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!
Professor Chris Coyne on The Political Economy of Peace
In this week’s episode of the Liberty and Leadership Podcast, TFAS President Roger Ream ’76 and TFAS Professor Chris Coyne discuss his approach to teaching “Mason Economics,” how certain kinds of large scale economic planning can lead to devastating results, September 11th’s impact on inspiring him to apply the “economic way of thinking” to the war on terror and nation building, and how trade is not a zero-sum game.
Celebrating the Influence and Career of Dr. Michael Collins
Dr. Michael Collins, an English professor at Georgetown University since 1981, has dedicated his life to educating the next generation. Professor Collins’ investment in students was not limited to young people attending Georgetown; Collins spent over three decades changing the lives of nearly 4,000 students across the globe through TFAS Programs. His impact is immeasurable, and as Dr. Collins closes this chapter of his career, The Fund for American Studies extends our utmost gratitude.
Professor Collins began his involvement with TFAS shortly after his arrival at Georgetown as the dean of the School for Summer and Continuing Education. It was his work in this position that made TFAS summer programs possible for a majority of the 43 years that TFAS conducted programs on Georgetown’s campus. TFAS Chairman Randal Teague recounts the impact of Collins’ leadership on TFAS programs, saying, “He led for decades the faculty team which brought the key element of humanities to the economic and political science curricula of our summer programs at Georgetown.”
To learn more about Dr. Collins’ profound career, visit TFAS Alumni Connect.
TFAS will honor Dr. Collins with a reception on March 28 in Washington, D.C. To extend well wishes, congratulations or messages of gratitude to Dr. Collins, please submit your comments here.
TFAS Outreach Fellow Christian Watson Shares Perspective on Biden’s Student Loan Bailout
Christian Watson is one of the millions of Americans who decided to take out student loans in order to pay for his higher education. In an op-ed for The Federalist, Watson shares why he will not accept any form of loan forgiveness as it is his moral obligation to pay his loans back independently. He is adamant that the proposed student loan bailout will not only go against ethical principles but also destroy society all together.
“Beyond the economic and financial implications, the true consequences of Biden’s plan are fundamentally moral in nature,” Watson said. “This plan goes against the beliefs of our founders and the great thinkers before them who helped create this republic.”
Read more about Watson’s insights here.
Post of the Week
Earlier this month, TFAS hosted the first Alumni Industry Insiders event where alumni heard from a panel of special guest speakers on the topic of “Tech, Defense, and American Dynamism.” In a LinkedIn post, Daniel Elizade ’19 expressed his excitement about participating in the event as well as seeing former coworkers and friends who also attended.
TFAS Faculty, Alumni, Supporters in the News
George Lomsadze ’08, ’08 wrote an article for Eurasianet about Georgia’s ruling party citing the United States in defense of its controversial bills on foreign agents.
Mariam Geguchadze ’22 was interviewed for ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) about protests in Georgia against Russian-style foreign agents legislation.
TFAS professor Ibrahim Al-Marashi ’01 wrote a piece for The New Arab about the continued gender-based violence suffered by Iraqi women.
Herb Stupp ’70 wrote a piece about Judge Jim Buckley’s century of service for The Wall Street Journal, which was published on Jim’s 100th birthday.
Daniel McVicar ’19 wrote an article for The Jamestown Foundation about what the new Czech president’s election might mean for Sino-EU relations.
Caroline Boyd ’21, ’23 started a new position as legislative correspondent for Congressman Eric Burlison.
Dina’s Wahba ’09 book about the 2011 Egyptian revolution, “Counter Revolutionary Egypt,” will be released on August 7, 2023.
Allan Rogers ’13 started a new position as an education program specialist at the U.S. Department of Education.
Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska, the 2021 recipient of the TFAS Congressional Leadership Award, honored Judge Jim Buckley with an official statement on the House Floor on Buckley’s 100th Birthday.
Collin Miller ’17 was promoted to legislative director for Congressman Mark Green (TN-7).
Jeanna Smialek ’11 co-wrote an article for The New York Times about the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank.
Kanan Dhru ’12 started a new position as senior lecturer legal technology at De Haagse Hogeschool / The Hague University of Applied Sciences.
Deganit Paikowsky ’04 wrote an article about the realities of the new Space Race for Foreign Policy.
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