We hope you enjoy these news stories about TFAS activities, alumni and events this week. Sign up to receive TFAS updates, and visit us on social media for additional up-to-the-moment TFAS news!
TFAS Capital Semester on Leadership + the American Presidency Shapes Courageous Young Leaders for Liberty
Through TFAS’s transformative programs in Washington, D.C., college students learn the tenets of courageous leadership through immersive coursework and hands-on internship experience. After nearly four months in the nation’s capital, 2021 Capital Semester Fall students shared how the program helped them become courageous leaders for liberty.
TFAS welcomed 12 young leaders from across the U.S. and Hungary to the Capital Semester on Leadership + the American Presidency this August. Hosted in partnership with the Ronald Reagan Institute, the 13-week program allows students to explore their personal leadership journeys through the historical lens of the American presidency. In addition to internship placements, networking and professional development seminars, the Capital Semester program provides courses for academic credit in international economics and government at George Mason University (GMU). Taught by world-class TFAS faculty including TFAS Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Anne Bradley, these courses are designed to complement students’ internship experiences by teaching them how political and economic freedom can contribute to human flourishing.
Capital Semester student Alexis Lyle ’21 said the program’s economics courses changed her perspective on the world around her. She hopes to start a career in policy when she graduates and has realized the foundational economic education she received through TFAS is vital to success in the field.
“I didn’t have much exposure to economics before this program because I thought it was just about math and numbers. I didn’t realize how absolutely vital economic education is in policymaking,” Lyle shared. “After taking a class with Dr. Bradley, I know economic knowledge is necessary for problem-solving and will definitely benefit my future career in policy.”
To read more about the fall program, visit TFAS.org/FallRecap21.
TFAS Grewcock Senior Scholar Named 2021 Conservative Book of the Year Nominee
The Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) has announced its 2022 Conservative Book of the Year nominations and TFAS Grewcock Senior Scholar Dr. Donald Devine’s latest book is among the notable finalists.
At the end of each year, the conservative educational organization announces finalists for its prestigious Conservative Book of the Year award, which recognizes a nonfiction book that “contributes to the rich debate about important conservative ideas.”
Devine’s book, “The Enduring Tension: Capitalism and the Moral Order,” explores the fundamental themes of capitalism and the fight to protect freedom and morality in the U.S. As Barton Swaim shared in The Wall Street Journal:
The book’s overarching theme is that economic freedom has always existed ‘in tension’ with the moral and religious impulses that animate traditional life, and that American conservatism depends on that tension to flourish. It is a superb work of synthesis.” – Barton Swaim, The Wall Street Journal
“The book’s overarching theme is that economic freedom has always existed ‘in tension’ with the moral and religious impulses that animate traditional life, and that American conservatism depends on that tension to flourish. It is a superb work of synthesis.”
See the nominees and cast your vote for “The Enduring Tension” here.
How TFAS is Instilling Integrity in Journalists
TFAS President Roger Ream joined DonorsTrust’s Giving Ventures podcast recently to share The Fund for American Studies’ work in educating high schoolers, college students and young professionals. In the episode, “Old-Guard Future Builders,” Ream briefly traced TFAS’s history in order to compare the cultural and political climates of the United States at the time of the organization’s founding and the present day. Though much has changed, one thing has remained the same.
“Our mission, which was established in 1967, really hasn’t changed,” Ream said. “It is to develop courageous leaders who are inspired and equipped to defend liberty and promote a free-market economy.”
Ream noted how TFAS recently added an emphasis on instilling courage through its programs because of the vital need for bravery in effective leadership. He discussed how the Novak and Rago journalism Fellowships’ work to instruct early-career journalists in ethical, objective reporting. Ream concluded by looking forward to the future. With a new strategic plan in place, TFAS will expand the impact of its high school program, the Foundation for Teaching Economics (FTE), for both students and teachers, as well as further develop programs for young professionals and grow the TFAS Alumni Network.
Listen to the full episode below (Ream begins at 19:11).
Post of the Week
TFAS alumni Ármin Ladányi ’21, Boldizsár Hajas ’21, and Zsombor Verkmann ’21 are sharing their experiences in the TFAS D.C. Summer and Capital Semester programs with The Hungary Foundation on Dec. 13.
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Nycollas Liberato ’20 shares about his passion for empowering communities as the executive director of Students for Liberty Brasil in a new short film by Atlas Network. Nycollas tells stories of the community Nova Esperança (New Hope), one of Brazil’s many favelas, the hard-working individuals who live there, and the government overreach and abuse he is fighting against.
Kingston Reif ’03 is featured in Politico for his new role as the deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Defense.
Will Tomlinson ’97 received an Emmy for his work as a media producer for ESPN.
Tony Mecia ’92, ’93, Novak ’01, is the 2021 Interact Community Voice Award winner for his work in strengthening the media environment in Charlotte.
The TFAS Summer Law Fellowship was featured on Reason’s “The Volokh Conspiracy” blog. Law school students are encouraged to apply for the two-month program in Washington, D.C., to study constitutional originalism, free enterprise and limited government.
Elise Amez-Droz, PPF ’19, co-authors an article discussing what America can learn from Switzerland in an era of hyper-polarization for Discourse Magazine.
TFAS Professor Don Boudreaux analyzes F.A. Hayek’s “Kinds of Order in Society” in his column for The Frontier Post.
TFAS Professor James Otteson joined Andy Tanner on The Cashflow Academy Show to discuss economic sins and personal decision making.
Maria Danilova ’01, ’02 will receive a 2021 Annual Professional Excellence Prize by the Foreign Press Correspondents Association. Read about Maria and her work as a foreign correspondent, reporter and author in an exclusive interview with Foreign Press.