THE CANON think. live free - "It Happened Thanks to ISI" Pushing Back on Campus - Intercollegiate Studies Institute
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THE CANON
T H E M AG A Z I N E O F T H E I N T E R C O L L EG I AT E S T U D I E S I N S T I T U T E | 2 018 I S S U E
think. live free.
“It Happened Pushing Back An Unmatched
Thanks to ISI” on Campus Education
Think . Li v e Fr ee .
Inspiring college students to
discover, embrace, and advance the
principles and virtues that make
America free and prosperous
www.isi.org
ISI
Coming to a Town Near You
Come see ISI in action! All around the country, ISI hosts conferences for
outstanding college students. Here is just a small sampling of upcoming events:
ISI’s Honors Conference ISI Collegiate Network Editors Conference
August 6–12 | Estes Park, CO November 30–December 2* | Scottsdale, AZ
ISI’s Pittsburgh Leadership Conference ISI’s Texas Leadership Conference
September 21–23 | Pittsburgh, PA March 1–3, 2019* | Forth Worth, TX
ISI Collegiate Network Alumni Conservative Book of the Year:
and Friends Reception ISI’s Paolucci Award Dinner
September 27 | Washington, DC March 30, 2019 | Chicago, IL
ISI’s Forum on Freedom and 13th Annual ISI’s Indianapolis Leadership Conference
Dinner for Western Civilization April 6–7, 2019* | Indianapolis, IN
October 25 | Washington, DC
* Dates to be finalized
If you’re interested in finding out more about these conferences, please contact
Claire Aguda at 302-524-6148 or caguda@isi.org
JOIN ISI IN D.C.
A FORUM on Freedom
OCTOBER 25
PARK-
DW
MARC LARRY
THIESSEN YEONMI ARNN
KATHERINE FOX NEWS, HILLSDALE COLLEGE HEATHER
MANGU-WARD WASHINGTON POST PARK PRESIDENT MAC DONALD
REASON EDITOR NORTH KOREAN AUTHOR, THE
DEFECTOR DIVERSITY DELUSION
Violent protests on campus. Orwellian “free-speech zones.” Attacks on conservatives.
What is going on? And what can we do to preserve liberty?
Join ISI on October 25 for a Forum on Freedom, an afternoon of discussion and debate capped off with
ISI’s thirteenth annual Dinner for Western Civilization. You’ll hear from an extraordinary roster of speakers:
• Yeonmi Park, North Korean defector (keynote) • Katherine Mangu-Ward, Reason magazine editor
• Heather Mac Donald, bestselling author • James Stoner, Louisiana State University
• Marc Thiessen, Fox News contributor • Donald Downs, University of Wisconsin
• James Freeman, Wall Street Journal • Keith Whittington, Princeton University
• Timothy Carney, Washington Examiner • Larry Arnn, Hillsdale College president
SAVE THE DATE
Thursday, October 25, 2018
InterContinental Washington, D.C.—The Wharf
DWC.ISI.ORG
THE CANON 2018 ISSUE
page 8 page 18
page 14 page 20
2 Letter from Charlie Copeland 20 Tested by Fire
ISI Student Journalists Rising in
the Professional Media
4 Campus Chaos
8 “It Happened Thanks to ISI” 24 Ideas and Community
Cultivating the ISI Alumni Experience
Alumni Tell Their ISI Stories
14 Pushing Back on Campus 26 The ISI Journey
From Student to Alum to Faculty
ISI Students Stand Up for Free Speech
and Intellectual Diversity
28 Investing in the Future
18 An Education in Freedom of Freedom
Expanding ISI’s Philosophy, Politics, Michael Leven on Why He Gives
and Economics Program
32 The Last Word
by Michael Bradley, ISI Class of 2014
Graphic designer: Daniel Trost
Intercollegiate Studies Institute • 3901 Centerville Road • Wilmington, DE 19807 • 800-526-7022
Please direct comments, questions, or suggestions to canon@isi.org. Founded in 1953, ISI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt educational
institution. The Institute receives no funding or other form of aid from any level of government. Gifts to ISI are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.
w w w. i s i . o r g 1
Letter from the President
THINK. LIVE FREE.
H
ere at the Intercollegiate You can meet a few of the leaders
Studies Institute, we believe who have come through ISI beginning
in a simple axiom: “Think. on page 8. These alumni have very dif-
Live free.” ferent stories but are united both by
It’s what draws students to partici- gratitude for their ISI experience and
pate in our programs despite the sheer by the key characteristics that define
number of commitments they already the ISI community: intellectual curi-
have. It’s what leads professors to join osity, love of country, and a desire to
our network and contribute in any serve others.
way they can, even at the risk of being To see how life-changing ISI can be,
ostracized by their colleagues. It’s what consider Dr. Brian Domitrovic, featured
leads our alumni to stay involved and beginning on page 26. Brian first discov-
give back after they graduate. ered ISI as an undergraduate at Colum-
ISI’s vision, which we’ve been fol- bia University along with classmate Neil
lowing since 1953, is to: Gorsuch (who now serves on the U.S.
Supreme Court). Today he teaches the
◆◆ Educate college students on the next generation as a college professor,
foundational principles of what serves as a mentor to ISI students, and
makes a society free and prosperous writes bestselling books on economics.
◆◆ Help the students develop their own He credits ISI with guiding him on this
perspectives around these founda- path, saying, “ISI is the country’s flag-
tional principles through discus- ship university organization for conser-
sion sparked by lectures, debates, vatives, without any question.”
relationships with top conservative
professors, and more Signs of Hope
◆◆ Strategically place these students I’m sure you know this already, but it
into careers where they can make a bears repeating: the work we’re doing at
difference, and connect them with ISI is more necessary than ever.
mentors from our unparalleled net- Beginning on page 4, you can read
work of alumni and faculty about some of the campus left’s latest
outrages. The radicals’ list of demands
This model has created a vast com- and grievances grows ever longer and
munity of ISI students, professors, and more ludicrous. Worst of all, hapless
alumni—a community that brings university administrators continue to
thoughtful, principled leaders to think cave to the mob—even deep in the heart
tanks, government, the media, colleges, of Texas at Texas State University.
businesses, the judiciary, law firms, and But all hope is not lost.
other fields. These are the leaders who Even in the face of ferocious oppo-
are making a difference in their com- sition, ISI students push back. Perhaps
munities, in their states, and on the no one better exemplifies this commit-
national and global stages. ment to truth than the young leaders in
2 t h e C A N O N 2 018
ISI’s student journalism program, the who understand the importance of liv- The ISI community has made a
Collegiate Network. ing in freedom. tremendous impact by ensuring that
ISI student journalists are typically That’s where our motto comes in: freedom survives in America. Two of
the first, and often the only, voices on “Think. Live free.” Here at ISI we know our alumni, Neil Gorsuch and Samuel
campus to speak out against the mad- that freedom can never be taken for Alito, now sit on the Supreme Court.
ness. For their efforts, they are met with granted, that each new generation must You’re no doubt familiar with many
threats, harassment, and vandalism. fight for it. And you can’t fight for free- others, such as Hillsdale College presi-
But ISI students push through the dom if you don’t understand it: what it dent Larry Arnn and Heritage Founda-
opposition and publish their stories. is, what principles and values support tion founder Ed Feulner.
