Foundation for Economic Education
 |
|
| Founder(s) | Leonard E. Read |
|---|---|
| Type | Educational foundation IRS exemption status: 501(c)(3) |
| Tax ID No. | 136006960[1] |
| Founded | March 7, 1946 |
| Location | 30 South Broadway Irvington, New York 10533 [1] |
| Key people | President Lawrence W. Reed, Executive Director Carl Oberg |
| Area served | United States |
| Focus | economics, libertarianism |
| Mission | "to study and advance the freedom philosophy."[1] |
| Method | literature, lecture, academic scholarship |
| Revenue | $1,762,290 (2009)[1] |
| Website | fee.org |
Established to study and advance classical liberalism, the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) is the oldest free-market organization in the United States.[2][1][3][4][5][6][7] Murray Rothbard recognized FEE for creating a "crucial open center" that he credits with launching the movement.[8]
FEE researches and advocates free-market, classical liberal, and libertarian ideas through lectures as well as publications. The lectures are either a part of week long seminars featuring multiple faculty, or feature one prominent speaker for the Evenings at FEE series.[9][10][5][7][2][11][12][13] Outreach efforts include a monthly magazine, The Freeman, as well as pamphlets, lectures, and academic sponsorship.[2][9][3][10][14][4][7] FEE publishes reprints of classic libertarian texts.[9][3][10][4][6][7][2]
Contents |
[edit] History
In 1946, FEE was founded by Leonard Read of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, Donaldson Brown of General Motors Corporation, Professors Leo Wolman of Columbia University and Fred R. Fairchild of Yale University, Henry Hazlitt of the New York Times, Claude Robinson of Opinion Research Corporation, and David Goodrich of B. F. Goodrich.[15][16][17][9][5][7][2] The William Volker Fund was instrumental in subsidizing FEE's establishment.[18][14][7]
The initial officers of FEE included Read as president, Hazlitt as vice-president, and Goodrich as chairman.[9][2] After retiring from Grove City College where he taught economics, Hans Sennholz served as president of the Foundation from 1992 to 1997.[19] Donald J. Boudreaux, former Chairman of the Department of Economics at George Mason University, served as president of the Foundation from 1997 to 2001.[20] Mark Skousen served as president from 2001 to 2002. After the controversial decision to invite Rudy Giuliani to be the keynote speaker at FEE's annual Liberty Banquet for a $30,000 honorarium, the Board of Trustees asked for Skousen's resignation. In May 2003, Richard Ebeling became president.[21][22] He announced at the April 12, 2008 Evening at FEE that he was leaving FEE to accept a position at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. On September 1, 2008 Lawrence Reed became the current president.[15][23]
Read's efforts provided a base for the international post World War II libertarian movement.[8][24][7][2][25] For instance, Friedrich Hayek was inspired partly by FEE when he formed the Mont Pelerin Society in 1947.[2][17][7][25] Plehwe, Walpen, and Neunhöffer argue that FEE directly supported the Mont Pelerin Society.[17][7][2][25]
[edit] Programs
[edit] Seminars
FEE offers week-long seminars for high school students, undergraduates, and graduate students. The Freedom Academy seminars are designed for high school students and focus on economics, history, politics, social science, philosophy, education, business, and current events.[5][11][12][13]
For undergraduates, FEE offers four Freedom University seminars. The Freedom University: History seminars are designed for university undergraduates interested in an introduction the contrast between liberty and power in the history of the United States is the special focus of this seminar. Study begins at the American founding, proceeds through the Great Depression and its lasting effects, and concludes with an analysis of communism in the 20th century. The Freedom University: Current Events seminars are designed for university undergraduates interested in the hottest public policy issues from some of the most respected scholars in the liberty movement. Topics of note include healthcare, immigration, and environmental policy.[5][11][12][13] The Freedom University: Communicating Liberty seminars are designed for university undergraduates who have previously attended a FEE seminar and wish to become effective communicators of liberty. Lectures and workshops center on topics like blogging, op-eds, social media, public speaking, event planning, and networking.[5][11][12][13] The Freedom University: Austrian Economics seminars are designed for university undergraduates interested in an introduction to the thoughts and thinkers of the influential Austrian school of economics. Topics range from free-market fundamentals to business cycles and globalization.[5][11][12][13]
The Freedom University: Advanced Austrian Economics seminars are designed for university undergraduates with in depth knowledge of Austrian economics and graduate students who are interested in exploring the economic approach pioneered by giants like Menger, Mises, Kirzner, and Hayek as well as the latest works by the newest generation of Austrian scholars.[5][11][12][13]
[edit] Evenings at FEE
