1. ILA Welcomes Largest Class Size to Date in Santiago, Chile
In January, we had a record 59 students representing more than 17 countries take part in our Institute for Leadership in the Americas (ILA) program in Santiago, Chile in January. Students learned about the economic underpinnings of the free enterprise system, studied with U.S. and Chilean professors and met some of the top policy makers in the country for two weeks in January. Read more about the 2014 ILA program at www.TFAS.org/ILA2014
ILA 2015 kicks off on Jan. 3, 2015. For more information, visit www.TFASinternational.org/ILA.
2. Novak Journalism Fellows Make an Impact
Since acquiring the Robert Novak Journalism Fellowship program in 2013, TFAS has awarded 123 journalists with fellowships. In 2014, TFAS awarded $160,000 to six journalists, who will write on a topic of their choosing to promote American culture and a free society. Past and current Novak fellows have written books, been featured in various articles and appeared on TV outlets, such as CNN. Tom A. Peter (Novak 13) was interviewed on CNN about journalists reporting from dangerous situations. In 2012 Peter was kidnapped in Syria while working as a freelance reporter. You can read more about Peter’s work as a freelance conflict journalist, by visiting www.TFAS.org/ConflictJournalists14
3. Alumni relive their TFAS experience during the 2014 Alumni Weekend & Ball
Dancing, awards and a BBQ were just a few of the celebratory events enjoyed by attendees of the 2014 TFAS Alumni Weekend and Ball in Washington, D.C. This year’s alumni weekend was held in conjunction with the TFAS “Freedom and the Future” 47th Anniversary Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. During the weekend, TFAS honored its 2014 Alumni Award Winners. Each year TFAS presents awards to distinguished alumni for their accomplishments and dedication to the mission of TFAS. The winners were selected by the awards committee of the TFAS Alumni Council, chaired by Neil Vigdor (IPJ 98). Betsy Bryant (IBGA 08) received the Kevin Burket Alumni Service Award andMichelle Easton (ICPES 73) was the recipient of the Alumni Achievement Award.
To read more about the 2014 Alumni Weekend and award winners, visit www.TFAS.org/AW2014.
4. Outstanding TFAS Alumni: David Muir (IPJ 93) Becomes Anchor of ABC World News
In June, ABC News announced that David Muir, a 1993 graduate of the TFAS Institute on Political Journalism, would replace Diane Sawyer as the lead anchor and managing editor of the network’s evening newscast. Before becoming a rising star at ABC, Muir was a stand out student in the TFAS IPJ program during the summer of 1993. To read more about Muir, visit www.TFAS.org/Muir. Muir is one of over 14,500 TFAS alumni who are forging careers in journalism, politics, government, public policy, business and philanthropy.
To send in your own alumni update, visit www.TFAS.org/alumniupdates.
5. TFAS Faculty Earn National Honors and Recognition in 2014
It’s no secret that we have an incredibly talented faculty here at TFAS. This year three faculty members earned national recognition. In June, TFAS Professor Randy E. Barnett (pictured above) received one of four 2014 Bradley Prizes during a ceremony at The John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Dr. Bradley J. Birzer was appointed as the Visiting Scholar in Conservative Thought and Policy at the University of Colorado Boulder in June and began his one-year appoint¬ment in the fall. Birzer replaces fellow TFAS professor Steven Hayward, who was the university’s inaugural visiting scholar. Dr. Andrew Morriss was named dean of Texas A&M University School of Law.
To read more about these faculty members and the awards they received, visit www.TFAS.org/AwardWinningFaculty14
6. Alumni Give Back in Record Numbers
You – our alumni – are an integral part of TFAS programs. Students are able to have a great TFAS experience due to the contributions and support of alumni like you. As of September of this year, the alumni monetary gift total was double that of the previous year. Gifts are only increasing in number and frequency, especially after #GivingTuesday, on Dec. 2. Thank you for your continued financial support. In addition to financial contributions, alumni give back by volunteering to be mentors, guest speakers, internship supervisors, alumni ambassadors, small group hosts and more. We had hundreds of alumni give their time, energy and expertise to support TFAS students and programs. By giving back time as a volunteer or making financial contributions, TFAS alumni are directly affecting the lives of today’s young people.