Often the national media pick up their it, what institutions protect it. It’s hard to imagine where our coun-
reporting. Without these brave stu- But as ISI supporter Michael Leven try would be without them. And now
dents, most Americans would have notes (see page 28), far too many young younger generations of ISI alumni are
never heard of many campus outrages. people remain ignorant of these funda- taking up the mantle of leadership in
Look at the ISI-sponsored Wake mentals. Shockingly, young Americans their chosen careers. You may not have
Forest Review, featured on page 15. today prefer socialism to capitalism. heard of many of them yet, but you will.
These student journalists have repeat- Such widespread ignorance explains I am grateful for friends like you and
edly clashed with radical students and why Leven supports ISI’s mission. “I the special role you play in making all
administrators and won sig- this work possible. Our
nificant victories, even land- ISI is all about supporting and plans at ISI are ambi-
ing one of their writers on tious, to be sure, but well
Fox News’s Tucker Carlson building our community of within our reach.
Tonight. And the Review intellectually driven conservative I strongly encourage
is far from alone—more you to give back to ISI’s
than fifty other papers in leaders who understand the work in whatever way you
ISI’s Collegiate Network can. With your help, we can
simi la rly shape t he
importance of living in freedom. expand our reach to more stu-
campus (and national) dents and more schools than
debate. invest in ISI as an investment in the ever—a challenging but neces-
These are the sorts of experiences future of our country,” he says. “It’s very sary undertaking.
that, when combined with the unrivaled important to invest in an organization Mentor a student. Start a group on
education ISI provides, shape college that makes sure young people under- your campus or in your community.
students into leaders. stand and defend the fundamental sys- And if you are in a position to contrib-
tems and values of our society.” ute financially, anything you give will
Ideas and Community be put to good use—and very much
“I was hooked.” Impact appreciated.
You’ll read that phrase a few times This work—educating for liberty—has Thank you so much for being with
in this issue of The Canon. It’s a com- driven ISI for sixty-five years. And it ISI. I look forward to continuing to
ment our students, faculty, and alumni will continue to drive ISI. achieve great things together.
make again and again and again when You might notice a new ISI logo and
recalling their first encounters with ISI. a new look to The Canon. These changes Sincerely,
And what about ISI hooks bright, reflect our commitment to securing the
talented young people? As Brian Domi- promise of liberty by teaching founda-
trovic says, it’s “ISI’s unique combina- tional principles. Our logo features a
tion of community and ideas.” stylized book to underscore our focus
In the end, ISI is all about supporting on education, and the colors of the Charlie Copeland
and building our community of intel- American flag point to the centrality of ISI President
lectually driven conservative leaders the United States in ensuring freedom.
w w w. i s i . o r g 3
CAMPUS
Y ou’ve seen the headlines coming out of America’s colleges. Berkeley, Evergreen State,
Middlebury, Yale, Mizzou: these names conjure scenes of left-wing riots and mobs.
Campus radicals see no limits to their ambitions. They make endless demands to stop any-
one and anything that doesn’t conform to their worldview. And college administrations usually
acquiesce.
In this issue of The Canon, you’ll see the many ways the Intercollegiate Studies Institute resists
this madness. But first you need to understand just how deep the problems run.
Berkeley Blames Conservatives
L ast year, activists at the University
of California–Berkeley (the birth-
place of the Free Speech Movement)
Conservative students were to blame
for the riots!
That’s right, responsibility lay not
for the campus to legally prohibit
potentially disruptive events.” Unable
to overcome the pesky problem of free
rioted and started fires to protest con- with the radicals who committed vio- speech, the commission recommended
servative speakers. lent acts but instead with conservatives other tactics, such as adjusting the cam-
The task force Berkeley convened who invited speakers “likely to incite a pus’s “traditional free-speech zones”
to address the problem finally released violent reaction.” and organizing “counterprogramming
its report in April. And what did the The commission conceded that during disruptive events.”
Chancellor’s Commission on Free “more than eighty years of First Amend-
Speech find? ment law would need to be overturned
4 t h e C A N O N 2 018
A majority of Americans ages eighteen to twenty-
nine have a positive view of socialism
Caving to Radicals at Texas State
P rotest fever has reached Texas State
University.
In April, dozens of students staged
a sit-in at the university’s student cen-
ter. They refused to leave until all their
demands were met.
Student journalists from the ISI
Collegiate Network’s Texas Statesman
were on the scene. They revealed that
protesters used social media to post the
phone numbers of student senators and
even the address of the student body
president. The story reached the Aus- to the protesters’ demands. Among other concessions, Texas State agreed to:
tin American-Statesman, the Chronicle
of Higher Education, Campus Reform, • create a “Campus Climate Task • establish minors in African Ameri-
and other outlets. Force” can Studies and Latino Studies
About forty-eight hours into the sit- • expand the core curriculum to fea- • hire an immigration attorney for
in, the university administration caved ture “diversity” courses students
Marxism Lives
Y ou might think that even univer-
sities would have to concede the
failures of Marxism.
• A majority of Americans ages eigh-
teen to twenty-nine have a positive
view of socialism
But they don’t. • Young Americans prefer socialism
In the social sciences, about 18 per- to capitalism
cent of university professors self- • Only 55 percent of mil-
identify as Marxists—this more than lennials believe commu-
a quarter century after the collapse of nism was and remains a
Soviet communism. And Marx’s Com- problem, whereas 80 percent
munist Manifesto is the third most fre- of Baby Boomers and 91 percent
quently assigned text in college class- of the elderly feel that way
rooms, behind only Plato’s Republic and • One-third of millennials believe
Strunk and White’s Elements of Style. that more people were killed
Is it any wonder that young Ameri- under George W. Bush than
cans have such a skewed understand- under Joseph Stalin (note to
ing of how the world works? Consider students and professors: Stalin
some recent survey findings: annihilated tens of millions)
w w w. i s i . o r g 5
Thank You to the Generous Sponsors of ISI’s Twelfth
Annual Dinner for Western Civilization!
