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 Launches New Center for Excellence in Journalism
The Fund for American Studies (TFAS) announced the launch of a new Center for Excellence in Journalism (CEJ). The CEJ, which will formally begin its work in the fall semester of 2023, is the latest in TFAS’s long history of efforts to advance the field of journalism.
TFAS seeks to address present concerns about objectivity, fairness and honest reporting in the media by offering world-class journalism training for students nationwide. The CEJ’s new Student Journalism Association will recruit students with a passion for writing at elite universities and other institutions of higher education, as well as work with high-quality campus publications.
“Between partisanship, censorship and cancel culture, traditional American journalism is at greater risk of irrelevancy than ever before. TFAS is proud to continue to do our part in changing the way media operates,” said Roger Ream ’76, TFAS President.
Read more about TFAS’s new Center for Excellence in Journalism at TFAS.org/CEJ.
TFAS Ukraine Student Scholarship Fund Provides Educational Opportunity for Young Leaders from the War-Torn Country
Thanks to generous supporters of the Ukraine Student Scholarship Fund, TFAS raised scholarship support for seven Ukrainian students to attend TFAS programs in 2022. Five students attended TFAS Prague, one attended the European Journalism Institute (EJI) and one student participated in the TFAS D.C. Academic Internship Program in Washington, D.C. Through these programs, young leaders from Ukraine learned the principles of courageous leadership, the importance of economic freedom, and how to bring the ideas of liberty to life, alongside TFAS students from around the globe.
The scholarship was established because TFAS recognized students’ desire to learn about liberty and wanted to ensure that no financial barrier hindered them from attending TFAS programs. These courageous young leaders wanted to attend TFAS programs to learn more about political and economic freedom, free markets and the rule of law.
In 2023, TFAS International received dozens of applications from Ukrainian students interested in pursuing a TFAS education in Prague, showing the need and desire for TFAS programs among this generation of leaders. Recent history demonstrates that the efforts of Ukraine’s youth are not just about these current events. There is a larger battle of ideas and a geopolitical struggle still to come in the years ahead.
Read more about the Ukraine Student Scholarship Fund here.
WSJ Article Highlights Don Devine’s Work in Curbing the Power of the Administrative State
As the 2024 presidential elections grow nearer, an urgent question seems to be rising in the minds of invested voters: What will the candidates do about the growing threat of the administrative state? James Bacon, senior adviser to the Heritage Foundation’s Presidential Transition Project, analyzes the current situation and recalls past efforts, including those of Dr. Donald Devine, in an opinion piece for The Wall Street Journal.
Dr. Devine serves as a senior scholar at TFAS, where he writes and teaches young people about fusionism, the Constitution, and conservative and libertarian thinking. Bacon highlights Devine’s effective work for former president Ronald Reagan in the Office of Personnel Management, hinting that the next U.S. president should adapt and utilize this model if he or she wants to combat the dangers of the “deep state.”
Read the full article on The Wall Street Journal website.
Katherine Mangu-Ward on Exploring the Future of AI
In this week’s episode of the Liberty + Leadership Podcast, TFAS President Roger Ream ’76 and Katherine Mangu-Ward, Novak ’05, editor in chief of Reason discuss her contrarian view on not voting in elections, the rise of ChatGPT and the “robot Katherine Mangu-Ward.” They also discuss the state of capitalism and libertarianism as a brand, sharing key points from her TED Talk on “What Capitalism Gets Right.”
TFAS Faculty, Alumni, Supporters in the News
Alexandra Seymour, PPF ’18, started a new position as a professional staff member for the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Matthew Ellias ’18 started a new position as a development coordinator of governments for the German Marshall Fund of the United States.
Patrick Kornegay, Jr. ’18 completed a master’s degree in European and Eurasian studies from George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs in Washington, D.C.
Connor Haaland ’18 graduated from Harvard Law School and will start a clerkship with the U.S. District Court Judge of the Eastern District of Virginia, David J. Novak.
Alexander Marriott ’07 started a new position as an aviation attorney with Baker Donelson.
Adam Kwasman ’04 and his wife have been appointed as Arizona chapter leaders for the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC).
Haley Britzky ’16 wrote an article for CNN about U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin claiming that a war with Taiwan would be “devastating” as he criticizes China at the Shangri-La security summit.
Jolisse Gray ’21 started the American Statecraft Fellowship with the Institute of World Politics (IWP).
Katherine Mangu-Ward, Novak ’05, wrote a piece for Reason about a lesson on political ambition from the “Dungeons & Dragons” movie.
Michael Lucchese, PPF ’22, reviews Brad Birzer’s book on “Christian Humanism for the Modern World.”
Paige Taylor ’21 graduated from Abilene Christian University and started a new role as a multimedia journalist at WCHS Eyewitness News in Charleston, West Virginia.
Rodrigo Giron Pineda ’17 started a new position as a consular officer for the foreign service at the U.S. Department of State.
Carine Hajjar, Rago ’22, recently completed her TFAS Rago Fellowship with The Wall Street Journal. She wrote an opinion piece for WSJ about the Philadelphia military academy providing opportunities for career advancement.
Ron Hart ’81 wrote a piece for Daily Caller about Adam Smith, one of the world’s most prominent economists, on his 300th birthday.
Post of the Week
This week, TFAS kicked off the TFAS D.C. Academic Internship Programs. More than 300 students traveled to Washington, D.C., to participate in an eight-week academic internship experience in the nation’s capital, as well as a variety of exclusive guest lectures, site briefings, professional development and networking events.
Junia Lee was one of the students who traveled to D.C. to spend eight weeks with TFAS and other students. She captured her travel journey in a short Instagram video.
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