ASHLAND, Va., July 26, 2006 - Randolph-Macon College political science professor Dr. Lauren Cohen Bell was selected as a 2006-2007 Supreme Court Fellow by the United States Supreme Court.   She will be assigned to the United States Sentencing Commission. 

Bell was one of many applicants from various fields throughout the nation for this highly competitive position.  She is one of only four fellows selected for 2006-2007 and was elated when she received the news of her appointment.  ”It is a tremendous honor to have been selected as a Supreme Court fellow,” Bell said.  “Not only is it an opportunity for me to learn firsthand about the federal judiciary, but it also will offer me the chance to bring the judicial branch to life for my students when I return to Randolph-Macon College at the conclusion of the fellowship.”

The Supreme Court Fellows Program was created in 1973 by the late Chief Justice Warren E. Burger to provide promising individuals with a firsthand understanding of the federal government, in particular the judicial branch.  In the words of Chief Justice Roberts, the program offers “a unique opportunity to learn about and contribute to the administration of justice at the national level.”  The Supreme Court Fellows are selected by a commission comprised of nine members selected by the Chief Justice of the United States.

“This honor is extremely well deserved,” said Randolph-Macon president Robert R. Lindgren.  “Professor Bell is the consummate Randolph-Macon College professor – energetic, highly dedicated, eager to learn more – and she has a terrific connection with students.  Likewise, she will be a tremendous asset to the Fellows program. The Randolph-Macon community proudly supports her and looks forward to hearing about her firsthand experiences.”

In her role with the U.S. Sentencing Commission, Bell will conduct legal research concerning sentencing guideline issues and legislative directives pending before the Commission.  Her fellowship will begin in August 2006.

Bell was the American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee on Immigration from 1997-1998.  She has written extensively on issues involving the judiciary and Congress, publishing Warring Factions:  Interest Groups, Money and the New Politics of Senate Confirmation in 2002 and, with co-author Kevin Scott, “Policy Statements or Symbolic Politics?: Explaining congressional court-Stripping Attempts” in the January-February 2006 issue of Judicature.  During her seven years at Randolph-Macon College, Bell has devoted a significant amount of time to leadership activities including chairing the college’s Publications Board, serving as assistant director to the Honors Program and serving on various faculty committees.  Bell also has received numerous awards, honors and grants for her teaching abilities, scholarship and volunteerism.

Bell earned her B.A. in political science from the College of Wooster, Ohio, in 1994 and her M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center at the University of Oklahoma in 1997 and 1999, respectively.

For more information, contact Anne Marie Lauranzon at 752-7317 or alauranz@rmc.edu or Holly Clark at 752-3712 or hclark@rmc.edu

###

Founded in 1830, and located in historic Ashland just north of Richmond, Randolph-Macon College is a co-educational, national liberal arts and sciences college with a mission of “developing the minds and character of its students.”  The college achieves this mission through a combination of personal interaction and academic rigor. The student-faculty ratio is 11:1 and the average class size is 16 students. Enrollment is kept at approximately 1,150 to maintain this intimate atmosphere.  Randolph-Macon College has an outstanding national reputation for its internships, study abroad and undergraduate research opportunities and offers a wealth of social and athletic programs to its students.    Randolph-Macon College is the oldest United Methodist Church affiliated college in the nation, a Phi Beta Kappa college and is ranked as a Baccalaureate I college by the Carnegie Foundation and among the top 100 colleges in the nation by U.S. News and World Report.