To read more about alumni giving, visit www.TFAS.org/AlumniGivingReport
To read more about alumni volunteers, visit www.TFAS.org/2014AlumniVolunteers
7. TFAS Expands Alumni Programming Thanks to Partnership with Liberty Fund, Inc.
In 2014 TFAS held three Curriculum of Liberty Seminars for outstanding TFAS alumni, including its first international seminar in Athens, Greece. The weekend retreats are co-sponsored by TFAS and Liberty Fund, Inc. We are excited to continue the program in 2015 to allow more TFAS alumni to continue to build upon their TFAS education and network. Visits the links below to learn about each of our 2014 Curriculum of Liberty Seminars. If you’d like more information on how you can attend a seminar, email us atalumni@TFAS.org.
“Liberty and Equality” in Arlington, Virginia: www.TFAS.org/FS2014
“Liberty and Responsibility in the Media” in Arlington, Virginia: www.TFAS.org/Mar2014RecentEvents
“Liberty from Locke to Hayek” in Athens, Greece: www.TFAS.org/Athens2014
8. 2014 Capitol Hill Lecture Series Features Standout Speakers
TFAS partnered with the office of Sen. Rand Paul to organize a Capitol Hill Lecture series open to all summer interns in Washington and not just those attending TFAS programs. The series, generously sponsored by the Einhorn Family Foundation, was entitled, “Free Markets, Individual Freedom and Civil Liberty.” Speakers included Dr. Walter Williams, the John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Economics at George Mason University; John Allison, president of the Cato Institute; Dr. Nicholas Eberstadt, the Wendt Chair in Political Economy at the American Enterprise Institute and Timothy Sandefur, principal attorney at the Pacific Legal Foundation. To read more about this lecture series, visit www.TFAS.org/CHLS14
9. TFAS Celebrates 25 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the launch of TFAS International Programs
In 2014, TFAS and the world celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The fall of the Berlin Wall holds a special place in TFAS history, and not only because it symbolizes a triumph of freedom over oppression. It’s also significant because the Wall’s demise ultimately allowed TFAS to fulfill one of its six founding objectives – to pursue opportunities for international programs that could plant the ideas of individual liberty abroad in places that had historically provided the least fertile soil. When the Wall finally came down in 1989, TFAS began recruiting students from former Soviet Bloc countries and laying the foundation to build its international programs. Read more about the fall of the Wall and its place in TFAS history by visiting, www.TFAS.org/BerlinWall25
10. International Alumni Gather for a Three-Day Reunion in Prague
TFAS hosted an international alumni reunion from Aug. 1-4 in Prague, Czech Republic. The three day celebration featured networking and educational activities including an alumni panel on the state of U.S. relations with Central and Eastern Europe. The reunion concluded with the 2014 AIPES commencement ceremony at the Carolinium in Prague.
11. TFAS Alumni, Supporters and Friends Come Together in Record Numbers for Annual Conferences
At both the 47th Anniversary Annual Conference in D.C. in June and the 2014 Leadership Conference in November, TFAS celebrated record-breaking attendance. These annual events unite all members of the TFAS family – donors, strategic partners, alumni council (pictured above), board members, alumni and staff – to come together to celebrate past achievements and to develop future goals to further spread the TFAS mission. Thank you alumni for being active participants of our TFAS family!
12. The TFAS Alumni Network Reaches 14,500!
“Thought-provoking.” “Life-Changing.” “The cornerstone to the foundation of my career.” “An unparalleled experience.” These are all phrases used by students to describe their 2014 TFAS experience. Between programs in D.C., Prague, Hong Kong and Chile, TFAS welcomed more than 500 students, representing 335 colleges and universities into its alumni network in 2014. There are now more than 14,500 alumni worldwide.