Institute for Humane Studies
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Founded | 1961[1] |
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Founder | F. A. "Baldy" Harper[1] |
Type | 501(c)(3) public charity |
941623852[2] | |
Focus | Libertarianism |
Location | |
Coordinates | Coordinates: 38°53′04″N 77°06′03″W / 38.8844°N 77.1009°W |
Area served
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United States |
Method | Education[1] |
Key people
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President and CEO Dr. Emily Chamlee-Wright |
Revenue
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$11,516,759 (2014)[3] |
Mission | "To advance a freer society by discovering and facilitating the development of talented, productive students, scholars, and other intellectuals who share an interest in liberty."[4] |
Website | theihs |
The Institute for Humane Studies (IHS) is a libertarian[1][5] non-profit organization that engages with students and professors throughout the United States to encourage the study and advancement of freedom.[6] IHS offers educational and career programs, holds seminars and on-campus programs for university students, awards scholarships, provides mentoring and research grants for aspiring professors, and sponsors a collection of online videos.[5][7][8][9][10][11][12]
Founded by F. A. "Baldy" Harper in 1961,[1] the organization later began an association with George Mason University[13] and in 1985[5][14] moved to Fairfax, Virginia. The institute is currently located at 3434 Washington Blvd. on the Arlington campus of George Mason University.[13]
Contents
History[edit]
The Institute for Humane Studies was founded in 1961 in Menlo Park, California by F. A. Harper in order to promote peace, prosperity, and social harmony by fostering a greater understanding of human affairs and freedom.[7][15][16] Initially serving as the secretary and treasurer, Harper became the Institute's president in 1966, a position he held until his death in 1973.[17] Murray Rothbard played a key speaker at IHS conferences in the 1970s, promoting Austrian economics.[18] Following Harper in the role of president were Louis M. Spadaro and Leonard Liggio, who served as president from 1980 to 1989.[19] From 1998 to 2000 Stanford graduate David C. Nott, now with the Reason Foundation, led the organization as president.[20] The current president and CEO, Dr. Emily Chamlee-Wright, served as provost and dean at Washington College from 2012 to 2016 and was previously the Elbert H. Neese Professor of Economics and associate dean at Beloit College.[21] Her predecessor, Marty Zupan, served as president and CEO from 2001 to 2016 after serving as editor of Reason magazine.[22]
After beginning an association with George Mason University, Liggio, Walter Grinder, and John Blundell moved the institute to Fairfax, Virginia in 1985.[5] The organization is currently located on the George Mason University Arlington campus, along with sister organization the Mercatus Center.[5]
Organization and funding[edit]
The institute's board of directors includes Charles G. Koch, Brian Hooks, Tyler Cowen, Art Pope, David Humphreys, Scott Beaulier, Christopher Coyne, Todd Zywicki, Kristina Kendall, Ryan Stowers, and Chris Rufer.[23]
IHS has received funding from a number of foundations, including the Sarah Scaife Foundation, the John Templeton Foundation, the F.M. Kirby Foundation, the Marcus Foundation, the John William Pope Foundation, the Ed Uihlein Family Foundation, the Ralph Smeed Private Memorial Foundation, the Koch Family Foundations, the Searle Freedom Trust, the E.L. Craig Foundation, and the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation.[24][5][25][26][27][28][29][30][31]
In March 2012, in the midst of a legal dispute between Charles Koch and the Cato Institute that caused renewed scrutiny of Koch's political philanthropy, IHS's chief financial officer told the New York Times that Koch is "a longtime and generous supporter of ours, but we’re not involved as a political organization."[32] Charles Koch donated a total of $12.4 million to the organization from 2008 to 2012.[33] The John William Pope Foundation has donated $2.1 million to the Institute since 1986.[27]
IHS fundraising appeals have been targeted to specific projects in the past. In 2011, Rand Paul signed a 10-page fundraising letter seeking gifts for the institute's Learn Liberty project, which IHS describes as a "resource for exploring the ideas of a free society."[34][35]
Programs[edit]
Seminars[edit]
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20170113145937im_/https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Aristotle%27s_Error.jpg/220px-Aristotle%27s_Error.jpg)
Each summer, IHS runs several free, weekend-long summer seminars for university students from around the world. Seminars are interdisciplinary and include lectures on history, economics, philosophy, law, and political science.[5][36][37] Seminar themes include the value of property rights, limited government, peace, natural rights, free trade, individual autonomy, and free markets. There are introductory and advanced seminars.[5] IHS also runs weekend on-campus seminars during the academic year.[5] IHS and Liberty Fund co-sponsor the Advanced Topics in Liberty program, which is an invitation-only, discussion-based weekend conference series.[38]