Chairman’s Table Michael and Andrea Leven Bronze Sponsors
Gilbert Collins Family Foundation Larry Arnn
Thomas E. Lynch Christopher and Sheila Long The Fund for American Studies
Dennis J. and Rachel M. Edwin and Ursula Meese Stanely and Karen Hubbard
McGonigle Burk and Elise Murchison Joe and Rhonda Johnston
Alfred and Audrey Regnery Streck, Inc.
Gold Sponsors Young America’s Foundation
Andrea and Michael Abraham
Dick and Pat Allen Silver Sponsors Student Sponsors
Linda Bean James and Diana Cusser George B. and Diana Allen
Roberts and Allison Brokaw Judith Jaeger Bill and Helen Campbell
T. Kenneth Cribb Jr. Robert Milligan Brian DiSabatino
Vivian and Sam DuBose The Siegfried Group, LLP John Garvey
Alan and Linda Englander David P. Stuhr Jean B. Hall
Edwin and Linda Feulner Bridgett and Steve Wagner Paul J. Isaac
Richard Gilder Young Conaway Stargatt & Matthew Medearis
Robert and Patricia Herbold Taylor, LLP Cliff Sterns
Thomas D. Klingenstein Bobby West
IT’S HERE!
$9.50 U.S.
Your digital Modern Age has arrived!
Download the app from the NEW Modern Age website:
modernagejournal.com
6 t h e C A N O N 2 018“If Not Us, Who?
If Not Now, When?”
—President Ronald Reagan
1968
• College campuses in turmoil, student
our Values
radicals advance their agendas, Y
protests spread nationwide
• A new level of vitriol in presidential
take
gacy
politics, the country divides,
You
cultural norms are ridiculed control!
r
e
• Young people lose faith in the
G
rL
iv
American dream u in
Yo g
2018
• See 1968 above (what has truly
changed in fifty years?)
Let’s pledge together to renew the values of
Western civilization and the American Founding.
The fate of 2068 is in our hands!
The ISI Legacy Society
If you have included ISI in your will, please let us know.
If not, let us show you how.
Contact Associate Vice President Tom Cusmano by email at
tcusmano@isi.org or by phone at 800-526-7022, ext. 147“IT HAPPENED
THANKS TO ISI”
Alumni Tell Their ISI Stories
Y ou’ve heard the story before. Maybe it’s even your story.
You’re heading off to college and you can’t wait to dive in to that heady educa-
tional experience you’ve been dreaming about for years. Stimulating seminars. Dinners
with faculty mentors. Late-night discussions in your dorm. Books that change your life.
(above and opposite page) ISI alumni connect at a recent reception
8 t h e C A N O N 2 018Then you arrive on campus. Pretty
soon you feel a gnawing sense of dis-
appointment. This is what college is
really like?
Maybe it’s because you spend most
of your class time with harried teaching
assistants, not the esteemed professors
you signed up for. Maybe it’s because
your classmates don’t show interest in
ideas and care only about their grades
or what party they’re going to.
Or maybe it’s worse than that. Your
professors make no secret of their lib- orthodoxy can’t even set foot on your Eastern University seniors Emmalee
eral bias and deride principles you campus. Moffitt and Wayne Brown spoke for a
embrace. Those stimulating seminars This isn’t the education you imag- lot of ISI students when they recently
you imagined? A pipe dream. Your ined. It’s not the education you deserve. wrote, “What drew us to ISI was its
professors and peers do not welcome commitment to exploring ideas that
serious debate and discussion. Dare ISI Fills the Void are so often overlooked—or simply
to offer a conservative perspective and Sadly, this is the situation many moti- attacked—in modern academia.”
you’re shouted down. vated college students find themselves This isn’t a new phenomenon. Con-
Outside the classroom, the situa- in. They chafe against the narrow lim- sider these firsthand accounts from ISI
tion is just as bad. Free speech doesn’t its of acceptable discourse on campus. alumni. Whether they’re in their twen-
exist on your campus. Classmates and They want more from their education. ties or in their seventies, these alumni
administrators demand protection from And many of them turn to ISI to get sound a common refrain: ISI filled
anyone and anything that could chal- it. For talented, principled students, the void for them, helped them get the
lenge their delicate worldview. Speak- ISI fills the void left by modern higher education they deserve, and changed
ers who don’t adhere to progressive education. their lives.
Oliver Ha
Baylor University, Class of 2016
Medical Student
M
Baylor.
y adventure with ISI began
during my sophomore year at
And they were impressive. One
ISI Honors Scholar, a Harvard stu-
dent named Aurora (see page 10),
One afternoon I was looking at my had been named a Rhodes Scholar.
friend William’s Facebook photos. Another student, Chase from Holy
What caught my attention was how Cross, introduced me to ISI’s Intercol-
polished all the young people in his legiate Review. A third, John Paul from
pictures were. Princeton, wrote for the Princeton Tory,
As I researched further, I discovered the conservative journal sponsored by
that the well-dressed youths were con- ISI’s Collegiate Network.
servative college students at the Inter- I was baffled. I thought colleges were
collegiate Studies Institute’s Honors supposed to be liberal s trongholds—
Program. especially the Ivies! Wasn’t conservatism
w w w. i s i . o r g 9Hope in the Higher
Education Wasteland supposed to be unappealing to anyone under the age of
twenty-five?
But when I was invited to attend ISI’s Honors Program
a year later, I began to understand how high-achieving stu-
dents like Aurora, Chase, and John Paul had come to love
ISI and the conservative frame of mind. In conversations
with professors, in our group discussions and lectures, and
in the authenticity of the friendships I made, I experienced
something fundamentally good and beautiful.
That newfound energy followed me back to Baylor. A
ISI alumni Kyle Harper and Wilfred McClay team-teach a class group of friends and I founded an ISI Society. One Friday
that has been called “the hardest course in the humanities” night per month, we invited a professor to give an hour-long
lecture or host a book discussion (ISI provided the books!).
Some fifty people would attend our meetings.
H igher education may be a wasteland. But there
are pockets of hope—often thanks to ISI alumni.
