Society & Culture

Former Sen. Saxby Chambliss returns to teach as UGA law school’s Sanders Scholar

Saxby Chambliss law class-fall-15-h
Former U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss is teaching Political Leadership and the Law at the UGA School of Law this fall. Photo by Andrew Davis Tucker/UGA.

Georgia Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Camila Knowles to co-teach

Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia School of Law will again offer its students the opportunity to learn from former U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, who is returning to the law school as its Sanders Political Leadership Scholar.

Chambliss and Georgia Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Camila Knowles (who previously served as Chambliss’ chief of staff) will co-teach the class Political Leadership and the Law, where students will receive firsthand insights into public service and explore the topics of ethics, campaign finance and negotiation. The class will be taught as part of Georgia Law’s Atlanta Semester in Practice initiative and will be based at the law school’s facility in the state’s capital.

Georgia Law Dean Peter B. “Bo” Rutledge said having proven leaders from the public sector teaching students offers them the chance to learn the true meaning of service. “I am delighted that Sen. Chambliss and Commissioner Knowles will return and teach our students in Atlanta,” he said. “Through this class, Sen. Chambliss and Commissioner Knowles will share with our students real-world examples of how the law and government intersect. This is what the late Gov. Carl E. Sanders envisioned when this faculty position was created.”

Last year, when Chambliss and Knowles taught the course, several prominent guest speakers visited the class. They included U.S. Deputy Attorney General Sally Quillian Yates, former U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, Gov. Nathan Deal, Georgia Speaker of the House David Ralston, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and leading public affairs professional Arthur B. “Skin” Edge IV.

Established in 2002, the Sanders Political Leadership Scholar position is named for Georgia’s 74th governor and 1948 Georgia Law alumnus Carl E. Sanders. Previous Sanders Political Leadership Scholars include former U.S. Sen. J. Maxwell “Max” Cleland, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Newt Gingrich, former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Poland Lee A. Feinstein and former U.S. Department of Commerce Deputy Secretary Theodore W. “Ted” Kassinger.

UGA School of Law
Consistently regarded as one of the nation’s top public law schools, Georgia Law was established in 1859. Its accomplished faculty includes authors of some of the country’s leading legal scholarship. The school offers three degrees-the Juris Doctor, the Master of Laws and the Master in the Study of Law-and is home to the Dean Rusk International Law Center. Georgia Law is proud of its long tradition of providing first-rate legal training for future leaders who will serve state and nation in both the public and private sectors. For more information, see www.law.uga.edu.