For graduate students pursuing academic careers, IHS sponsors an annual research colloquium, policy research seminars and invitation-only Career Development Seminars designed to help students "land a job in academia, gain tenure, and contribute to the academic and intellectual conversation."[5][39]
Scholarships and Grants[edit]
Each year IHS awards over $1 million in scholarships to students from universities around the world.[40] Through its Humane Studies Fellowship program, IHS awards up to $15,000 in scholarships to graduate students embarking on "liberty-advancing careers in ideas."[16][41] Each summer, through the Summer Graduate Research Fellowship, IHS gives $5,000 stipends to young academics "to refine and complete a publishable scholarly article or thesis chapter that engages ideas within the classical liberal tradition." The IHS PhD Scholarship awards $1,500 to "students dedicated to developing, teaching, and applying the principles of a free society."[42] Other various grants are awarded to graduate students and junior faculty to aid in their ability to present research or interview at academic or professional conferences.[43][44]
In the Daily Caller, Matthew Zwolinski wrote that IHS trains professors to expose students to libertarian ideas: "[IHS] mentors graduate students through the process of finishing their classes and writing their dissertations. And it helps them find jobs. In the 50 years of its existence, IHS has put over 1,200 professors into classrooms across the country where they teach over a quarter of a million students each year. And those students are exposed to libertarian ideas not just in a 30-second advertisement or debate answer, but for an entire semester, rigorously and in depth."[45]
Online projects[edit]
In 2010, IHS launched LearnLiberty.org, a website producing educational videos on libertarian ideas.[11][12] The site's stated goals are “to provide a starting point for conversations on important questions: What is the nature of man and society? What are the best ways to organize human society? What is the proper role for government?” Notable guest lecturers featured on Learn Liberty include David Schmidtz of the University of Arizona and Jeffrey Miron of Harvard University.[46]
Internships[edit]
Each summer, for more than 20 years, IHS hosted the Charles G. Koch Summer Fellow Program. The program is now hosted by the Charles Koch Institute.[47] The program ran for 10 weeks, and included a paid public policy internship with two career and policy seminars. Fellows were placed at one partner think tanks and policy organizations across the United States.[5] IHS also ran a year-round journalism internship program that placed aspiring journalists at media companies and non-profit newsrooms, but both the journalism and policy internship programs have been discontinued.[48][49][50]
Alum award[edit]
Each year, IHS awards an alumnus of its programs with the Charles G. Koch Outstanding IHS Alum Award. The award is given in recognition of "significant contributions to advancing liberty."[10] Past award winners include libertarian legal theorist and law professor Randy Barnett; Kris Mauren, co-founder of the Acton Institute; law professor Todd Zywicki; Kristina Kendall, executive producer for John Stossel; political science professor John Tomasi; Scott Bullock, senior attorney at the Institute for Justice; economist Peter Boettke; John Hood, president of the John Locke Foundation; and David Schmidtz, a professor of philosophy and economics.[10][51][52]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e Rothbard, Murray N (August 17, 2007). "Floyd Arthur 'Baldy' Harper, RIP". Mises Daily Index. Auburn, Alabama. Retrieved 29 December 2011. Quote: "and he moved to transfer the bulk of the Volker funds to a new Institute for Humane Studies, which would expand the Volker concept and would provide a permanent home for libertarian fellowships, scholarship, conferences, and publications."
- ^ "IRS 990" (PDF). Institute for Humane Studies. IHS. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
- ^ "History & Mission". Institute for Humane Studies. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Huebert, Jacob H (2010). Libertarianism Today. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. p. 18. ISBN 978-0-313-37754-9.
The Institute for Humane Studies (IHS), founded by F.A. Harper in 1961 to promote libertarian scholarship....
- ^ "Support the Institute for Humane Studies – Institute for Humane Studies". Retrieved 2016-07-06.
- ^ a b Wilkinson, Will (2008). "Harper, Floyd Arthur 'Baldy' (1905–1973)". In Hamowy, Ronald. The Encyclopedia of Libertarianism. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE; Cato Institute. pp. 217–18. doi:10.4135/9781412965811.n130. ISBN 978-1-4129-6580-4. LCCN 2008009151. OCLC 750831024.<
- ^ Block, Walter (2010). I Chose Liberty: Autobiographies of Contemporary Libertarians. Auburn, Alabama: Ludwig von Mises Institute. p. 429. ISBN 978-1-61016-002-5.
- ^ Kaplan, Benjamin R (2003). The Scholarship Scouting Report: An Insider's Guide to America's Best Scholarships. New York: HarperResource. p. 357. ISBN 978-0-06-093654-9.
