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.”
Applications Now Open for Prestigious Nine-Month Journalism Fellowship with Wall Street Journal
The Fund for American Studies (TFAS) is now accepting applications for the fourth annual Joseph Rago Memorial Fellowship for Excellence in Journalism. Early career journalists are encouraged to apply by February 15, 2021, for this prestigious nine-month internship with The Wall Street Journal’s editorial team.
This opportunity is open to recent college graduates and journalists with less than five years’ experience. The Fellowship recipient will have access to in-depth editorial experiences including editing op-eds, writing stories under one’s own byline, writing as part of the Journal’s Editorial Board, working with outside contributors, composing headlines and other story components, fact-checking, researching, and more.
The Fellowship was established in 2018 in honor of the late Joseph Rago, who passed away at the age of 34 in 2017. Past Fellows include Elliot Kaufman, Rago ’18, who following his internship joined the Journal full-time, where he currently serves as assistant features editor; Matthew Taylor King , Rago ’19, who is now working as former United States Secretary of State Dr. Henry Kissinger’s research assistant; and Alessandra Bocchi, Rago ’20, who began her internship in August 2020.
Despite Bocchi’s internship being mostly virtual, she feels she has gained invaluable experience working alongside her esteemed colleagues at The Journal.
“Even while working remotely, I have already learned so much about the passion, diligence, and commitment that is required to work at this outstanding newspaper,” she said.
To learn more about the Rago Fellowship and how to apply, visit TFAS.org/Rago2021.
TFAS Hits the Airwaves: Tune in to Hear How TFAS is Teaching Freedom
The Fund for American Studies is taking its message of teaching freedom to the airwaves through a new exclusive syndicated radio segment on the Dan Proft Show.
In December 2020, TFAS began collaborating with TFAS alumnus Dan Proft ’93 on his radio show to showcase how TFAS is promoting the ideas of limited government, free market economics and honorable leadership. Continuing in 2021, Proft and a special TFAS guest will discuss through weekly segments the many ways TFAS is equipping young leaders to champion these ideas across the country and throughout the world.
The first three segments in the series featured TFAS president Roger Ream ’76, who shared the importance of TFAS’s mission. In the first segment, Ream shared how teaching the works of economists like the late Walter Williams helps students better understand the ethical importance of our founding principles.
“He just had a great way of communicating economics,” Ream said of Williams. “He was very empirically driven, but he also had very strong moral principles. He really believed in our Constitution and said that it’s our rule book.”
Read more about Ream’s interviews with Proft and learn how to tune in next week at TFAS.org/ProftShow.
Mike Krempasky Elected to TFAS Board of Regents
TFAS is pleased to welcome alumnus Michael Krempasky ’97 as a newly elected member of its Board of Regents.
Krempasky is a 1997 alumnus of TFAS’s Public Policy and Economics program track. A longtime supporter and volunteer, he points back to his experience in the TFAS classroom as a launching point for his career.
“TFAS was, simply, the most important and effective springboard in my entire career,” he said. “My summer at TFAS gave me the opportunity, direction and confidence to pursue policy and communications as a vocation.”
As global lead for Brunswick Group’s digital specialty, Krempasky has had extensive experience in managing crisis communications, public affairs and digital strategy. For several years, he has also volunteered as a mentor to students in the Washington, D.C., academic internship programs, sharing his time and advice with rising young TFAS leaders.
To learn more about Krempasky’s career and why he chooses to support TFAS, visit TFAS.org/Krempasky.
Economics Lesson of The Week: Are Disasters Good for the Economy?
TFAS provides resources to help teachers and parents continue the important task of educating our nation’s future leaders. Our “Economics Lesson of The Week” series features new lessons from our high school programming division – the Foundation for Teaching Economics (FTE) – each week.
This week’s lesson is “Are Disasters Good for the Economy?” In this activity, students will analyze and reconcile data to arrive at a group consensus on the impact of disasters on an economy. Following the activity, students will consider factors that determine how much an economy can produce, what happens to an economy’s resource base during a disaster, the impact of a pandemic on GDP, and more.
TFAS offers a plethora of online lesson plans, readings, handouts, video demonstrations, and hands-on activity guides to teach the “economic way of thinking” in engaging and relatable ways. Visit TFAS.org/FTELessons for a one-stop guide to our available resources.
Post of the Week
Check out this new video by TFAS’s high school division, the Foundation for Teaching Economics, highlighting our 2021 summer programs for high school student leaders.
QUICK LINKS
TFAS Vice President Steve Slattery joined alumnus Dan Proft ’93 for a segment of the Dan Proft Show to discuss how TFAS is teaching young leaders around the world the importance of our First Amendment freedoms in the U.S.
TFAS Grewcock Senior Scholar Don Devine discusses his new book “The Enduring Tension: Capitalism and the Moral Order” in an interview with National Review’s Bookmonger podcast. Devine’s book will be released on January 26.
Bill Shaughnessy ’07 is a newly elected partner at Jones Walker LLP.
Kenneth Rosen, Novak ’18, shares works that can help people gain a deeper understanding of their place in the world in a piece for Literary Hub.
Charles McElwee, Novak ’20, discusses President-Elect Biden’s Scranton, Pennsylvania, roots in a piece for RealClearPolitics.
Gabriella Kusz ’02 joined the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) as their Principal of Strategic Initiatives this month.
TFAS professor Dr. Charlotte “Charlie” Thomas has been named executive director of the Association for Core Texts and Courses (ACTC), as announced by Mercer University.
Alexandra Hudson, Novak ’19, shares a guide to civility in the new year in Indy Politics.
Helen Andrews, Novak ’17, shares an excerpt from her new book titled “Boomers: The Men and Women Who Promised Freedom and Delivered Disaster” in Newsweek. Andrews’ book was released on January 12.
Nina Trentmann ’08 is now The Wall Street Journal’s CFO Journal bureau chief.
Eric Tanenblatt ’87 co-authors an opinion piece for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on the importance of rediscovering the “ties that bind” our nation amid the Georgia runoff election.
Ben Nuelle ’14, PPF ’20, co-authors an article for Agri-Pulse on President-Elect Biden’s pick for Labor Secretary.
Marisa Burleson ’17 is now the scheduler for Congressman Jake LaTurner of Kansas.
Oriana Pawlyk ’10 writes about the late Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick’s military service in a piece for Military.com.
Dan McConchie ’93, ’95 shares his hopes for the future of the Republican party and the nation in a piece for the Chicago Sun Times.
Kathryn Kelly ’01, PPF ’07, has been promoted to partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP.
Allie Rodriguez ’19 is a legislative correspondent for Congresswoman Maria Salazar of Florida.
Laura Vanderkam ’99, Novak ’06, shares time management tips on The Drew Barrymore Show.
Scott Thomas Anderson, Novak ’10, interviews San Francisco Bay Area comedians for Datebook on the challenges of writing comedy during tough times.
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