Posted - September 7, 2010

Reagan Author to Teach Eureka College Course on Presidential Campaigns

An author of books about Ronald Reagan's political campaigns will teach a course at Eureka College next year. Craig Shirley will teach "A Survey of American Presidential Campaigns" during the May term in 2011.

Shirley will be the first scholar in the college's Ronald Reagan Visiting Scholars Program, according to Eureka College Provost Philip Acree Cavalier. The program was developed in part to observe the centennial of Reagan's birth in 2011.

The program "creates an excellent opportunity for scholars studying Ronald Reagan to use the Eureka College archives while sharing their expertise with our students and the community," Cavalier said. Details about enrolling in the class will be available later by contacting Registrar Scott Wignall at swignall@eureka.edu or going to reagan.eureka.edu.

Shirley wrote the 2009 book "Rendezvous with Destiny: Ronald Reagan and the Campaign That Changed America," which details Reagan's 1980 run to the White House and his victory over incumbent Jimmy Carter. Shirley spoke about the book in a presentation at Eureka College in March.

Shirley also wrote the 2005 "Reagan's Revolution: The Untold Story of the Campaign That Started It All," which details Reagan's 1976 challenge to President Gerald Ford in the Republican primaries.

Shirley is president of Shirley & Banister Public Affairs, a government relations and marketing firm in Alexandria, Va. His articles have appeared in national publications, including The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and the Weekly Standard.

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Contact:

Michele Lehman

Media Relations Coordinator

mlehman@eureka.edu

(309) 467-6318