither the Declaration nor the American Constitution were accidents; both were rooted in an inherited worldview and an understanding of human nature that is of continuing importance to Americans today.

For the Founders, human nature was defined by its social character, grounded in community, and devoted to encouraging the unfolding of the moral life, so as to enlighten and develop civilization. With the insights of the classical world, Judaism, and Christianity under their proverbial belts, the Founders understood human life as essentially social. Moral and spiritual development required interaction and restraint that were most acutely experienced in one’s community and in society. In other words, the ethical life could not be sustained outside of a social framework. While not rejecting a role for self-interest within the community, the Founders recognized a tension between the need for some degree of societal unity and the needs of the individual. They suggested that the properly constituted society could assist in lessening selfishness associated with our “brute creation,” and encouraged attachment to the common good as an alternative. Authentic social life required self-denial in some form, regardless of the level of enmity among individuals and the groups that made up society, as humans were naturally drawn to each other.

The Founders also realized that humans were not perfect, so an element of restraint was necessary within society and politics. They rejected the radical individualism often associated with social contract thinkers like Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. To envision humankind as naturally good was unacceptable. The Founders’ defense of an authentic, moral community was based upon acknowledging that the only natural state was the political and social one to which an actual person was born. Instead of being born free, humans were born subject to parental authority and the laws of the country of their birth.

If the country were to survive, the Founders believed a stable mode of popular rule—or citizen involvement—had to be established, and the community must be protected against efforts to incorporate its stake in society and politics into a political structure that would diminish the various communities’ and states’ most important qualities. The preserving and protecting of an organic, “republican” system of popular rule required accepting the natural diversity of the communities and states that formed the larger society and government, while enjoying the increased liberties that resulted from this dividing of political authority. Today, we call this division “federalism.”

Having a political system based on the relative autonomy of local communities and the division of political authority was a great accomplishment, but it needed an anchor. The Founders provided such a guide with the American Constitution. The Constitution is more than a written document; it is a collection of customs, charters, traditions, and habits of the American people. The aim of the Constitution was to provide for a high degree of political harmony, so that liberty might be maintained through the centuries.

We have been able to preserve social and political liberty because our Constitution provides explicit constraints upon the centralization of political power. As citizens, we are assured that the laws will not change from year to year. The Constitution allows Americans to find some comfort in the fact that if they accept certain restraints, they will experience a great deal of political liberty. Our Constitution divides political power between the national and state governments, as well as among the branches of the national government. This protects citizens, communities, and states from the arbitrary and unjust actions by individuals who have assumed temporary control of the government.

The American Constitution also makes those who govern accountable to those who elected them. On one hand, proposals to extend presidential powers are regularly presented, while on the other, congressional proposals to increase the size and scope of the federal government, like the return of a New (“Green”) Deal abound. Unfortunately, such ideas neglect the great accomplishment of American politics—the diffusion of political power and the limits upon the authority of government.

Our continued success is dependent upon a recovery of our appreciation of liberty, a return to the original division of government power as prescribed by the Constitution, and a renewal of personal responsibility for perpetuating the regime. Efforts at revolutionizing our understanding of liberty and political authority only undermine our political order. Our great country can survive, and prosper, if we can refrain from being distracted by our current privileges and circumstances, and remember our duties as American citizens.

New Edition of Dr. Cheek's Book Published

by Katelyn Moore | June 17, 2019

Last Edited: June 17, 2019 by Katelyn Moore

   With the increased debate and attention given to the role of populism in politics and society, and the rise of more authoritarian governments, as well as new arguments for reviving socialism, the traditional manner of thinking about politics has come under criticism.  East Georgia State College professor Dr. H. Lee Cheek, Jr. edited a classic study on these topics in 2007 entitled The Limits of Pure Democracy by the great English scholar of politics and religion, W.  H. Mallock. The book has been recently republished by Taylor and Francis Books, a leading international publisher. While originally published by Transactions Books at Rutgers University, the new edition contains a revised introduction and additional materials, and is now available as an ebook and in the Kindle format.
   According to Dr. Cheek, “The 1910s was a decade in which theories of socialism, pacifism, and collectivism flowered. Publicists and playwrights from Sidney Webb to George Bernard Shaw expressed not just belief in ‘utopianism’ but a vigorous assault on the existing political and economic order. Less well known is how a group of Tory thinkers laid the foundations of a conservative counter-attack expressed with equal literary and intellectual brilliance. Foremost among them was W. H. Mallock. In The Limits of Pure Democracy he argued that the pseudo-populist leaders of the political party system promise everything but deliver only the end of parties as such.”
   For Mallock, what starts with populism ends in dictatorship. The Russian Revolution was simply the historical outcome of utopian socialist visions that were more dedicated to destroying the present system of things than bringing about a revitalized future. Mallock’s book explains how the modern free market succeeds through competition in increasing output, broadening occupational opportunities, and multiplying the numbers of skilled professionals. In contrast, welfare schemes serve to deepen poverty by spreading wealth so evenly that incentives to work decline and personal savings are eliminated.
   These arguments have become commonplace again today. But at the time they served as an incendiary reminder that class warfare works in both directions. Mallock was a remarkably talented writer who made the case against exaggerated expectations, a nascent welfare system, and mass political parties led by oligarchs. But he also offered a case for increasing a regard for work, advancing the cause of education as a method of entering the modern world, and for retaining a sense of religious codes that define the West.
   W. H. Mallock was the author of many books, including Religion as a Credible Doctrine, The Reconstruction of Belief, The Individualist, The Heart of Life, and A Human Document.
   Because of the continued interest in Dr. Cheek’s edited volume, the Georgia Political Science Association will conduct a panel on the work and the book’s implications for politics in the “Age of Trump” at its annual meeting in November. The volume is also part of a long-term scholarly project by Dr. Cheek and Dr. Harry Vogel to critique utopian movements in society and politics around the world.

