We hope you enjoy these top news stories about TFAS activities, alumni and events this week. Please visit us on social media for additional up-to-the-moment TFAS news and information and sign up to receive weekly updates.

TFAS alumni, staff and faculty continue to make headlines. Read news, analysis and updates by visiting this week’s “Quick Links.”

TFAS Supporter Spotlight: Bob Pruger’s Global Impact

TFAS takes great strides to ensure the programs we offer aren’t just theoretical academic exercises, but practical lessons with real-world applications.

That’s why TFAS was honored when Bob Pruger agreed to join our Board of Regents in 2014.

Pruger, who has been a supporter of our organization since 2003, became a Regent because as he approached retirement, he was looking for ways to make a positive impact on the lives of young people. As a Regent, he gets to express his opinions, influence the direction of TFAS, and spend more time with the young students TFAS works to inspire.

He first came to support TFAS because he felt that many students in the U.S. today – especially those studying the humanities – are no longer challenged to think, but instead told what to think and to accept indoctrination as fact.

“TFAS has some amazing faculty members who offer students an opportunity to understand the U.S.’s amazing history, both the good and the ugly,” he said. “TFAS doesn’t shield students from foolish ideas, rather it strengthens students’ ability to think critically. That’s a life lesson.”

Read more about Pruger’s impact at TFAS.org/PrugerSpotlight.

Former Reagan Advisor Shares Insights from New Book with Capital Semester Students

Why is capitalism so often questioned by those who may benefit from it the most? TFAS Grewcock Senior Scholar and director of the Office of Personnel Management under President Ronald Reagan, Dr. Donald Devine, seeks to answer this question in his new book “The Enduring Tension: Capitalism and The Moral Order,” which he discussed with TFAS Capital Semester students in a virtual Q&A session last week.

Devine related his experience in the Reagan administration to the themes in his new book by highlighting the need for decentralization in order for capitalism to thrive. Labeled by the Washington Post as Reagan’s “terrible swift sword of civil service,” Devine contributed to billion dollar spending reductions and bureaucratic cuts during his time as the civil service director.

“We’ve been going the wrong way for a long time,” Devine shared. “It’s very hard to make big government work, you have to decentralize and get it out to where real people are and real people can solve problems.”

Published on January 26th, “The Enduring Tension” highlights the mutually sustaining nature of morality and economic freedom and is sure to remedy the enigma that is modern capitalism. The book seeks to identify the failures of the current capitalist system, critique the responses to it, and find a solution for reinstating capitalism as it was intended.

Click here to learn more and order Devine’s new book.

TFAS Mentors Leave Lasting Impact on Students in D.C. Programs

It’s clear that having a mentor is beneficial to young professionals trying to jumpstart their careers, but being a mentor is equally as rewarding. It’s a great opportunity for professionals to share the knowledge they’ve gained over the years with the next generation of honorable leaders. That’s why TFAS has a Mentor Program as a key part of our D.C. Academic Internship Programs, which take place each summer and semester. We are currently looking for professionals and alumni to sign up by May 10 to volunteer as mentors with TFAS this summer.

The TFAS Mentor Program provides a well-rounded Washington experience for students. In addition to their classes, internships, guest lectures and educational excursions, each student is paired with a mentor to help guide them through their program. TFAS mentors are often TFAS alumni themselves, and they serve as supplemental professional contacts in D.C. for students. The program creates the perfect opportunity for working professionals to have a positive influence on a young leader’s life.

Ryan Elizabeth Cinney ’14, PPF ’17, explains how vital the Mentor Program is to students and how having a mentor augmented her TFAS experience.

“The TFAS Mentor Program is an integral part of the interns’ summer here in D.C.,” Cinney said. “Giving back and helping others is very important to me because my mentor as a Capital Semester student in 2014 far surpassed my expectations; really the entire program did. It was the best 15 weeks of my life and truly served as a stepping stone to my career in Washington.”

To learn more about the Mentor Program and how to volunteer, visit TFAS.org/MentorImpact.

Michelle Bernier ’20 published an article on privatization of law in the Very Young Arbitration Blog.

Moss Brennan ’19 shares a “legislative roundup” from the North Carolina state legislature in a report for The Avery Journal Times.

Lewis McCrary, Novak ’14, writes about Wick Allison’s impact on conservative urbanism in The American Conservative.

Pasquale DiFrancesco ’13 writes about clean energy industrial policy for the Mercatus Center.

TFAS Trustee Peter McPherson explains how public universities are helping transfer students succeed in an article for Forbes.

National Review calls TFAS Trustee Emeritus Neal Freeman’s new book, “Walk with Me: An Invitation to Faith,” a “thoughtful reflection on what it means to be a person of faith, especially in an American context.”

Jory Heckman ’11, PPF ’16, shares Small Business Administration executives’ thoughts on telework productivity in a piece for Federal News Network.

Rym Momtaz ’05, ’07 explains why tensions over Iran’s nuclear program have skyrocketed once again in this episode of the POLITICO EU Confidential podcast.

Grace Olmstead, Novak ’15, shares insights from her new book, “Uprooted,” in an interview with Crux.

Elise Amez-Droz, PPF ’19, co-authored an op-ed for Fortune on how to make healthcare work for young people.

Kyle Wolfley ’08 has a new book coming out next month titled “Military Statecraft and the Rise of Shaping in World Politics.”

Abby Smith ’14 discusses bipartisan efforts to encourage more domestic mining of critical materials to break the U.S.’s reliance on China in a piece for the Washington Examiner.

TFAS Trustee Eric Tanenblatt ’87 has an op-ed in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on the future of mass transit in the Atlanta metro area.