Friday, December 12, 2008
Justice's wife turns focus to education
Stephanie Green (Contact)

Virginia L. Thomas, lawyer, former Heritage Foundation executive, and wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, has added a new hat to her portfolio: government education advocate.

This fall Mrs. Thomas, also known as "Ginni," assumed the role of associate vice president of the new Washington campus of Hillsdale College, a small liberal arts school in Hillsdale, Mich., after leaving the Heritage Foundation.

"This is my way of pulling away from politics. I worked for a think tank and on the Hill, but this for me is about going back to my core principles," said Mrs. Thomas, who served on the Hillsdale board for four years before "begging" for a staff position.

"I see my mission as helping to restore liberal arts education and helping our students go deeper in their understanding of our government."

Mrs. Thomas said Hillsdale's local campus, known as the Allan P. Kirby, Jr. Center for Constitutional Studies and Citizenship, is currently on G Street in Northeast but will move to a 16,000-square-foot building at 227 Massachusetts Ave. in 2010.

In the meantime, Hillsdale is expanding its network of students and faculty to be a base of knowledge for seminars on "American history and political thought, economics, literature, and other topics to interested citizens in the Washington area," said Hillsdale lecturer David J. Bobb.

Classes are available to Hillsdale students interning in Washington, congressional staffers, and the general public.

Mrs. Thomas and school officials emphasize that Hillsdale and its new campus does not accept any federal funds, and students may not accept government assistance or loans.

"[The refusal of federal funds] seems countercultural in this bailout culture. Most schools set up operations in Washington to get government money, but we see ourselves as a public service. There are no strings attached," Mrs. Thomas said.

The new Washington center was mostly funded by New Jersey businessman and private investor Allan Kirby Jr., the center's namesake. School officials say they rely on private donations to meet their budgets.

When asked whether her husband's seat on the Supreme Court presents any sort of conflict, Mrs. Thomas said there is nothing untoward about her work because there is no litigation.

"In fact, this is safest place for me to be when it comes to conflicts," she said

Hillsdale President Larry Arnn, who hired Mrs. Thomas, said that liberal arts education, especially in social studies, has lost its relevance.

"We want to be a teaching institution that gets people wrapped up in national affairs. Our society has been cut off from a real understanding of the Constitution ," said Mr. Arnn. "So many people graduate with a degree in politics or economics, but when you ask them what that is, they don't really know."

The Kirby Center will give seminars in the history of the Constitution relying heavily on the teachings of John Locke and Aristotle.

Mr. Arnn conceded that the majority of Hillsdale students are Republicans, but said "all who are willing and able to learn" are welcome. He declared that both political parties "are significantly lost."

Mr. Arnn said that Hillsdale teaches government "should be simple and not dangerous."

As for Mrs. Thomas, she said she is happy in her new administrative position, but relishes the idea of getting in front of the chalkboard. "I hope to teach about the political process, ethics, and how not to get 'Potomac fever,'" she said.

What does Justice Thomas think of his wife's new career? "Oh, he's so excited. He was giving out my business cards the other day."