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.”

Featured Supporter: TFAS Regent Chris Ullman Whistles a Happy Tune

It’s not very often you get to meet a member of the International Whistling Hall of Fame, let alone one who worked as a top communications aide at the U.S. Office of Management and Budget; served as chief spokesman for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and as the head of corporate communications for one of the world’s largest international investment firms, The Carlyle Group; authored a bestselling book; manages his own communications firm; and currently sits on the Board of Regents at The Fund for American Studies, but here at TFAS we are lucky enough to know just such a person!

All of this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to TFAS Regent Chris Ullman. Ullman became involved with TFAS more than 20 years ago because he was worried about the way our country was headed, but he knew TFAS could help change the course by shaping the next generation of leaders. He believes an important way to do this is by giving to organizations like TFAS, which build up honorable leaders for the future.

“Give money to TFAS,” Ullman said. “It will be well spent and make a real difference in the lives of the next generation of thinkers and leaders.”

Read more about TFAS Regent Chris Ullman at TFAS.org/UllmanFeature.

Alumni Staff Spotlight: Eliza Miller

TFAS students know firsthand the transformational benefits of our programs. Some alumni participate in multiple programs to see more of what TFAS has to offer, and some alumni are so captivated by TFAS’s impact they return as staff members. This affords them the opportunity to pass along their enthusiasm for liberty and leadership to the next generation of TFAS students. In our interview series with these individuals, we’re introducing the seven current alumni staff members to showcase the people behind our programs.

In this feature, we’ll hear from Eliza Miller, a 2020 alumna of the Business + Government Relations program who now serves TFAS as the Program Coordinator of the Leadership + the American Presidency and Capital Semester programs.

Miller participated in one of TFAS’s first fully virtual programs – an experience she believes was invaluable despite the transition to online lectures, briefings and networking events.

“Even though it was virtual, we still had so many amazing opportunities. My favorite memory is of networking nights,” Miller shared. “I absolutely loved getting to hear so many D.C. perspectives. Everyone has such a different story of how they got to the city and are so open in telling their stories. I loved being able to make connections and really valued those as I looked for a job in D.C.”

To learn more about why Miller chose to start her career with TFAS, visit TFAS.org/MillerSpotlight.

Economics Lesson of the Week: How Clean Is Clean?

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 “How Clean Is Clean?” In this lesson, students will explore the economic concepts of marginal analysis, opportunity cost, sunk cost, marginal cost and benefit, and total cost and benefit. Through various activities and lesson guides, students will gain an understanding of how economic reasoning teaches us that the economic perspective is preferable to the all-or-nothing approach to pollution clean-up that is sometimes adopted by environmental activist groups.

Visit TFAS.org/FTELessons for a one-stop guide to our available resources.

QUICK LINKS

TFAS Journalism Fellowships Director Dan McCarthy joined Dan Proft to discuss journalistic standards, objective journalism, and reliable reporting in this episode of The Dan Proft Show. The pair discussed the unfortunate reality of the mutual manipulation between sources and journalists often seen today. McCarthy described how TFAS’s Robert Novak Journalism Fellowship was designed to convey Robert Novak’s values of objectivity and fact-based reporting to counter this harmful journalistic culture. He explained that the Novak Fellowship provides funding for individual journalists to work on independent projects, which helps preserve journalistic integrity.

TFAS Outreach Fellow Andrés Guilarte shares the importance of the Biden administration’s support of bipartisan policies to stop the totalitarian regime in Venezuela in a piece for International Policy Digest.

Laura Vanderkam ’99, Novak ’06, shares tips in Forge for maximizing the productivity of remote work’s flexible schedule.

John Lettieri ’03, PPF ’08, is interviewed by Noah Smith on the Economic Innovation Group’s efforts to improve U.S. economic growth and dynamism.

Naomi Schaefer Riley, Novak ’01, discusses the need to close achievement gaps in U.S. school systems in a piece for The Wall Street Journal.

Elise Amez-Droz, PPF ’19, explains how her upbringing shaped her understanding of economics in a video for the Mercatus Center.

Ryan Lovelace, Novak ’17, writes in The Washington Times about the United States’ ranking in the Freedom House assessment.

Kristin Tate, Novak ’19, explains how the potential “digital dollar” proposed by the Federal Reserve could have both economic and privacy implications in a piece for The Hill.

Melanie Benit ’14, ’15, PPF ’18, coauthors an op-ed in The Center Square on Oklahoma state restrictions on home-based businesses.

TFAS Senior Scholar Jim Otteson has a new book coming out titled “Seven Deadly Economic Sins.”

TFAS Grewcock Senior Scholar Dr. Donald Devine reviews TFAS Professor Dr. Joshua Mitchell’s new book titled “American Awakening: Identity Politics and Other Afflictions of Our Time” in The American Spectator.

Steve Oldfield ’85 discusses his new documentary “Rush to Judgement” and the insights shared by TFAS Director of Journalism + Communications and U.S. Programs Joe Starrs in an interview with the Media Research Center’s News Busters.

Leah Libresco Sargeant, Novak ’18, examines the impact of government policies on the American people during the pandemic in a piece for The Week.

Alexandra Jaffe ’09 coauthors an article in The Republic on the “dose of confidence” the latest Mars landing has given the U.S. as a global scientific leader.

Josh Holdenried, PPF ’18, writes for Fox News on the importance of recognizing clergy members as “essential workers” nationwide to broaden access to the COVID-19 vaccine.