 |
 |
| |
I feel a responsibility as eminent scholar to offer courses that bring people to the University and reach beyond our local community. |
 Professor & Eminent Scholar Photos: Steve Latham |
|
Information Services He recently stepped down as Distinguished Visiting Professor of National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA. to return to Jacksonville to teach and write. He will teach his first course this fall -- "The Future of American Democracy" -- a course he calls "the centerpiece" of his work as eminent scholar. Browder, 56, taught political science at JSU for 16 years before entering politics and serving as Alabama's third district congressman from 1989 to 1996. Before going to Washington, Browder was Alabama Secretary of State from 1987 to 1989 and a member of the legislature from 1982 to 1986. Browder said he has special fondness for JSU because it is the first and only teaching position he held, other than at the Naval Postgraduate school, since receiving his Ph.D. in political science from Emory in 1971. "This is where I grew up professionally; Becky and Jenny and I have good memories of the school and the community," he said. Following are excepts from a recent conversation with the former congressman. |
When I went to Congress, I said to myself that I would not serve longer than 10 years, maximum.... |
 |
|
Q: Do you think you'll ever run for office again?
Browder: I really have no interest in running for public office again. When I went to Congress, I said to myself that I would not serve longer than 10 years, maximum, because there were some other things I wanted to do. I was there eight years and lost my bid for the Senate. Although I lost that 1996 race, I really feel like a winner because I have been able to do some things that are worthwhile and that I enjoy. Also, over the course of 15 years in politics, things change. I really enjoyed politics, but I've always been a civic and academic personality rather than driven by political issues. Issues motivate people who put money into campaigns; and when you run for the U.S. Senate, you have to raise a lot of money -- several million dollars. I decided to try it my way, with serious constraints on the kind of issues and amount of money and issues that I would emphasize. I tried it my way and it didn't work -- but I would do it the same way if I had to do it again. Q: What was it like teaching officers in the military, compared to teaching JSU students? Browder: The Naval Postgraduate School is a highly technological institution. Although I am not a technical person, I do have a lot of experience in civil-military relations. I can't teach technology -- it took me a while to say "ship" instead of "boat" -- but I can tell them how many missiles or submarines they will get and how the budget process works. I was teaching officers who had demonstrated that they might become admirals and generals but were young enough to put a good education to full use in their future careers. It was an exciting experience. Q: What's the most significant thing you learned as Congressman? Browder: First, let me say that serving in the U. S. Congress was the most exciting and enjoyable experience of my public life; I am grateful to the people of Alabama for entrusting that opportunity and responsibility to me. But over the past decade I have been thinking a lot and collecting notes about the need for America to reassess our situation as we enter the new millennium. So I have developed a rhetorical exercise whereby we ask ourselves whether or not American Democracy works the way we want it to -- or whether America is developing fundamental, democratic dysfunction. We seem to be tiring of our great democratic experiment. As a result, we may be losing the "American Dream." This is the essence of the course I will teach this fall -- "The Future of American Democracy." For purpose of discussion I propose that democracy is changing in important ways that we should pay attention to. America's great experiment may simply have run its course. If so, what's next? In the course I will discuss alternative scenarios: dissolution or "Death of America;" transformation, perhaps "Amerika," a right-wing society, or "USSA," a socialist-leaning country; and restoration, what I call the "New America." I focus on restoration and talk about how it can be done. This will be a provocative but positive course, a message from someone who is supposed to know what he's talking about. |
This appointment allows me to stay active academically in areas that are important to the community, state and country. |
 |
|
Q: Will you plan to get involved in the public discourse on local issues that related to your term in Congress? Browder: In Congress I became an expert on civil - military relations, which has particular relevance to this community and to Alabama. Although I won't be actively involved in Fort McClellan or Anniston Army Depot issues, I think my teaching and service efforts on behalf the University will relate to those efforts. I served on the defense and budget committees in Congress and have a good background in knowing how the process works and how it relates to state and local government. Q: What made you decide to leave such a prestigious school and employment with the federal government to return to Jacksonville? Browder: Being eminent scholar in American Democracy is an exciting development for me, and I really appreciate the invitation from President Bill Meehan and the University. This appointment allows me to stay active academically in areas that are important to the community, state and country. Although I've retired from federal service, I anticipate that I will remain involved intermittently in civil-military relations here in America and throughout the world. The other reason I returned is that we miss things here -- like the old friends, familiar faces, the entire JSU community, and thunderstorms. I do not miss the really bad weather, but you don't hear thunder or enjoy a good rain in central California. Q: You've given your library of papers, the Browder Collection, to JSU. What does the collection include and why is it important? Browder: The documents include everything from my public service -- congress, the state legislature and secretary of state's office. It might be useful to students and historians of the future. For example, it includes important public documents from our nation's capital, plus daily working papers from my congressional office. It also provides important background on issues such as the Fort closure. It has value because it shows how congress and state government operate. To my knowledge, it is the first collection of its kind at JSU. I will be working with the library to sort and process the collection as part of my work here. Q: You traveled the globe while in Congress and later as a professor at the Naval Postgraduate School. Where did you go? Browder: I've traveled and worked professionally throughout most of the world, either as a congressmen or with the NPS. During the past two years, I participated in democratization programs in central America, south America, Europe, Asia, and I'll be going to Africa soon. I also have worked extensively with civil and military leaders in all the former areas of the old USSR, including moderating some sessions last week for legislators from 15 Soviet republics. It has been interesting, and I've loved it. Q: Will your American democracy course be open to the general public? Browder: I feel a responsibility as eminent scholar to offer courses that bring people to the University and reach beyond our local community. We're working out the mechanics of the course now, and I'm trying to arrange for people to take it in one of three ways: for undergraduate or graduate credit, as a pass/fail course, and by audit. We're also working on a plan to offer part of the course as a public lecture series -- the public would be invited to come sit in on the first hour of selected lectures. I personally won't mind if the public wants to drop in to hear a lecture and discussion on particular topics. I also have a reading list, and people are welcome to pick it up and read some of the books. I hope to make it a provocative, stimulating course, and I'm looking forward to the experience. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
| © Copyright 1998: Jacksonville State University | Pagemaster | ||||