The Honors College at Washington Adventist University is committed to providing vibrant and innovative opportunities for students in a wide variety of academic areas. The Center for Law and Public Policy aims to prepare students for careers in law and/or public policy, to encourage dynamic civil discourse on a wide range of issues, to educate American decision-makers about religious perspectives on health-related and social issues – particularly as they bear on the highly vulnerable, and to inspire all students to engage in the legal and public policy questions of our time. The Center for Law and Public Policy coordinates programs on campus including the Pre-Law program (click here for details) the Mock Trial team, and the Roy Branson Fellowships program. See below for more details.
About the Center for Law and Public Policy
The Center for Law and Public Policy is housed in the Honors College and has been associated with WAU since the Center was founded by Professor Roy Branson in 1998. Under Dr. Branson’s leadership, the Center helped WAU become the largest Pre-Law program in the Adventist higher education, created an award-winning Mock Trial team, established an office on Capitol hill, engaged with members of the U.S. Congress and non-profit organizations on public policy issues, and connected local and national church leaders to WAU through lectures, conferences, broadcast media, and public policy initiatives.
As the Center celebrates 25 years at Washington Adventist University, we are committed to the following:
Our Vision:
to be a premier resource for the study of law and public policy within the Seventh-day Adventist educational community and to be an interdisciplinary hub for faculty, students, and professionals in the field of law and public policy on a local, national, and global level.
Our Mission:
- to prepare students for ethically reflective, and technically competent careers in law and/or public policy,
- to encourage dynamic, faith-informed civil discourse on a wide range of topics viewed through the lens of the law,
- to provide high-quality interdisciplinary academic learning opportunities that will enrich the learning environment at Washington Adventist University,
- to supply legal professionals and policy-makers with morally-informed perspectives on the most pressing legal and public policy issues of our time.
The 2023/24 academic year will mark 25 years of the Center for Law and Public Policy at the University and we are celebrating by expanding our programs and initiatives. The Center will continue the tradition of the past quarter century while also forging new paths that will provide distinctive learning opportunities for students and create meaningful outlets for engagement with the greater legal and public policy community. As part of this mission, the Center will administer a wide range of academic programs on campus:
- the Roy Branson Fellowships program, allowing up to eight WAU Honors College students to receive a generous stipend/scholarship as they work for religious and public policy organizations in the DC area on a variety of legal, public policy, and religious liberty issues,
- the Branson Capital Report, the semi-monthly newsletter of the Center for Law and Public Policy,
- engagement with local and national political leaders on important legal and public policy issues,
- a dual-enrollment law degree option in partnership with the University of Baltimore School of Law, the first such degree option in Seventh-day Adventist higher education,
- a revised, pre-law curriculum that includes opportunities for independent student research;
- the creation of a Mock Trial Center that will support Mock Trial teams that participate in American Mock Trial Association tournaments;
- seminar courses that focus on legal and public policy issues offered each semester;
- LSAT prep courses offered at a discounted rate and/or for credit through a unique partnership with Kaplan, Inc.
Pre-Law Program
Students interested in the study of law can add a Pre-Professional Pre-Law Curriculum program to their course of study. WAU is the only Seventh-day Adventist university that offers a formal curriculum as part of a pre-law emphasis. The program is open to students in any major and consists of a set of courses that are focused on the development of skills in analytical thinking and persuasive discourse, along with the introductory study of the American legal system. Our program also includes an Advisory Board of practicing attorneys who help us with curriculum decisions and are available as mentors for our students. Students who graduate with this program will have the Pre-Law designation listed on their official transcript. That’s not always the case with other such programs!
We’re a small school, but we ‘punch above our weight’ when it comes to admission to some of the best law schools in the country. Our Pre-Law Advisory Board consists of WAU graduates who went on to Harvard, Yale, Duke, Ohio State, William & Mary, Maryland, Catholic University, the University of Baltimore, and more.
Our new curriculum offers tremendous flexibility thanks to our Seminar-style courses that take ‘deep dives’ into current legal and policy issues. Beginning in the Fall 2021 semester, our curriculum requirements will be as follows:
- Required Courses (15 credits)
- ENWR 230: Expository Writing (3 credits)
- PHIL 250: Introduction to Logic (3 credits)
- PLST 255: The American Judicial System (3 credits)
- PLST 494: Seminar* (2 credits each, students must take 3 for a total of 6 credits)
- Elective Courses (6 credits)
- BUAD 375: Business Law I (3 credits)
- BUAD 376: Business Law II (3 credits)
- RELT 385: Christian Ethics in Modern Society (3 credits)
- PLST 250: American Government (3 credits)
- ENWR 330: Advanced Expository Writing (3 credits)
- PLST 494: Seminar (other 2 credit courses, up to 6 credits)
- Total Required Credits = 21
- * Seminar Courses will vary and will be announced up to one year in advance (coming soon)
Mock Trial
Mock Trial has been an active club on campus since 2000. It is structured around a course called American Judicial System (PLST 255). The course introduces student to trial law and the American court system. Though the class is open to all students on campus, six are selected to join the Mock Trial team for the spring semester. The team competes in mock trial competitions against some of the most prestigious colleges and universities on the east coast and around the country. In February 2023, WAU competed at Princeton University in a region that included Princeton, Johns Hopkins, MIT, the U.S. Naval Academy, the Military Academy at West Point, the University of Maryland, Tufts University, and more.
During the 2025 Regional Finals, WAU finished with a record of 2 wins and 2 loses. The team defeated Temple University (Philadelphia) and Elizabethtown College. One of their losses was a narrow 3 point loss to Howard University (DC), a team that went on to the national finals.
WAU is part of the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA), the nationally recognized governing body for intercollegiate competition, and is the only Adventist university to be a member of the AMTA. If you have any interest in being a lawyer, you’re going to want to participate in this exciting program. Teams are chosen each Fall semester and competitions are usually in the Spring.
Advocacy and Lobbying
The Center for Law and Public Policy is engaged with local and national political leaders in Washington, DC on a variety of issues. The Center takes advantage of WAU’s location near the Nation’s Capital to help students participate in legal and public policy events around town. This may include observing a Supreme Court session, sitting in on U.S. House and/or Senate hearings, working with local organizations on issues of importance to the Center, and landing internships with some of the most influential legal and political organizations in the country.
the WAU Center for Law and Public Policy is co-led by Professor Jonathan Scriven, the Associate Director of the Honors College and a professor of Political Studies, and Nicholas Miller, a practicing attorney who also teaches church history and religious liberty issues for the Andrews University Seminary. To contact the Center for Law and Public Policy, please email Jonathan Scriven at jscriven@wau.edu or Nicholas Miller at nmiller@wau.edu
Events
The Center for Law and Public Policy has hosted a number of in-person and on-line events in recent months. Please scroll below for videos of the events:
Reaction to the recent Supreme Court decisions on cases involving Sabbath keeping and Affirmative Action. Recorded on June 30, 2023.
A legal webinar addressing issues of Life, Death, and the Law. Recorded on March 22, 2023.
A Constitution Day discussion on matters related to religion, religious liberty, and the Supreme Court. Sept 17, 2022.
Dr. Scriven hosted an interview and discussion marking the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, Dr. Jonathan Scriven spoke to Errin Haines, Executive Editor of the ‘The 19th’, a news organization that focuses on women and gender issues. You can watch the video below. You can find many other Honors College videos by visiting our media and videos page.