- ^ a b c Martens, Pam (September 12, 2011). "The Koch Whisperers". CounterPunch. Petrolia, California. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
- ^ a b Carden, Art (Aug 25, 2011). "The Earthquake Wasn't Good for the Economy. Hurricane Irene Won't Be, Either". Forbes. New York. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
- ^ a b Kerr, Orin (June 29, 2011). "LearnLiberty.org Launches!". The Volokh Conspiracy. Los Angeles. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
- ^ a b Bogardus, Kevin (July 15, 2004). "Koch's low profile belies political power". Center for Public Integrity's iwatch news. Washington, DC.
- ^ Blundell, John (2003). Waging the War of Ideas. Institute of Economic Affairs. ISBN 978-0-255-36547-5.
- ^ Poirot, Paul L (August 1979). "The Writings of F. A. Harper". The Freeman. 29 (8).
- ^ a b Gladstein, Mimi Reisel; John Meadowcroft (2009-11-19). Ayn Rand. Continuum International Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-8264-4513-1.
- ^ The Writings of F. A. Harper, Volume 1: The Major Works The Writings of F. A. Harper, Volume 1: The Major Works, 1978
- ^ Doherty, Brian (2008). "Rothbard, Murray (1926–1995)". In Ronald Hamowy, Cato Institute. Encyclopedia of Libertarianism. SAGE. pp. 441–43. ISBN 1412965802.
- ^ Rothbard, Murray Newton; Hans-Hermann Hoppe (February 2003). The Ethics of Liberty. NYU Press. ISBN 978-0-8147-7559-2.
- ^ Levine, Rob. "Person Profile". Media Transparency. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
- ^ "Emily Chamlee-Wright – Institute for Humane Studies". Institute for Humane Studies. Retrieved 2016-11-14.
- ^ Miller, Fred (Aug 1, 1983). Out of the Mouths of Babes: The Infant Formula Controversy. Piscataway, New Jersey: Transaction Publishers. p. 98. ISBN 978-0-912051-01-7.
- ^ "Board of Directors". Institute for Humane Studies. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
- ^ "Sarah Scaife Foundation Annual Report" (PDF). 2011. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
- ^ "IRS Form 990-PF (2013)" (PDF). May 8, 2014. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
- ^ "IRS Form 990-PF (2012)" (PDF). November 9, 2013. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
- ^ a b "Institute for Humane Studies – John William Pope Foundation". Retrieved 2016-07-25.
- ^ "Mega donor Richard Uihlein ramps up donations to conservative causes". Retrieved 2016-07-25.
- ^ Lee, Timothy B. "Thanks to IHS and the Searle Foundation | Bottom-up". Retrieved 2016-07-25.
- ^ "Smeed Foundation awards grants to Treasure Valley organizations". Retrieved 2016-07-25.
- ^ "IRS Form 990-PF (2014)" (PDF). May 7, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
- ^ "Cato Institute Is Caught in a Rift Over Its Direction". New York Times. 2012-03-06. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
- ^ Young, Chris (2014-08-26). "Koch-funded think tank offers schools course in libertarianism". Center for Public Integrity. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
- ^ "Rand Paul raising funds for arm of George Mason". WTOP. 2011-09-23. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
- ^ "About Us". Learn Liberty. Retrieved 2016-07-25.
- ^ Frohnen, Bruce; Jeremy Beer, Jeffrey O. Nelson (2006). American Conservatism: An Encyclopedia. ISI Books. ISBN 978-1-932236-43-9.
- ^ Guard, David (February 27, 2007). "Call to SSDPers: Institute for Humane Studies (IHS) Summer Seminars". Stop the Drug War.org; In the Trenches. Washington, DC. Retrieved 12 December 2011.
- ^ "Institute for Humane Studies". Campbell University. College Central Network Services. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
- ^ "2016 Summer Research Colloquium: A Call For Papers, Please!". Institute for Humane Studies. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
- ^ "Guidestar Organization Report".
- ^ "Humane Studies Fellowship | Institute for Humane Studies". Institute for Humane Studies. Retrieved 2016-06-22.
- ^ "Ph.D. Scholarship | Institute for Humane Studies". Institute for Humane Studies. Retrieved 2016-06-22.
- ^ "Hayek Fund | Institute for Humane Studies". Institute for Humane Studies. Retrieved 2016-06-22.
- ^ "Conference & Research Grant | Institute for Humane Studies". Institute for Humane Studies. Retrieved 2016-06-22.
- ^ "Libertarians: Stop worrying about Ron Paul". Daily Caller. January 12, 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
- ^ Graves, Zachary (August 23, 2011). "Top 3 Common Myths of Capitalism". Cato @ Liberty. Washington, DC. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
- ^ "Semester-Long Opportunities – