THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 2, 1996 TAG: 9602020394
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PHILIP WALZER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 95 lines
Kay Coles James, who recently resigned as the state secretary for health and human resources, has accepted a job as dean of Regent University's Robertson School of Government, President Terry Lindvall said Thursday. She will begin work there March 1.
Her appointment is a major coup for the Christian graduate school. James, a Portsmouth native, is a rising star in the conservative movement and has gained national prominence for advocating personal responsibility and spearheading welfare reform in Virginia.
After her resignation, she had been mentioned as a possible candidate for national office or chairwoman of the state Republican Party.
James' appointment ``takes us to a new level,'' said an exuberant Lindvall. ``It elevates our program and our university. She will bring a real professionalism to the academy. We have always been about combining thought and action. Here is a woman who both thinks and acts.''
James said Thursday the new position will allow her to help prepare students for government service.
``I am very much looking forward to it,'' she said. ``It provides a unique opportunity to shape a new generation of leaders.''
Previously, James served as assistant secretary for public affairs for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and as associate director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy under President Bush.
Lindvall said her appointment will help raise Regent's national profile. ``She brings a credibility, to show that our graduates can be a part of governance in the commonwealth and the nation, that we are people who seek to contribute to the good of our society,'' Lindvall said.
James said she wants to help make Regent an even stronger institution, though she declined to discuss the special initiatives she envisions for university.
``I do plan to help Regent along the path it's already on to become one of the centers of academic excellence,'' she said.
James has developed a reputation as a stirring speaker who promotes the value of self-sufficiency, often using her own rise from a childhood of poverty in a Richmond housing project.
She spoke at Regent's graduation in 1994. Part of her message was that it is up to the patient, not the government, to cut health care costs. ``Before we start tweaking the system,'' James said, ``we need to tweak people and their personal choices.''
Jesi Mangiapane, a student in the government school, said: ``I am thrilled to have her type of vision and experience in the position. It was one of her goals to pursue healthy and productive lives. She will probably emphasize for our students productive lives in the government scene.''
And it will help the students' job prospects, too, Mangiapane said. ``She will be based in very practical education, as well, so that we will be able to get into the field after we take our schooling. Any time the professor has had experience in the field, as well as in education, I feel it's a bonus.''
James, a graduate of Hampton University, will be the first black dean in Regent's history. ``I know that's important,'' said Lindvall, who has pushed to diversify the student body and faculty. ``We know we have to reach out to other components of society. We need to reflect the world.''
But more important, he said, is the fact that she is ``eloquent, articulate, wise and a wonderful leader.''
James has also been a spokeswoman for the National Right to Life Committee and senior vice president of the conservative Family Research Council. She has appeared on national talk shows such as the MacNeil-Lehrer NewsHour and testified against the Supreme Court nomination of Ruth Bader Ginsburg because of Ginsburg's support of abortion rights.
Last week, James was also appointed to a four-year term on the State Board of Education.
In a statement, Gov. George F. Allen said: ``Her outstanding public policy skills will benefit those in and out of the classroom. I am confident that she will bring to Regent University the same creativity and commitment to excellence that made her so successful in her service to the citizens of Virginia.''
James will replace interim dean John C. Munday Jr., who will return to teaching. ILLUSTRATION: Kay Coles James Career Highlights
Former Virginia secretary for health and human resources, under
Gov. George Allen.
Former assistant secretary for public affairs for the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, under President Bush.
Former associate director of the Office of National Drug Control
Policy, under Bush.
Former spokeswoman for the National Right to Life Committee.
Recently named to Virginia Board of Education.
NEWS CONFERENCE
The university will hold a news conference with Kay Coles James in
the lobby of the Robertson School at 11:30 a.m. today. The public is
invited.
KEYWORDS: PROFILE REGNET UNIVERSITY KAY COLES JAMES by CNB