FEE hosts prominent speakers, usually at the headquarters, as a part of the Evenings at FEE series of events. Speakers like author, investment advisor, and one time presidential candidate Harry Browne. Browne presented "The Greatest Mistake in American History: Letting Government Educate our Children" in December of 2004. The Institute for Justice's President and General Counsel Chip Mellor's February 2008 presentation “Jurisprudence of Liberty” is another example.[26][27][28][5]
For 66 years FEE has hosted and published lectures most notably by Ludwig von Mises, F.A. Hayek, Henry Hazlitt, Milton Friedman, James Buchanan, Vernon Smith, Israel Kirzner, Walter Williams, George Stigler, Frank Chodorov, John Chamberlain, F.A. “Baldy” Harper, and William F. Buckley Jr.[9][3][10][5][7][2]
[edit] Publications
In 1945 Du Pont executive Jasper Crane with Alfred Kohlberg started a capital campaign and obtained enough funding from J. Howard Pew, Inland Steel, Quaker Oaks, and Sears in 1950 to publish the first issue of The Freeman, a magazine that is still published by FEE today.[3][10][14][5][6][2] Focusing on classic works on liberty, FEE publishes books, articles, and pamphlets both on paper and digitally.[2][9][3][10]
[edit] Headquarters
The Foundation is located in Irvington, New York on a seven-acre 19th-century estate at 30 South Broadway with a 20,000-square-foot (1,900 m2) main building, often called the "Big House", with offices, library and archives, classroom, a commercial kitchen, a formal dining room, a large reception lounge, and a dormitory.[29] The Colonial Revival mansion house had 34 rooms with 16 fireplaces, gables and bay windows, a large staircase, some glass designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany, who lived in Irvington, and walls of mahogany panelling.[30]
The grounds were designed by Charles Eliot, who also planned the Boston park system with later alterations by Frederick Law Olmsted, the co-creator of New York City's Central Park.[31][32]
The "Big House" was built in 1889 by Dr. Carroll Dunham, who called it "Hillside". Shortly after Dunham's death in 1923, the estate was sold to Gordon Harris, the son of William R. Harris, who founded the American Tobacco Company.[29] The younger Harris was then Vice President of the United States Lines shipping company, and he and his family lived on the estate until 1946, after which the estate was maintained by a caretaker until it was sold to Leonard Read, who bought it to be the headquraters of his new organization.[29]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Phillips-Fein, Kim (2009). Invisible Hands: The Making of the Conservative Movement from the New Deal to Reagan. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. pp. 356. ISBN 9780393059304.
- ^ a b c d e f Hamowy, Ronald (Aug 15, 2008). The Encyclopedia of Libertarianism. Thousand Oaks, lCalifornia: SAGE. p. 623. ISBN 9781412965804. http://books.google.com/?id=yxNgXs3TkJYC&dq=libertarian+encyclopedia.
- ^ a b c Perelman, Michael (2007). The Confiscation of American Prosperity from Right-Wing Extremism and Economic Ideology to the Next Great Depression. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 239. ISBN 9780230600461.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Fones-Wolf, Elizabeth A (1994). Selling Free Enterprise: The Business Assault on Labor and Liberalism 1945-60. Urbana, Illinois: Univ. of Illinois Press. pp. 307. ISBN 9780252021183.
- ^ a b c Schneider, Gregory L (2009). The Conservative Century: From Reaction to Revolution. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 261. ISBN 9780742542846.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Mirowski, Philip; Plehwe, Dieter (2009). The Road from Mont Pèlerin: The Making of the Neoliberal Thought Collective. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. pp. 469. ISBN 9780674033184.
- ^ a b Gordon, David (2010). Strictly Confidential: The Private Volker Fund Memos of Murray N. Rothbard. Auburn, Alabama: Ludwig von Mises Institute. p. 446. ISBN 978-1-933550-80-0. http://mises.org/books/strictly_confidential_rothbard.pdf.
- ^ a b c d e f g Olson, Wayne (Sep 28, 2009). An Inside Look at the Foundation for Economic Education FEE. Interview with Pete Eyre. Motorhome Diaires. Irvington, New York.
- ^ a b c d e f Williams, Robert H; Miner, H Craig (1996). Joyful Trek: A Texan's Times and Travels. Lubbock, Texas: Texas Tech University Press. pp. 215. ISBN 9780896723566.
- ^ a b c d e f Ashford, Nigel (December 22, 2011). "FEE College Summer Seminars". Kosmos (Arlington, Virginia). http://www.kosmosonline.org/opportunity/fee-college-summer-seminars. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f Giannotta, Marissa (December 8, 2011). "Help Promote FEE Seminars to Your Campus Group!". Students For Liberty (Washington, DC). http://studentsforliberty.org/news/help-promote-fee-seminars-to-your-campus-group/. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f Foley, Devin (March 16, 2010). "Free: Summer Liberty & Econ Seminars". Intellectual Takeout (Minneapolis, Minnesota). http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/blog/free-summer-liberty-econ-seminars. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
- ^ a b c Lichtman, Allan J (2008). White Protestant Nation: The Rise of the American Conservative Movement. New York: Grove Press. pp. 598. ISBN 9780802144201.
