U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy is trading Congress for college — at least for a few hours each week.
This fall semester, the Baton Rouge Republican will be teaching a 2000-level class at LSU’s Ogden Honors College. The course, taught alongside adjunct bioethics instructor Dr. Mike Rolfsen, is called National Issues: Strategies and Tactics.
The class will give students “the rare opportunity to engage in open dialogues with Senator Cassidy, gaining unique perspectives from his distinguished career in public service,” according to an email sent to students Friday.
The senator will be paid $10,000 for the semester, according to LSU media relations coordinator Abbi Rocha Laymoun. Cassidy’s annual salary is $174,000 as a member of Congress.
Cassidy previously received $20,000 a year to teach for LSU’s medical school.
Cassidy will discuss “the intricacies of policymaking, the legislative process, and the impact of effective governance on society,” focusing on issues like national security, climate change, foreign policy and trade,” the email said.
The course seeks to build students’ communication and advocacy skills, analyze national issues, assess the consequences of proposed policy solutions and mirror real policymaking by encouraging teamwork and diverse perspectives, the email said.
The course will run around three hours every Friday at the college and count as a general education credit.
“The best honors colleges are laboratories for innovative and unique courses like the one taught by Senator Cassidy,” Jonathan Earle, dean of LSU’s Honors College, said in a statement. “This class is a tremendous opportunity for our students, as we welcome the largest and most academically talented freshman class in our college’s history.”
LSU’s course catalog shows the 18-person class filled up shortly after the class was broadcasted to students.
Cassidy earned his bachelor’s and medical degrees from LSU. It’s not the first time he’s returned to his alma mater as a teacher; before becoming a senator, Cassidy helped train medical students at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans.
Read the Illuminator’s original reporting here.