Celebrating 15 Years of the Bully Pulpit

Speaking of ... College of Charleston

On October 3rd, 2007, the College of Charleston started a brand new political communication lecture series called the Bully Pulpit Series. The goal was to have national politicians who were running for president come to the College and speak to students about politics and how they planned to communicate to the public if they were elected President of the United States. Over the last 15 years, 32 politicians have participated in the series. The events have ranged from very small, intimate gatherings to huge events attracting thousands of people. Some of the more memorable candidates include then Senator John McCain, former president Barack Obama, president Joe Biden and Stephen Colbert, who was the host of the Comedy Central program, The Colbert Report at the time, and his "ROCK ME LIKE A HERMAN CAIN" Primary Rally in Cistern Yard.
Featured on this Episode:
H. Gibbs Knotts was appointed the dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences in October 2020. The School of Humanities and Social Sciences is comprised of the following academic departments: communication, English, history, philosophy, political science, psychology, religious studies and sociology and anthropology.
Before assuming the role of dean, Knotts served as the department chair of the College's Department of Political Science from 2012 to 2019. In the area of political science, he teaches undergraduate courses in American politics and graduate courses in the public administration program.
Knotts has published works on political participation, Southern politics, public administration and the scholarship of teaching and learning. Articles have appeared in a variety of outlets including the Journal of Politics, Public Administration Review, Political Research Quarterly, The American Review of Public Administration, State Politics and Policy Quarterly, PS: Political Science and Politics, Social Science Quarterly, Southern Cultures, Southeastern Geographer and Social Forces. He also co-edited The New Politics of North Carolina (University of North Carolina Press, 2008). He has two co-authored books: The Resilience of Southern Identity: Why the South Still Matters in the Minds of Its People (University of North Carolina Press, 2017) and First in the South: Why South Carolina’s Presidential Primary Matters (University of South Carolina Press, 2019). He received the College of Charleston’s Distinguished Research Award in 2017.
Amanda Ruth-McSwain is an associate professor of communication at the College of Charleston. Her teaching and research interests are in strategic communication placed in agricultural contexts. More specifically, her specializations are in leadership communication and organizational public relations. Since her 2005 start at the College of Charleston, Dr. Ruth-McSwain has taught over 12 different courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels, including Leadership Communication, Strategic Communication Campaigns, Public Relations Cases, Business Communication and Ethics in Leadership Communication.
Ruth Mc-Swain has served in a variety of leadership roles at the College. From 2011-2021, she served as the Director of the Bully Pulpit Series. She also served as the Interim Associate Dean for the School of Humanities and Social Sciences from 2019-2021, and as Director of the Master of Arts in Communication program from 2013-2019.
Resources from this Episode:
The Bully Pulpit Series
Stephen Colbert at the College “Rock Me Like A Herman Cain: South Cain-Olina Primary Rally”