Dean Cheek to Return to the Classroom

by Katelyn Moore | June 20, 2018

Last Edited: June 20, 2018 by Katelyn Moore

         

   After nearly two decades in college administration, Dr. H. Lee Cheek, Jr., East Georgia State College’s Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and Professor of Political Science and History, will transition to full-time teaching effective January 2019.  He will continue to serve as the Director of the Correll Scholars Program as well, a vital initiative of the College that he has led since 2015.

    “This is a time to extend congratulations and appreciation to Dean Cheek for his outstanding career in higher education and for the leadership his has provided at East Georgia State College,” stated President Bob Boehmer. “He has been at the helm as our bachelor’s degree program in Fire and Emergency Services Administration successfully launched. He has led our signature Correll Scholars Program since its inception. He has guided the College of Humanities and the College of Social Sciences as they have been combined into a single college. Thank you Dean Cheek for your leadership, energy and excellence.”

   A national search process will be commenced by the College in the near future to replace Cheek.  The search committee will be comprised of student representatives, faculty representatives of the academic schools, EGSC Foundation representatives, and staff representatives. Plans are to have the incoming dean assume his or her duties effective January 1, 2019.

    Cheek, who began teaching at the college level in 1986, considers teaching his primary calling in life and looks forward to his new role at East Georgia State College: “This is a proverbial return of the rabbit to the proverbial briar patch. My original and most central mission is to teach and mentor students,” according to Cheek. He reflected, “I have devoted my life to liberal education because I believe it helps order the soul. In a democratic society, the perpetuation of the social and political order depends on an educated populace. If a society is to prevail, it must preserve and transmit the spiritual and cultural patrimony that gives it coherence and wholeness.”

   Dr. Cheek received his bachelor’s degree from Western Carolina University, his M.Div. from Duke University, his M.P.A. from Western Carolina University, and his Ph.D. from The Catholic University of America. Dr. Cheek is also a senior minister in the United Methodist Church (Western North Carolina Conference) for 36 years, where he has served as a parish minister, visiting cleric, and U.S. Army chaplain.

    He previously served as Dean of the School of Social Sciences at the University of North Georgia (Gainesville State College), as Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at Athens State University in Alabama, and Vice-President for College Advancement and Professor of Political Science at Brewton-Parker College in Mount Vernon, Georgia. Dr. Cheek taught at Brewton-Parker from 1997 to 2000 and from 2005 to 2009. In 2000, 2006, and 2007, he was selected as Professor of the Year by the student body; and, in 2008, the Jordan Excellence in Teaching Award was bestowed upon him by the College’s faculty and administration.

    From 2000 to 2005, Dr. Cheek served as Associate Professor of Political Science at Lee University, receiving their Excellence in Scholarship award in 2002 and the Excellence in Advising award in 2004. The American Political Science Association honored Cheek with the organization’s Outstanding Teaching Award in 2007. In 2008, Western Carolina University presented Cheek with the University’s Distinguished Alumni Award for Academic and Professional Achievement. Pi Gamma Mu, the International Honor Society in the Social Sciences, bestowed upon Dr. Cheek the society’s Outstanding Alumni Award in 2017.

    Dr. Cheek has been a congressional aide and a political consultant. His books include Political Philosophy and Cultural Renewal (Transaction/Rutgers, 2001, with Kathy B. Cheek); Calhoun and Popular Rule, published by the University of Missouri Press (2001; paper edition, 2004); Calhoun: Selected Speeches and Writings (Regnery, 2003); Order and Legitimacy (Transaction/Rutgers, 2004); an edition of Calhoun’s A Disquisition on Government (St. Augustine’s, 2007); a critical edition of W. H. Mallock’s The Limits of Pure Democracy (Transaction/Rutgers, 2007); a monograph on Wesleyan theology (Wesley Studies Society, 2010); an edition of the classic study, A Theory of Public Opinion (Transaction/Rutgers, 2013); Patrick-Henry Onslow Debate:  Liberty and Republicanism in American Political Thought (Lexington, 2013); and, The Founding of the American Republic (Manchester University Press, 2019). Dr. Cheek has also published dozens of scholarly articles in academic publications and is a regular commentator on American politics and religion.

    Although he will be missed in his leadership role as Dean, Dr. Cheek’s full-time return to the classroom will provide exciting new learning opportunities for EGSC students. As an access institution serving students throughout the state, the College is fortunate to have many expert faculty who believe in the unseen potential of others and who work tirelessly to provide an unparalleled educational experience for the students.  EGSC’s future Dean of the Schools of Humanities and Social Sciences will be instrumental in expanding academic programs that further advance the College’s mission. Additional details regarding the search process will be shared as they become available.