At the University of Oklahoma, three professors—
For the gift of a true education, I am grateful to ISI and
the men and women who support its mission.
including two ISI alumni—now team-teach a yearlong
course on the Western canon using a syllabus devel-
oped by the poet W. H. Auden. Professor Kyle Harper
warned students, “This is the hardest class you will Aurora Griffin
ever take.” The course filled up in minutes. Harvard University, Class of 2014
Harper, a classicist who serves as the university’s
provost, joined ISI in the late 1990s as an undergradu- Rhodes Scholar, Author, Speechwriter
ate at Oklahoma. He ran the school’s ISI Society and
cofounded an ISI-sponsored student newspaper.
The other ISI alum teaching this remarkable course
is Wilfred McClay, who holds Oklahoma’s Blankenship
I discovered ISI
t hrough t he
conservative under-
Chair in the History of Liberty. McClay received ISI’s ground at Harvard.
Weaver Fellowship as a graduate student at Johns Complete with code
Hopkins University. words a nd secret
Professor McClay calls ISI “an intellectual oasis.” handshakes, almost
His course at Oklahoma is that as well. all conservatives on
“This is what I came to college for,” one student campus knew one
told the Chronicle of Higher Education. Another said, another. One such
“This class is changing my life.” member, Gladden
In April, the Wall Street Journal published an op-ed Pappin (a former ISI
about the Great Books course by Oklahoma senior Honors Scholar who
Robert Bellafiore, an ISI Honors Scholar who (like now teaches at the
Kyle Harper before him) leads Oklahoma’s ISI Soci- University of Dallas),
ety. Bellafiore wrote: “So many humanities depart- told me, “I think ISI
ments focus on grievance rather than guiding students is probably the clos-
toward a meaningful life. That a group of students at a est group you’ll find to yourself intellectually.” I was drawn
public university would voluntarily submit themselves to ISI by the promise of intellectual solidarity and was hap-
to Goethe, Melville, and Dante surely suggests that pily surprised to see that the commonalities went far beyond
young people crave meaning.” intellect and extended to morals and sensibilities.
ISI and its network of professors help them find it. Before I participated in ISI’s Honors Program, I had never
met a group of people my own age who were so deeply impres-
sive. My peers were articulate, insightful, and amazingly
10 t h e C A N O N 2 018accomplished. Even though we all had in were consistently lived out in their and students for such an extended
a lot in common in terms of worldview, personal lives. period, and in so intense a program.
we had fascinating debates, and their ISI’s Honors Program was one of the I cannot speak highly enough of the
intelligence was astounding. Addition- most formational intellectual experi- people ISI attracts and educates.
ally, I was struck by the moral caliber of ences I’ve ever had. I had never been
my peers—the principles they believed exposed to such high-quality professors
Gerald P. Dwyer
University of Washington, Class of 1969
Professor and BB&T Scholar, Clemson University
Former Vice President, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
I first got involved with ISI as an
undergraduate at the University of
Washington in the late 1960s. UW was
Gerhart Niemeyer, and others. The
readings and discussion with faculty
and other students were remarkable.
like Berkeley North, so I felt rather iso- After beginning my graduate stud-
lated. I found out about ISI when I read ies at the University of Tennessee, I
a book about the American conserva- worked for a couple of years at the
tive movement. After that, I subscribed Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis to
to ISI’s Intercollegiate Review and joined support my growing family and save
a couple of student groups that spon- some money for grad school. I was
sored conservative speakers, the most accepted into the University of Chica- Weaver Fellowship. That fellowship
memorable being Russell Kirk. go’s PhD program, but the acceptance allowed me to attend the University
As a graduate student in econom- came with no funding, and I had not of Chicago.
ics, I was asked to write a book review saved enough to finance the first year Studying with outstanding econo-
for the Intercollegiate Review and also even with a student loan. mists such as Milton Friedman, George
received a grant to attend a weeklong ISI Then ISI came through. I received Stigler, and Sam Peltzman was a dream
conference featuring Benjamin Rogge, notice that I had been awarded ISI’s of mine. And it happened thanks to ISI.
Anne Husted Burleigh
DePauw University, Class of 1963
Author and Lecturer
I met ISI one month into the first
semester of my freshman year at
DePauw in 1959.
Kuehnelt-Leddihn, Wilhelm Röpke,
Benjamin Rogge, M. Stanton Evans,
William F. Buckley Jr.: these were
My friendship with ISI set the some of the names—ISI speakers and
intellectual parameters of my life, scholars—who guided me through my
i ntroducing me to some of the most student days and beyond. They in turn
thoughtful philosophers of the tradition inspired me to delve into the works
of ordered liberty. Russell Kirk, Rich- of Edmund Burke, John Adams, Jane
ard Weaver, Stephen Tonsor, Gerhart Austen, Christopher Dawson, Josef
Niemeyer, Frank Meyer, Erik von Pieper, and others who understood
w w w. i s i . o r g 11the connection of freedom, truth, and and studied but also how my husband focus on truths that last, rather than on
virtue. and I have reared our children and now, ephemeral captivations, ISI is positioned
My early friendship w it h ISI, indirectly, our grandchildren. to guide young people through the
inherited from my father (an ISI Through these many decades, ISI tough intellectual, spiritual, and moral
board member), has continued happily has remained loyal to its founding thickets of the modern project, arming
through four generations of our family. purpose to educate young people in them to become leaders who can help
The ISI inf luence has affected in a liberty, concentrating on the permanent renew the Western tradition of freedom
profound way not only what I have read principles that endure. Because of its entwined with virtue.
Elliott Pearce
University of Notre Dame, Class of 2013
Operations Leader, Intuit
Studies, in ISI’s Choosing the Right Throughout my time as an ISI Hon-
College. I absolutely loved my educa- ors Scholar, I was amazed at the breadth
tion and wouldn’t trade it for anything. of opinions and philosophical systems
I was thrilled when I was accepted that existed under the banner of conser-
into ISI’s Honors Program as a sopho- vatism. I was continually reminded of
more in college. Before the summer the wisdom of the scholars present with
conference even started, I sat down us as well. I was fortunate to learn from
for a bite to eat with a student named the late Peter Augustine Lawler, both
Nathan Farris while we waited for in person at ISI’s Honors Program and
our hotel rooms to be prepared. This in reading his books and articles later.
time-killer turned into a deep, hour- I will always remember my time
I SI has had a tremendous effect on my
life. I never would have gone to Notre
Dame had I not read about its Great
long debate on political philosophy. I
remember this as one of my favorite
philosophical conversations, and the
with ISI fondly, and I am truly grate-
ful for the experience. It has shaped the
way I think every day.
Books major, the Program of Liberal program hadn’t even started yet.
