OREM, UTAH, June 18, 2025 — Utah Valley University’s (UVU) Center for Constitutional Studies (CCS) announces the appointment of Dr. Savannah Eccles Johnston, as program director of its Master of Arts in Constitutional Government, Civics & Law (MACGCL).

“Savannah is an outstanding scholar and teacher with a passion for cultivating understanding of our constitutional inheritance,” said Matthew Brogdon, senior director of CCS.  “My colleagues and I are excited to welcome her to the CCS team. Her leadership will be crucial as the MA program grows to serve teachers and citizens from across the country who want to gain expertise on the ideas and institutions necessary to support constitutional government, ordered liberty, and the rule of law.”

A native of Bountiful, Utah, Johnston begins her position as MACGCL director July 1. Her expertise is in American political thought and constitutionalism, and her scholarly work has appeared in publications such as American Political Thought, The Forum, and Politics, Groups, and Identities. Johnston comes to UVU from Salt Lake Community College, where she was an assistant professor of political science. 

Johnston  received her PhD and MA in Politics and Government from Claremont Graduate University and a BS in political science from Brigham Young University. She is also co-host with Brogdon of This Constitution, a weekly podcast produced by CCS and devoted to engaging the most pressing political and constitutional questions of our time. Johnston’s popular Instagram account, @savypolitics, draws more than 47,000 followers for its ability to explain politics and American constitutionalism for the general public.

Johnston takes over the MA program-director role from Dr. Troy Smith, who launched the program in 2023 and shepherded the initial cohort through its first year of coursework. Smith is stepping into a new role as director of the UVU-based Constitutional Federalism Initiative, created by HB 488 in the 2025 session of the Utah Legislature.

"UVU’s Center for Constitutional Studies is one of the premier programs for constitutional studies in the United States, so I am thrilled to be joining the team,” said Johnston. “I have dedicated my life’s work to teaching the next generation how to understand and appreciate the Constitution, civil discourse and the rule of law. I look forward to taking on this important role and continuing to build on Dr. Smith’s excellent work in the MA program."

MACGCL equips students with an understanding of the American founding, the development of the American constitutional system, and the civic virtues it requires.

It has two areas of concentration: a teaching track geared toward enhancing an individual’s ability to teach social studies in K–12 public and private schools and a research track that prepares individuals to pursue highly competitive doctoral studies programs in constitutional law, history, or political science.

“Dr. Smith’s expertise and scholarship in Constitutional Studies have been a driver behind the success of the launch and the first year of the M.A. program in Constitutional Government, Civics & Law,” said Dr. Vessela Ilieva, dean of UVU’s School of Education. “His work as a program director and professor has been extraordinary and has resulted in opening new opportunities for the program and its students.

About the Master of Arts in Constitutional Government, Civics & Law

The MACGCL program prepares educators, professionals, and scholars to understand and teach the ideas and practices critical to the perpetuation of constitutional government, ordered liberty, and the rule of law.

It is offered by the Center for Constitutional Studies at Utah Valley University through the School of Education and includes a residential study-abroad experience at Pembroke College, University of Oxford, through CCS’s partnership with the Quill Project. Learn more at https://www.uvu.edu/ccs/macgcl/index.html.

About the UVU Center for Constitutional Studies

Utah Valley University’s (UVU) Center for Constitutional Studies (CCS) is a nonpartisan academic institute that promotes the instruction, study, and research of constitutionalism.

Through a multidisciplinary approach, CCS examines important constitutional issues found at the intersections of political thought, public policy, religion, law, history, and economics. Its mandate is to equip a new generation of citizens and leaders with a broad understanding of the ideas and practices critical to preserving constitutional government, ordered liberty, and the rule of law. Learn more at https://www.uvu.edu/ccs/.