Paul Ryan joins University of Notre Dame faculty

Former Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) has joined the faculty of the University of Notre Dame, the university announced on Monday.

Ryan will serve as a professor of practice during the 2019-20 academic year and will lecture on subjects including American government, political polarization, Catholicism and economics. 

{mosads}”It is an honor to be part of a University where Catholic principles, robust debates, academic freedoms and diverse viewpoints are allowed to flourish,” Ryan said in a statement. “As much as I hope to impart as a lecturer, I know that I will learn a tremendous amount from Notre Dame’s remarkable students as we discuss the big challenges before our nation and collaborate on how best to address them.”

Ryan was Speaker beginning in October 2015 and until January of this year, when current Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) took over the role.

Notre Dame in its announcement Monday noted that former Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) and former Obama administration White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough were also recently appointed to the faculty.

David Campbell, the chair of the university’s political science department, said in a statement that having those officials on the faculty “provides important insights for students.”

“The study of political science is strengthened when students hear from people with real-world policy and political experience,” Campbell said. “Having former officials in the classroom provides important insights for students — an opportunity to put the theories we study to the test.”