Janice J. Gabbert
Wright State University, Class of 1970
Professor Emerita of Classics, Wright State University
H ow instrumental has ISI been in
my career? Well, very.
First, I had no student debt, ever.
ISI, the fellowship sent an important sig-
nal (“Hey, she got financial assistance!”).
I was able to pay for subsequent years
That is thanks to ISI’s Weaver Fellow- of grad school through various scholar-
ship, which I received for my first year ships, assistantships, and fellowships.
of graduate school. That first ISI fel- I had started college as a business
lowship set me on my path, enabling major. I discovered Classics by taking
everything that followed to happen. The an elective. I also discovered ISI as an
Weaver Fellowship was always there on undergraduate. And with ISI’s support,
my CV. Even if someone hadn’t heard of I ultimately earned my PhD in Classics.
12 t h e C A N O N 2 018Student Leaders
For nearly two decades I chaired the Classics Department
Making a Difference
at Wright State, my alma mater. I have taught classical Greek Like the ISI alumni who tell their stories in these
and Latin at all levels, including advanced courses focusing on pages, today’s ISI students have a passion for put-
one author or even a single work by an author. One course I ting ideas into action.
invented is still taught at Wright State: “Introduction to Greek
and Roman Culture,” a survey course of Classical Antiquity. Elizabeth Yeh
Drawn to ISI’s serious pursuit of
conservative ideas, this Brown Uni-
Jesse Byrnes versity senior says she was thrilled
by the “community and friendships”
University of Colorado Colorado Springs, she gained as an ISI Honors Scholar.
Class of 2014 Elizabeth brought the same mix of
Associate Editor, The Hill ideas and community to Brown by
founding an ISI Society there and
organizing prominent events on C. S.
Lewis and other topics. Active with Brown Republi-
cans and Students for Life, Elizabeth has interned on
Capitol Hill and at the Acton Institute.
Ian Myers
Before graduating from the Univer-
sity of Texas this spring, Ian studied
in the Jefferson Scholars Program,
a rigorous Great Books sequence.
The same intellectual curiosity that
led him to major in both physics and
Classics drew him to ISI. He earned
an ISI Honors Scholarship and from
then on “was hooked,” he says. Ian
founded the ISI Society at UT to bring
the ideas of liberty to more students.
I was first exposed to ISI when a pair of representatives from
ISI’s Collegiate Network journalism program presented
at a conference I attended. I was blown away by the caliber
Rose Brugger
This Baylor University senior has
of the students I met through ISI’s Collegiate Network and some advice for students: “It is
their drive to build strong, independent journalism on col- incredibly draining to develop sound
lege campuses. countercultural beliefs on one’s own.
Many of the relationships I developed with others who So if there is an ISI Society at your
went through ISI’s workshops continued well beyond the pro- college, join it. If there isn’t one, start
gram, and the professional and academic support I received one! ” Rose speaks from experi-
was invaluable as I pushed to enter news as a career. ence: she served as president of the
After graduation, I received ISI’s Lyn Nofziger Fellowship ISI Society that Oliver Ha (page 9)
to work at The Hill newspaper in Washington. The Hill hired cofounded at Baylor. Beyond her studies, Rose has
me as a full-time political reporter when my yearlong ISI- made it her mission to help victims of child sex traf-
sponsored fellowship ended, and I now serve as an associate ficking. She has worked at safe houses in the Philip-
editor at the newspaper. pines and Texas.
w w w. i s i . o r g 13PUSHING BACK
ISI Students Stand Up for Free Speech
I magine you’re a college student today. Do you think you can feel comfort-
able sharing your views in the classroom?
Maybe not. Liberal professors now on campus simply because they don’t And the Intercollegiate Studies
outnumber conservatives by a ratio adhere to progressive orthodoxy. You’ve Institute helps them stand against the
of about 12:1. And in the social sci- also seen campus radicals drive out pro- liberal tide. Through ISI, they learn
ences, there are almost four times fessors and administrators who dared the principles on which America was
as many self-identified Marxists as to stand for free intellectual inquiry. built—principles they don’t hear about
conservatives. In this environment, you If you’re an undergraduate today, in the classroom. And through ISI, they
might watch what you say, especially you can’t be blamed for keeping quiet are empowered to resist the stif ling
when speaking up leads your professors about your conservative views. intellectual atmosphere on campus.
and peers to call you crazy or bigoted. But here’s the thing: Plenty of bright, At colleges across the country, ISI
So can you speak up outside the principled young students refuse to students are exposing the worst attacks
classroom? That will be tough, too. keep quiet. They refuse to accept the on free speech and episodes of liberal
You’ve seen prominent authors, Pulit- ever-narrowing range of debate. They indoctrination. But they are not just
zer Prize winners, and former cabi- refuse to march in lockstep with the exposing the problems. They are tak-
net members barred from speaking campus left. ing action to solve them.
14 t h e C A N O N 2 018Crowds flock to ISI campus lectures, including this one by the Heritage Foundation’s Ryan T. Anderson
ON CAMPUS
and Intellectual Diversity
Exposing Double
Standards on
Harassment
T he ISI-sponsored student news
paper at Wake Forest University
has an apt motto: “Truth Without Fear.”
Since its founding in 2016, the Wake
Forest Review has fearlessly exposed
attacks on free speech, discrimination
against conservatives, and other abuses
at the North Carolina university. The
ISI student journalists haven’t backed called the Review “negative and divi- beneath Wake Forest’s harassment poli-
down even when they have come under sive” and a “propaganda” sheet. cies. The university claims not to allow
attack, such as when the chair of the This past February, the Review “obscene, profane, or derogatory” ver-
university’s publications committee exposed the double standards that lurk bal abuse that is “motivated by the race
w w w. i s i . o r g 15or any other defining characteristic Bias Response team refused to take Forest Review. The story took off in
of an individual.” But when student action. The dean of students actually the national media, getting picked up
radicals repeatedly labeled Review tried to justify the actions of the left- on the Drudge Report and in the Daily
writer Ryan Wolfe a “cracker”—they ist offenders. Caller. Wolfe appeared on Tucker Carl-
even Photoshopped the ISI student’s Wolfe refused to be intimidated, son’s prime-time Fox News program to
face onto a cracker—the Wake Forest exposing the episode in the Wake give his side of the story.
Holy Cross Theology Prof: Jesus Was a “Drag King”
Professor Tat-siong Benny Liew, who
holds Holy Cross’s endowed chair of
New Testament studies.
And who broke the story? The
ISI-sponsored student newspaper at
Holy Cross.
