Faith and Public Policy

Faith and Public Policy discussion topics included applying our faith in the realms of politics, public opinion, political leadership, public policy, and public affairs.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

• Congressman Joe Pitts – Chapel, 10 a.m. – “A Kingdom Which Cannot Be Shaken”

Thursday, April 8, 2010

• Congressman Joe Pits – Lead On! Session – “Leading with Conviction Despite Circumstance”
• Panel Discussion – Student Center, 7 p.m. – “How Faith Informs Public Policy”
  • Congressman Joe Pitts
  • Mr. Scott Rasmussen
  • Dr. Janice Shaw Crouse
  • Mr. Kelly Curry
  • Mr. Fred Wheba

Friday, April 9, 2010

• Mr. Scott Rasmussen – Chapel, 10 a.m. –
• Mr. Scott Rasmussen – Lunch Discussion, Gray Room, 12:00 p.m. – “Public Opinion Polling in American Politics”
• Dr. Janice Shaw Crouse – Classroom Discussion, 11:30 a.m. – “Public Relations & Public Policy in the Nation’s Capitol”

GUEST SPEAKERS:

Janice Shaw Crouse

Janice Shaw Crouse ’61 is a senior fellow at the Beverly LaHaye Institute in Washington, D.C., a think tank associated with Concerned Women for America, where she focuses on issues of sex trafficking, the United Nations, U.S. domestic issues, and international cultural, children’s, and women’s concerns. Crouse’s career accomplishments also include being a faculty member at Asbury University and Ball State University, a Vice President for Academic Affairs at Taylor University, and a lecturer at universities across the nation. She also served as a speechwriter for President George H. W. Bush. Crouse was president of Crouse Communications, a public relations and political analysis firm. Since 1997, she has been a member of Asbury University’s Board of Trustees.

Kelly Curry

Kelly Curry is Executive Vice President and CFO of Health Management Associates, Inc., a company that operates acute care in non-urban hospitals primarily in the southeastern and southwestern states. Before assuming his current position, Curry served in a variety of positions within HMA, including Chief Administrative Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Financial Officer. A graduate of the University of Kentucky, Curry is a Certified Public Accountant as well as an ordained minister. Since 1995 he has served as chairman and president of Foundation in Christ Ministries, Ltd., a multi-faceted, cross-denominational family of ministries that he and his wife founded and is based in Ireland and funded from the United States. His daughters, Natalie and Leah, are both Asbury University graduates.

Joe Pitts

Joe Pitts ’61 is a Republican representative from the 16th Congressional District in Pennsylvania, serving suburban Philadelphia and parts of the nearby “Dutch” country. Having spent a portion of his childhood as a missionary in the Philippines, Pitts graduated from Asbury University in 1961. Pitts was a member of the Air Force from 1963 to 1969, a service that included 116 combat missions over Vietnam as a B-52 crew member. Following his military service, Pitts returned to teaching, worked in a family business, and in 1972 was elected to what turned into a 24-year career in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. After moving from the statehouse to U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Pitts has served on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the Health Subcommittee, the Energy and Environment Subcommittee, and the Commerce Trade and Consumer Protection Subcommittee.

Scott Rasmussen

Scott Rasmussen is the founder and president of Rasmussen Reports, one of the nation’s premier sources for public opinion information. He has been an independent public opinion pollster since 1994 and is a frequent guest on Fox News, CNBC, the BBC, and other major media outlets. While Rasmussen is most noted for his political polling, his company also provides extensive coverage of business, economic, and lifestyle issues. A Fordham University analysis ranked Rasmussen Reports as the most accurate national polling firm in Election 2008. Earlier in his career, Rasmussen and his father founded ESPN, the cable sports network. Rasmussen’s volunteer activities include serving as president of the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, a 140-year-old ministry that provides opportunities for spiritual birth, growth, and renewal in a Christian seaside setting.

Fred Wehba II

C. Frederick Wehba II is Chairman and CEO of BentleyForbes, a commercial real estate firm with more than $3.5 billion in holdings across the country. Since its founding in 1993, Fred has been involved in virtually every aspect of managing and building the company. Before establishing BentleyForbes, Wehba had a career in investment and financial market opportunities in some of the nation’s leading firms, including Smith Barney and Shearson Lehman. He is listed in The Who’s Who of American Business Leaders. In addition to his professional involvements, Wehba is a noted philanthropist involved with St. Jude Children’s Hospital, UNICEF, The Boy Scouts of America, and The Dove Foundation. In 1990, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award as Man of the Year from the mayor of Los Angeles. Wehba and his wife, Susan, were honored in 2003 with the MDA’s (Muscular Dystrophy Association) Humanitarian Award.