As a college student from South Dakota, Paul Glader (IPJ 99, AIPES 00) thought his dream was to get a job at a regional newspaper in the Midwest, but after his time with The Fund for American Studies (TFAS) he knew he should shoot for the “big leagues” of journalism.
“Donors supporting TFAS are investing in people like me. They help create a ripple effect. I’m furthering some of the things I learned from TFAS. So the donors giving me a scholarship also help to further a lot of TFAS-like ideas and causes through me in all that I’m doing now with other students and young people.”
“Coming from South Dakota the TFAS programs were really good networking encounters with people in other parts of the world,” Glader said. “TFAS opened new doors in terms of people and ideas. It really helped me see, as a kid from the Midwest, that maybe I can set my sights a bit higher.”
Glader completed the Institute on Political Journalism (IPJ) in 1999 and returned to TFAS the following summer to attend the American Institute on Political and Economic Systems (AIPES) in Prague, Czech Republic. His summers with TFAS hold memories of his rewarding internship work, making lifelong friends and understanding the dedication TFAS staff had for his rewarding summer experience.
Sixteen years after those life-changing summers, Glader is a successful and award-winning journalist, world traveler, educator and family man. Through his hard work and commitment to TFAS, Glader became successful in his professional and personal life, even meeting his wife, Eleni (Mavrogeorgis) Glader (IIPES 01), at a TFAS alumni event while serving as an alumni chapter president in New York.
Glader spent 10 years as a staff writer for The Wall Street Journal where he traveled the globe and wrote on countless topics. He has received dozens of awards for his work including Best Business Reporting from The Overseas Press Club, Faculty Member of the Year for College Contribution at The King’s College in New York City and one of his first awards: the John Chamberlin Award for Print Reporting during his summer as an IPJ student.
In his spare time, Glader enjoys traveling, surfboarding and bike riding. But ultimately, he enjoys anything he can do with his three year old daughter.
Just like TFAS made a difference in his life, Glader is passing on what he learned to future leaders as the associate professor of journalism and the director of the John McCandlish Phillips Journalism Institute at The King’s College in New York City. He is introducing a program called the NYC Semester in Journalism (NYCJ) to give young journalists a “TFAS-like” experience in New York City every fall and spring semester.
“I’m a person who sees a real benefit from these programs that focus on helping young people understand liberty and core principles, and also helps them get experience in a big city,” Glader said.
In between boarding planes and boarding on the water, Glader makes it a priority to give back to TFAS. As a scholarship recipient himself, he couldn’t have attended TFAS without assistance. He reminds alumni that their TFAS experience should guide their decision to give back, and explains why he chooses to support TFAS financially and as an alumni volunteer.
“Our situations in life change, but I’ve learned to pick a few things to always give back to,” Glader said. “Even if you give $25, $50 or $100 one year, that’s OK, it’s more about the symbolism. If TFAS was formative for an alumnus, it’s worth thinking about giving back even a small contribution within your means.”
He explains that TFAS was significant for him because he may not have broken into the large media markets without these programs.
“I’m an example of a kind of person who is going to benefit from the program when a donor can support TFAS on a larger level,” Glader said. “I know the impact of it: you get a student from the Midwest or the South who has all the talent, but maybe not the confidence, to go to the big media market, or the coastal city, and those kinds of people really do belong, and they offer employers a diversity of backgrounds.”
Glader also encourages donors to support TFAS to continue creating the ripple effect of ideas through each student.
“Donors supporting TFAS are investing in people like me,” Glader said. “They help create a ripple effect. I’m furthering some of the things I learned from TFAS. So the donors giving me a scholarship also help to further a lot of TFAS-like ideas and causes through me in all that I’m doing now with other students and young people.”