A West Virginia scholar and historian is the first recipient of Wheeling Jesuit University’s new “Foundations of Freedom” award for advancing education of the U.S. Constitution.

Dr. Raymond Smock, Director of the Robert C. Byrd Center for Legislative Studies at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, W.Va., received the honor during Wheeling Jesuit University’s “Constitution & Citizenship Day” celebration at the campus, September 15.

“The Constitution represents the greatest expression of statesmanship ever written. Today we honor Dr. Smock for his dedication to educating Americans about the document that has guided this country for more than 200 years,” says Rev. Joseph R. Hacala, S.J., President of Wheeling Jesuit University.

Dr. Smock served as the first historian for the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 until 1995. In that capacity, he helped plan national commemorations for the United States Constitution, the Bicentennial of Congress and the 50th anniversary of World War II. He recently helped design the Signer’s Hall exhibit at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. The Robert C. Byrd Center for Legislative Studies conducts scholarly research and public forums on the U.S. Congress and U.S. Constitution.

Dr. Smock served as a consultant, Foundations of Freedom™, a multimedia DVD-ROM program released last spring to more than 25,000 high schools across the country. Foundations of Freedom teaches constitutional history in an interesting, interactive format.

Sen. Robert C. Byrd envisioned using technology to revitalize the way constitutional history is taught in American high schools, and through a $2-million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the Center for Educational Technologies at Wheeling Jesuit University helped make his vision a reality with Foundations of Freedom.

“Foundations of Freedom takes students and adults alike on a journey that pauses at critical points in U.S. history to explore the bedrock principles of American constitutionalism. We are grateful for Dr. Smock’s valuable guidance at creating an educational tool that is changing the way constitutional history is taught in our schools,” says J. Davitt McAteer, vice president for sponsored programs at Wheeling Jesuit.

Dr. Smock earned a B.A. from Roosevelt University’s College of Arts and Sciences in 1966 and a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland in 1974.