James Comey Continues Second Act as a College Instructor

James Comey, who was fired last year as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation by President Trump, will co-teach this fall a course about “ethical leadership” to students at the College of William & Mary, his alma mater.

It’s the latest chapter in a roller-coaster two years for Mr. Comey, an even-tempered bureaucrat who found himself at the center of a dramatic presidential campaign and its equally dramatic aftermath. He was blamed for handing Mr. Trump the White House by reopening an investigation into Hillary Clinton days before the 2016 election. Later he played a key role in the appointment of the special prosecutor who is investigating the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia. (Mr. Trump fired Mr. Comey last summer, allegedly for failing to pledge his loyalty to the White House.)

The dramatic series of events made Mr. Comey a celebrity, and a number of colleges have sought him as an instructor. Daniel Richman, a professor of law at Columbia University, has publicly courted the former FBI director for a possible job there. Howard University hired Mr. Comey to deliver a convocation address and a series of lectures, a decision that drew protests from students who cited the FBI’s history of “racist, state-sanctioned violence” against black people.

Mr. Comey’s newest teaching appointment reunites him with William & Mary, where he attended college in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and dabbled in investigative journalism. In 1980 the student newspaper, The Flat Hat, published a series of articles by Mr. Comey that put him at the center of a campuswide debate over how welcoming the Virginia college had been to black students and faculty members.

William & Mary students will travel to Washington, D.C., to meet with Mr. Comey five times over the course of the fall semester, according Drew Stelljes, the college’s assistant vice president for student engagement and leadership, who will also co-teach the course. Mr. Comey will visit the campus, in Williamsburg, Va., once per semester. Students who are already spending the fall in D.C. will be given preference for enrollment in the course, followed by students in the college’s education program. The current plan is to cap the course at 25 students, although that might change if demand is high enough.

The syllabus will include case studies in leadership and ethics, said Mr. Stelljes, who spoke at length and in glowing terms about Mr. Comey’s prowess as a teacher and his affection for William & Mary.

Which case studies will be on the syllabus?

“I have no comment on that,” said Mr. Stelljes, adding that the syllabus had not been made final. “We’ll decide on that together over time.”

Will students get to hear behind-the-scenes stories on the Clinton and Trump sagas? “Ultimately we’ll make that decision together,” he said.

Mr. Stelljes responded with silence to The Chronicle’s observation that he was being very disciplined about his talking points.

The content of the course may become clearer in the coming months. Mr. Comey is writing a book, A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership, which is scheduled to come out well before the class starts. “I would hope and suspect that he would speak from experiences he’s writing about in his book,” said Mr. Stelljes.

That text, at least, will probably be on the syllabus.

Correction (1/22/2018, 10:21 a.m.): An earlier version of this article stated that James Comey delivered a commencement address at Howard University. He spoke at convocation, not commencement. The article has been updated to reflect this correction.

Steve Kolowich writes about ordinary people in extraordinary times, and extraordinary people in ordinary times. Follow him on Twitter @stevekolowich, or write to him at steve.kolowich@chronicle.com.