- ^ a b Farrell, Steve. "FEE Is Expanding to Atlanta". The Moral Liberal. http://www.themoralliberal.com/2011/01/09/fee-is-expanding-to-atlanta/. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
- ^ Hülsmann, Jörg Guido. "Birth of a Movement". Mises Daily. Ludwig von Mises Institute. http://mises.org/daily/2732. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
- ^ a b c Plehwe, Dieter (2006). Neoliberal hegemony: a global critique. London: Taylor & Francis. p. 294. ISBN 0415373271. http://books.google.com/?id=QTtE1VpEF40C&lpg=PA27&dq=%22%2BFoundation%20for%20Economic%20Education%22&pg=PA27#v=onepage&q=%22+Foundation%20for%20Economic%20Education%22&f=false.
- ^ George, Susan (1997). "How to Win the War of Ideas". Dissent 44 (Summer 1997): 47–53. http://www.denknetz-online.ch/IMG/pdf/War_of_Ideas.pdf. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
- ^ Wilcox, Derk Arend (2000). The Right Guide: A Guide to Conservative, Free-Market, and Right-of-Center Organizations. Ann Arbor, MI: Economics America, Inc.. pp. 440. ISBN 9780914169062.
- ^ Boudreaux, Donald (October 13, 2011). "A Devalued Renminbi Makes Wealthier Americans". Debate Club (New York: U.S.News & World Report). http://www.usnews.com/debate-club/should-congress-interfere-with-chinas-currency-policies/a-devalued-renminbi-makes-wealthier-americans. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
- ^ Shierman, Eric (October 6, 2011). "Keynesian failure: Stimulus package a national tragedy". Oregon Catalyst (Tigard, Oregon). http://oregoncatalyst.com/11936-keynesian-failure-stimulus-package-national-tragedy.html. Retrieved November 2, 2011.
- ^ Hursh, David (2004). "Undermining Democratic Education in the USA: the consequences of global capitalism and neo-liberal policies for education policies at the local, state and federal levels". Policy Futures in Education 2 (3 & 4): 607–620. doi:10.2304/pfie.2004.2.3.13. http://www.wwwords.co.uk/pdf/freetoview.asp?j=pfie&vol=2&issue=3&year=2004&article=13_Hursh_PFIE_2_3-4_web. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
- ^ Foley, Ridgway K. (December 1971). "Individual Liberty and the Rule of Law". Willamette Law Journal 7 (3): 396–418. http://heinonlinebackup.com/hol-cgi-bin/get_pdf.cgi?handle=hein.journals/willr7§ion=32. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
- ^ Blundell, John (1990). Waging the War of Ideas: Why There Are No Shortcuts. London: Institute of Economic Affairs. p. 9. http://www.iea.org.uk/sites/default/files/publications/files/upldbook404pdf.pdf.
- ^ a b c Hill, Dave (2009). The Rich World and the Impoverishment of Education: Diminishing Democracy, Equity and Workers' Rights. London: Taylor & Francis. pp. 273. ISBN 9780415957755.
- ^ Watner, Carl (2005). "The Culture of Force". The Voluntaryist (127). https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:GLnuNM6W9P8J:www.voluntaryist.com/backissues/127.pdf+Number+127+site:http://www.voluntaryist.com&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEEShLe0oyLQPqoStX6FR5MonnScW8AoTG9awh-r34XD-2G5TU3_mUIRWmYZxf7omozbn3Cf-LxWVPDWVN-vghZnvvkqOaXLWzouFwdCUF1syaRRL2SnZHStysfJkg7jraLJOqYUf1&sig=AHIEtbQQGmiOc_45i31enBx0b1pG7jeONw.
- ^ "An Evening at FEE With Chip Mellor". Liberty & Law 18. February 2008. http://www.ij.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2050&Itemid=245.
- ^ Meyer, Del (December 7 , 2004). "December 7 , 2004". Medical Tuesday Network. MedicalTuesday. http://www.medicaltuesday.net/archives/Dec0704.htm. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
- ^ a b c Spikes, Judith Doolin; Leone, Anne Marie (2009). Irvington. Charleston, SC: Arcadia. pp. 96. ISBN 9780738565194.
- ^ "Louis Comfort Tiffany". Louis Comfort Tiffany. Tiffany & Co. http://www.tiffany.com/About/LouisComfort.aspx. Retrieved 4 November 2011.
- ^ Eliot, Charles William (1902). Charles Eliot, Landscape Architect, a Lover of Nature and of His Kind, Who Trained Himself for a New Profession, Practised it Happily and Through it Wrought Much Good. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin. p. 924. http://www.archive.org/details/charleseliotland00elio.
- ^ Tavern Club (1901). Rules of the Tavern Club of Boston with a List of Officers and Members. Boston: Tavern Club. p. 40. http://www.archive.org/details/rulestavernclub00massgoog.
