Honors College student Julie McLain shares facts about the archival process at the Clinton Presidential Center. She and 24 other students toured the library, where McLain served as an intern this past summer.

As Dr. Mark Elrod looks on, Honors College student Emily Smith tells a Little Rock television reporter what she thought about former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright’s discussion on current foreign policy.

Honors Spotlight - October 4, 2006

SEARCY, Ark. - Last week Harding University students listened to former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and then received an insider’s tour of the Clinton Presidential Center from an individual who helped write some of the items on display.

A group of 25 students participated in the Little Rock field trip led by Dr. Mark Elrod, professor of political science. Two of Elrod’s classes, Western Political Thought and International Relations, took part in the tour. All of the students in the latter class and some in the former are members of Harding’s Honors College. Dr. Jeffrey T. Hopper, dean of the Honors College, and Dr. Jack Shock, professor of communication, accompanied the group.

Albright made a rare appearance in Arkansas to answer questions about current foreign policy and discuss her new book The Mighty and the Almighty: Reflections on America, God and World Affairs. The program was presented by the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service and the William J. Clinton Foundation.

“You cannot separate people from their faith,” Albright told the audience. “I don’t believe we’re involved in a clash of civilizations, but a battle of ideas.” She went on to say that consistency is always the hardest part of foreign policy and added, “You have to look at issues case by case, but you have to have an overall concept of what you want America’s role in the world to be.”

The tour guide for the presidential library was Shock, who served one year in the Clinton White House as director of presidential letters and messages. Each day of those 12 months from 1995-1996, Shock helped the president answer his mail, examples of which are on display in the library.

Shock managed a 25-member staff, which included six writers who were specialists in areas including economics, environment, and African-American affairs. He and his team also drafted speeches and statements for the president.

During the tour, Shock described his experience to the group of Harding students. “I had to make sure protocol was not breached,” he explained as the group viewed a display of letters written to and from the president. Shock said sometimes he had to call an embassy or an ambassador to find out the correct spelling of a world leader’s name, for example, or determine how that leader should be addressed.

Shock also pointed out nuances such as the differences in the seals within the replica of the Clinton Oval Office and explained the significance of items within that room. From framed artwork to busts of former presidents, Shock focused the students’ attention on details that often go unnoticed by the casual observer.

The group also briefly toured the headquarters of Heifer International, a nonprofit organization devoted to eliminating world hunger and poverty.

With 768 participants, the Honors College encourages its students to develop high intellectual standards, independent thought, logical analysis, and insight into the nature of knowledge. It offers honors courses that stimulate and challenge promising students to develop their scholarship and leadership skills as fully as possible. It also encourages service opportunities, both on and off campus, and social and cultural activities to develop well-rounded experiences for the students.