On March 26, the Fenwick Review,
a member of ISI’s Collegiate Network
journalism program, published the
results of its investigation into Professor
Liew’s scholarly writings. ISI student
journalist Elinor Reilly dryly reported
on the professor’s “unconventional
approach” to New Testament studies.
D id you know that Jesus Christ was a “drag king” with “queer desires”? This,
anyway, is what a prominent theology professor at the College of the Holy
Cross argues.
For example, Reilly quoted Liew as say-
ing that Christ imagined “his passion
experience as a (masochistic?) sexual
You may have heard this story, which the Washington Times, the American relation with his own Father.”
made national news just before Easter. Conservative, and other media outlets And yes, Holy Cross is a Catholic
Fox News, National Review, First Things, covered the outrageous claims made by institution.
A Refreshing Change
I SI students have learned how to
find the free exchange of ideas on
their campuses: they must create it
themselves.
Last fall, the ISI Societies at the Uni-
versity of Michigan and the University
of Pittsburgh held major debates on
immigration. The ISI students pro-
duced a true rarity on today’s hyper-
politicized campuses: informative and
civil discourse that fairly represented
opposing sides of a contentious issue.
The audience members were left to
16 t h e C A N O N 2 018decide for themselves which position Hans von Spakovsky of the Heritage this was a debate in which both sides
was more persuasive. Foundation, saluted the debate modera- were being argued and discussed.”
Campus protesters wouldn’t stand tor, ISI author Paul Kengor, for pointing Despite what the protesters think,
for it. out the absurdity of what the protesters many students are hungry for this kind
At Pitt, a group of radicals disrupted were doing. Von Spakovsky recounted of open discourse. Hundreds turned
the event by standing up and playing in National Review, “This wasn’t a one- out for each of the debates.
kazoos loudly. One of the debaters, sided presentation, [Kengor] told them;
Welcoming the “Disinvited”
I t’s officially a thing now: conserva-
tive speakers are barred from many
college campuses. Former secretary of
state Condoleezza Rice, women’s rights
advocate Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Secretary of
Housing and Urban Development Ben
Carson, columnist George F. Will: these
are just some of the prominent figures
to be “disinvited” from speaking or
forced to withdraw after protests.
Last year, a mob at Middlebury
College ran political scientist Charles
Murray off campus. Just weeks later, the
ISI Society at the University of Wiscon-
sin partnered with the university’s Cen-
ter for the Study of Liberal D emocracy
to bring Murray to Madison, that well- This May, the ISI Society held the Conservative ideas are in short sup-
known bastion of liberalism. Murray second annual Disinvited Dinner. The ply in Madison. But ISI students there
gave the keynote address at an event speaker was George F. Will, whom are reinvigorating the spirit of civil dis-
called, fittingly, the Disinvited Dinner. Scripps College banned in 2014. course and true intellectual diversity.
“ISI makes us hopeful for America. We
enthusiastically support ISI for its ability to
instill fundamental conservative values in
tomorrow’s leaders.” —Burk and Elise Murchison
T he great Thomas Sowell recently
wrote, “Many of the rising gen-
eration can go from elementary school
ever hearing a coherent presentation of a
vision of the world that is fundamentally
different from that of the political left.”
courageous young people are chal-
lenging the radical thought that passes
for mainstream on too many campuses.
through postgraduate education at our But ISI students and professors They represent the antidote. They are
leading colleges and universities without are fighting back. With ISI’s help, the new campus counterculture.
w w w. i s i . o r g 17AN EDUCATION
IN FREEDOM
Expanding ISI’s Philosophy, Politics,
and Economics Program
“E verybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything
about it.”
This famous line could just as easily the foundational principles that make accessible way for any student to obtain
apply to our nation’s colleges. We have a society free and prosperous. an education in freedom.
all heard about the dumbed-down edu- Filling this void has been ISI’s focus ISI is developing the first fully
cation that young Americans receive: since the organization’s founding in online program in the growing PPE
the hollowed-out curriculum, the polit- 1953. And now ISI will reach thousands field. Six online courses—two each in
icized courses, the studies showing that more students through its latest initia- philosophy, politics, and economics—
many college students can’t even pass tive: the ISI Philosophy, Politics, and will form the foundation for ISI’s PPE
a basic civic literacy exam. Economics (PPE) program. program.
But instead of just complaining ISI will reach a wide audience
about the problems in our colleges and A Serious and Accessible because students can access the PPE
universities, the Intercollegiate Studies Education in a variety of ways:
Institute actually does something to Taking its inspiration from Oxford’s
address the issues. famous Philosophy, Politics, and Eco- • By earning transferable college
ISI fills the void left by higher educa- nomics program, ISI’s PPE offers a credit through partner institu-
tion by educating the best students in comprehensive, integrated, serious, yet tions including the King’s College,
18 t h e C A N O N 2 018learning. Several leading scholars have
called ISI’s PPE curriculum “the best
they’ve ever seen.” The courses present
ISI’s unmatched educational content
using top-quality production and in
easily digestible segments: each video
is about three minutes long.
And ISI has only begun its PPE
program.
Imagine high school and college stu-
George Mason University economist Anne Rathbone Bradley prepares to record a lesson dents around the country taking ISI’s
in ISI’s newest PPE online course, “Economics and the Pursuit of Happiness” PPE online courses for credit. Imagine
thousands of others—current students
Faulkner University, and North- course, Dr. Jay W. Richards of the Busch and lifelong learners—studying these
wood University School of Business and Economics at foundational ideas in a more accessible,
• By seeking “dual enrollment” the Catholic University of America and not-for-credit model.
credit—an attractive option for Dr. Anne Rathbone Bradley of George Or imagine dozens of top under-
high school students to take college Mason University introduce students graduates earning credit from a presti-
courses to such thinkers as Adam Smith, David gious university by attending an inten-
• By securing ISI certifications Hume, John Stuart Mill, Wilhelm sive ISI PPE Summer Academy. And
through the open-enrollment track Röpke, and Milton Friedman. imagine the very best students earning
at ISI’s PPE website a PPE graduate certificate by complet-
• By attending ISI educational confer- The Vision for ISI’s PPE ing a program that blends online learn-
ences to study under the direction Starting this fall, you can check out ing with rigorous in-person education
of ISI’s top faculty mentors ISI’s new, easy-to-navigate website at led by top ISI faculty.
ppe.isi.org. You can even begin taking It’s all possible with ISI’s PPE. Check
Countering the Campus “How Markets Work” and “Economics out ppe.isi.org to get a glimpse of where
Assault on Free Markets and the Pursuit of Happiness”! this exciting program is headed!
