Former Rep. Liz Cheney has accepted an appointment as a professor of practice with the University of Virginia Center for Politics, center officials announced Wednesday.
The appointment is effective immediately and will run through the end of the 2023 fall semester with an option to renew.
“Preserving our constitutional republic is the most important work of our time, and our nation’s young people will play a crucial role in this effort,” Cheney said. “I look forward to working with students and colleagues at the center to advance the important work they and others at the University of Virginia are doing to improve the health of democracy here and around the world.”
Cheney, a Republican from Wyoming, said there are many threats to American democracy.
“I hope my work with the Center for Politics and the broader community at the University of Virginia will contribute to finding lasting solutions that not only preserve, but strengthen our democracy,” she said.
Whitt Clement, rector of the University’s Board of Visitors, said Cheney is a model of leadership.
“The Board of Visitors, which endorsed a ‘Statement on Free Expression and Free Inquiry’ in 2021, and the University of Virginia are committed to offering our students an array of diverse viewpoints,” Clement said. “Liz Cheney, a strong conservative who never hesitates to put honesty ahead of all other considerations, is a model of leadership not just for the students at the University of Virginia, but for all people concerned for the well-being of this country.”
UVA President Jim Ryan also welcomed the appointment.
“Our students will have an incredible opportunity to learn from Liz Cheney, who has fiercely defended democracy as part of a distinguished career. I’m delighted that she has chosen the University of Virginia and the Center for Politics as a next step, and I very much look forward to working with her,” Ryan said.
“With democracy under fire in this country and elsewhere around the world, Liz Cheney serves as a model of political courage and leadership,” said Larry J. Sabato, director of the UVA Center for Politics. “Liz will send a compelling message to students about integrity. She’s a true profile in courage, and she was willing to pay the price for her principles and democracy itself.”
During her tenure at the center, Cheney will participate in University-wide lectures, serve as a guest lecturer in student seminars with Sabato and other center faculty, contribute to Center for Politics research, and participate in other University and community events.
