HURON Huron lawyer and former legislator Ron Volesky will be teaching an introductory American government course this spring at the Huron Community Campus (HCC).
HCC executive director Doug Pietz said that Volesky is a natural choice for the course.
What college students need is a network of people, so when we expose them to a general required course – English composition, speech, history, whatever that is, that is starting the formation of that network, Pietz explained. When I thought, Who can I bring in locally to teach a course, I thought about it. Mr. Volesky caught me after a Lions meeting and expressed interest, and, for one, the knowledge that he brings is second to none, the experience he brings is second to none, and the third thing he brings is that networking.
Volesky is excited about the opportunity.
We can all agree that a well-educated citizenry is one of the vital cornerstones of democracy, Volesky stated. Thats why teaching our government is so important throughout our school system and through higher education.
Volesky has been an adjunct professor with Huron University and Dakota Wesleyan University in his past, so this role will be fairly familiar to him.
I believe that my 16 years of service in the legislature brings a lot of hands-on experience in the areas of study that we will be looking at, Volesky added.
Ron states that he does not intend to bring a political lean into the course.
Im not bringing any of my own ideology or any political ideology to the class, he emphasized. Im here to teach the fundamentals of how this government of ours was founded and how it operates and works – and how we should all be actively involved in the governing process.
Quite frankly, we should have more people running for local office, and we should have more people getting out to vote in local elections, Volesky observed, as he emphasized the importance of local government in the structure of the American governments power structure.
I want to teach these students about the fundamentals of government, Volesky relayed. However, if I can inspire them to be more active in local government affairs, I will have served two important purposes. Thats my goal as a professor.
The class will be focused on the fundamental principles that the United States government was founded on, with Volesky stating that he intends to spend a good amount of time focusing on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
The South Dakota Board of Regents has recently stated an emphasis on civic-minded courses, according to Pietz. He believes that the course Volesky teaches will meet that focus.
I want to contribute in some way, Volesky said. With my background, this is a way I can contribute and, hopefully, help to encourage future leaders in our community. Im really looking forward to getting started!
Classes for spring semester at HCC begins in January.
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