The assault on America’s foundations You’ll see that these courses rep-
is perhaps most evident in the area resent the state of the art in online
of economics. Professors attack free
markets and the very institutions that
create wealth. Many students can’t
even explain the difference between
free markets and centralized planning.
That is why ISI is launching the PPE
with its tandem of economics courses:
“How Markets Work” and “Economics
and the Pursuit of Happiness.”
In the first course, students learn
the fundamentals of how a market
economy works—a topic few colleges
seem willing or able to teach anymore.
The second course moves into larger
questions, returning economics to its
roots in moral philosophy.
“Economics and the Pursuit of Hap-
Dr. Jay W. Richards, Catholic University professor and bestselling author
piness” will debut later this year. In the
w w w. i s i . o r g 19TESTED
BY FIRE
ISI Student Journalists Rising in the Professional Media
V iolent protests. “Safe spaces.” Orwellian “free-speech zones.”
Attacks on conservatives.
These are hallmarks of the modern from administrators and see campus ISI’s Collegiate Network has pro-
university. ISI students are leading the radicals steal their publications, tear duced such prominent journalists
resistance—none more so than ISI’s down their promotional materials, and as New York Times columnist Ross
campus journalists. threaten them on social media. Douthat, ABC News chief Washington
ISI identifies and mentors outstand- And still these brave ISI students correspondent Jonathan Karl, National
ing conservative journalists through dare to question progressive orthodoxy Review editor Rich Lowry, Washington
a national network of more than fifty and expose campus outrages. (See some Post national reporter Elise Viebeck,
student publications. You can probably recent examples beginning on page 14.) and Weekly Standard editor in chief
imagine the talent, principles, and cour- It’s no accident that so many alumni Stephen F. Hayes.
age it takes for these young journalists of ISI’s Collegiate Network journalism In 1987, as a student at Stanford,
to survive and thrive in a hostile cam- program go on to prominent careers. Peter Thiel cofounded the Stanford
pus climate. They face discrimination They have been tested by fire. Review, a leading publication in ISI’s
20 t h e C A N O N 2 018Collegiate Network. The well-known part of this national student journalism says that when she attended her first
entrepreneur, philanthropist, and pub- network “gave us a lot of stamina in ISI Collegiate Network Editors Confer-
lic intellectual has remarked on the the years to come as we went through ence, she was “blown away by all the
formative inf luence ISI’s Collegiate the debates over Western culture and opportunities and incredible people
Network played. “It’s really tough to political correctness.” ISI had to offer.”
be contrarian just by yourself,” he says, Today’s ISI student journalists cite Maria has made the most of those
and attending the Collegiate Network the importance of this network as well. opportunities. She is one of several
Editors Conference showed his Stan- Maria Biery, a freshly minted graduate recent ISI alumni establishing them-
ford Review colleagues and him “that of the University of Pennsylvania who selves in the media.
we were not totally on our own.” Being edited the ISI-sponsored Statesman,
“My ISI-sponsored internship
was life-changing.”
—Maria Biery, Wall Street Journal
Maria Biery
University of Pennsylvania, Class of 2018
Wall Street Journal
“A t the first ISI conference I went to, I secured my first
freelance writing job,” Maria remembers.
That was just the beginning. She thrived as editor of
Penn’s Statesman and earned an ISI-sponsored summer
internship at the Washington Examiner. “The Examiner
did not treat me as a summer intern; they treated me as
a reporter,” Maria says. “I accumulated more than fifty
bylines in three months. It’s not an exaggeration to say
that my time at the Examiner was life-changing.”
The next summer Maria landed an ISI-sponsored intern-
ship at the American Conservative. There she developed
skills in editorial writing, copy editing, fact checking, social
media, and more. “Basically, I had my hand in a little bit
of every aspect of the magazine,” she explains.
On the strength of this experience, Maria has received
the prestigious Robert L. Bartley Fellowship to work at
the Wall Street Journal editorial page this summer. When
that appointment concludes, she will begin a yearlong
fellowship at the Washington Examiner—this one, too,
sponsored by ISI.
Maria reflects: “ISI’s Collegiate Network has taught me
the importance of truth and the power that your words
can have on people. I wouldn’t trade these moments in my
life for anything, and I am truly grateful to ISI for giving
Maria Biery with bestselling author Rod Dreher, holding The Statesman me these opportunities.”
w w w. i s i . o r g 21Grant Wishard
Grove City College, Class of 2017
Weekly Standard
“W e’re Sending a Writer to Cycle
the U.S.-Mexico Border.”
So announced the Weekly Standard
in a January headline. The writer was
Grant Wishard, an ISI-sponsored jour-
nalism fellow. Grove City College,”
Grant biked some 1,600 miles from he remembers. “These
Tijuana, Mexico, to Brownsville, Texas, were my people, and I
over the course of a month (with a hia- was hooked!”
tus in the middle after a nasty spill led Like Maria, too,
to a fractured elbow). His dispatches he excelled in ISI-
make for fascinating reading, a remark- sponsored i nter n-
able blend of travel diary, political ships before securing
reporting, and keen observation of life a yearlong fellowship.
on both sides of the border. ISI placed Grant at the
Like Maria Biery, Grant discov- Weekly Standard and USA Today. to hear much more from Grant Wishard
ered ISI as an undergrad. “A friend To judge from his acclaimed series in the years ahead.
introduced me to the ISI Society at about biking the border, you can expect
these young journalists hit the ground team. In less than a year she published
running. 250 articles, including 40 front-page
Look at Sarah Chavey, who began stories. She landed in the top five of
a yearlong ISI-sponsored fellowship at all Pioneer Press reporters in terms of
the St. Paul Pioneer Press last summer. online page views and reader engage-
Sarah Chavey Sarah came to this daily paper with pro- ment. She covered major stories includ-
Hillsdale College, Class of 2017 fessional experience: the previous year ing the allegations of sexual misconduct
St. Paul Pioneer Press ISI had placed her in a summer intern- against Senator Al Franken and the trial
ship with the Dallas Morning News. of the police officer who shot Philando
M ajor media outlets seek out ISI
talent because they know that
Almost immediately she became a
key part of the Pioneer Press reporting
Castile during a traffic stop.
