The Fund for American Studies has announced new initiatives that will position it as the nation’s leading organization teaching the principles of free markets and limited government to young people.
GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIP
Beginning in 2013 with the spring Capital Semester program, George Mason University (Mason) in Arlington, Virginia will be the new academic partner of TFAS. Mason will accredit all of the U.S. undergraduate programs. Mason is widely considered to house the #1 market-oriented economics department in the United States. Additionally, Mason faculty members have twice won the Nobel Prize in Economics.
“TFAS and Mason share a commitment to encouraging students to explore competing ideas and come to conclusions about which institutions promote human freedom and economic prosperity,” said TFAS President Roger Ream (ICPES 76).
Ranked #1 in the US News and World Report list of “Up and Coming Universities,” Mason is an ideal partner for TFAS as it works to educate tomorrow’s leaders. The campus is just across the river from Washington, D.C., conveniently located and transit accessible to both student housing and internship sites.
As we turn the page to a new chapter in TFAS history, we will look back with pride on our long history on the campus of Georgetown University. Since 1970, we created academic programs on three continents and graduated more than 13,500 students from TFAS programs. We look forward to the continued participation of select Georgetown professors on our world-class faculty.
FOUNDATION FOR TEACHING ECONOMICS
TFAS programs reach thousands of college students each year. Now, with an agreement to join forces with the Foundation for Teaching Economics (FTE), TFAS will be extending its influence to the high school level. FTE teaches economics to high school students and works with teachers to develop lesson plans and exercises for teaching economics.
“We’re excited to be able to reach high school students before they go to college and give them a solid understanding of the economic way of thinking,” said Ream. “We’re also looking forward to working with high school teachers who typically give students their introduction to economics.”
EUROPEAN PROGRAM CONSOLIDATION
Beginning in 2013, TFAS European programs in Greece and the Czech Republic will be combined into a single institute at Charles University in Prague. The reformulated curriculum will reflect today’s geopolitical realities in Europe and the Middle East, as well as its relationship with the United States. Students will continue to be recruited from Central and Eastern Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean, the Caucuses and the United States. In addition, TFAS plans to offer more alumni programs in Europe and the Middle East, as well as shorter regional student programs.
“We’re extremely grateful to the Greek Association for Atlantic and European Cooperation and others who helped us develop our institute in Greece and sustain it for over 18 years,” said Michelle Jeffress Le (IPJ 95, AIPES 96), vice president of international and alumni programs. “This new initiative will combine the best elements of both our institutes in Prague and Greece.”
GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY LAW CENTER
Beginning in the summer of 2013, students in the Legal Studies Institute (LSI) will take their classes at Georgetown University Law Center. Georgetown Law Professor Randy Barnett, a frequent guest speaker at LSI and a member of the program’s Board of Visitors, facilitated this new arrangement.
“All of our new initiatives will allow us to expand our reach while staying true to our mission of preparing young people for leadership by educating them about the ideas most conducive to human achievement,” said Ream. “All of us at TFAS are looking forward to an exciting year ahead.”