“I’m usually one of the first called
22 t h e C A N O N 2 018ISI Student Journalists
Making Their Mark
when news breaks,” Sarah says. “The St. Paul Pioneer Press
is dedicated to helping me grow as a reporter while also
throwing me difficult stories and letting me figure things Alec Dent
out on my own.” This University of North Carolina
She adds, “I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity.” student made national news even
before he began classes, publishing
a widely read exposé of UNC’s fresh-
Bradford Richardson man orientation. Then Alec broke a
Claremont McKenna College, Class of 2015 story about the blatant anti-American
Washington Times attitudes on display in the course
“Literature of 9/11.” After earning
E ven before he graduated
from college, Bradford
Richardson broke a major
an ISI-sponsored internship at the
Washington Free Beacon, he became editor in chief
of the ISI Collegiate Network’s Carolina Review. This
news story: his reporting in the summer, ISI has placed Alec as research assistant to
ISI Collegiate Network pub- bestselling author Jonah Goldberg at the American
lication the Claremont Inde- Enterprise Institute.
pendent revealed Scripps Col-
lege’s controversial decision to Lauren Fox
rescind columnist George F. An impressive young journalist from
Will’s speaking invitation. Notre Dame, Lauren landed an ISI
Bradford says he is “very grate- internship at the Dallas Morning
ful to have had the chance to News last summer. In just a few
contribute on a national level” months, she published sixty-five arti-
to exposing “the lack of intel- cles, including seven that made the
lectual diversity and reasoned debate in higher education.” front page of the Metro section. “The
He regularly displayed his nose for news as editor in chief support I received from ISI’s Colle-
of the Claremont Independent, and after graduation ISI placed giate Network gave me an invaluable
him in a yearlong fellowship at The Hill. Bradford performed experience at a leading newspaper,” the rising senior
so well in the role that the Washington Times snapped him says. “That experience in turn has helped me secure
up months before his fellowship was set to end. Since then an internship this summer at my hometown paper, the
he has served as the Times’s social issues reporter. Kansas City Star.”
Brendan Clarey
As the ISI intern at the New York
Post last summer, this Hillsdale Col-
lege student learned the art of edito-
rial writing. In addition to writing or
contributing to many unsigned edi-
torials, Brendan published two op-
eds under his byline. ABC’s popular
morning show Live with Kelly and
Ryan picked up the first op-ed. The
second earned Brendan an interview on Fox Business
Network. “I am incredibly thankful to ISI’s Collegiate
Network for allowing me to live and work in New York
City,” he says.
w w w. i s i . o r g 23A recent ISI alumni gathering; look for more such receptions in the months ahead
Ideas and
Community
Cultivating the ISI Alumni Experience
W hen Billy Muran was looking for housemates in Washington, D.C., after college,
he knew where to turn: the ISI community.
As an undergraduate at George- Georgetown alumni but instead other felt comfortable given our shared values
town University, Billy said, “My closest ISI Honors Scholars: O liver Ha (see and worldview,” Oliver says.
friends at Georgetown I met through page 9), a Baylor University graduate, Living together helped extend the
our ISI Society, the Tocqueville Forum, and McBryde Campbell, a University fellowship these young alumni found
and my closest friends from other col- of South Carolina alumnus. through ISI. It also helped them pur-
leges I met through ISI.” The impor- For Oliver, who has remarked on sue a robust intellectual life, something
tance of those friendships became the “authenticity of the friendships” he many recent graduates struggle to do.
even clearer after he graduated. For made through ISI, moving in with Billy Even in Washington, where intellec-
housemates, he sought out not fellow and McBryde was an easy decision. “I tually curious young people don’t lack
24 t h e C A N O N 2 018for learning opportunities, ISI they so valued about their
alumni gather for discussion “The camaraderie among ISI ISI experience as students:
groups that closely resemble members is truly special.” ideas and community.
their ISI Societies from col-
lege. Meeting in homes —Garrett Ziegler, Saint Louis University A Look Ahead
and apartments, attend- The community piece begins
ees discuss serious books and engage discussion groups have popped up with regional events. In January, ISI
in rich, civil discourse. around the country. partnered with America’s Future Foun-
Oliver notes that he has come Meanwhile, many alumni have dation and Pro-life Future to host an
together with a number of ISIers at such reached out to ISI to say they are hun- event for alumni in Washington. Doz-
events: not just Billy and McBryde but gry to continue their ISI experience. ens of ISI alumni came together to
also, for example, Chesterton Cobb, an “I’d love to find some way to reen- hear remarks from Ryan Streeter, an
ISI alumnus and former ISI employee; gage,” one alumnus wrote last year. “I American Enterprise Institute scholar
Emily DePangher, an ISI alumna from miss the thoughtful dialogue and the who served as an adviser to President
Hillsdale College; and Garrett Ziegler, world of ideas fostered by ISI.” George W. Bush. Look for similar
a Saint Louis University senior intern- Another said: “I would love it if there alumni gatherings in various cities in
ing at the White House. were more events and engagements for the coming months.
Garrett, who founded an ISI Society ISI alumni. It would strengthen the ISI will soon debut a monthly email
at Saint Louis, was quick to organize community and help us promote ISI newsletter for alumni as well. The
gatherings when he reached Wash- and the general principles of serious newsletter will highlight upcoming
ington. “The camaraderie among ISI thought to others.” events and opportunities, and profile
members is truly special,” he says, add- A third commented: “The sense of ISI alumni making a difference.
ing, “ISI has undoubtedly changed my camaraderie that ISI fosters is phenom- On October 25, at the thirteenth
life—and I say this with no hyperbole.” enal. I think it would be good if ISI were annual Dinner for Western Civiliza-
to work more on connecting alumni.” tion, ISI will present the inaugural ISI
Camaraderie So ISI is doing just that, serving Alumni Award. The award will honor
D.C. is not the only place where the ISI alumni more intentionally than ever. a distinguished alumnus/alumna,
alumni community flourishes. Similar It starts by providing alumni with what who will receive a lifetime ISI Presi-
dent’s Club membership. To nominate
someone—or yourself!—please con-
tact Claire Aguda at caguda@isi.org
or 302-524-6148.
Over time, through these and other
initiatives, ISI will forge a much stron-
ger alumni community, presenting
opportunities for fellowship, mentor-
ing, professional development, and job
networking.
The ISI experience doesn’t have to
end when you graduate. Like many
other ISI alumni, Billy Muran counts
the “lifelong friendships” he has made
among the greatest benefits he has
received from ISI. An enhanced ISI
alumni experience will only strengthen
those relationships.
Oliver Ha and Billy Muran, now housemates, became friends at the ISI Honors Program
w w w. i s i . o r g 25You can also read
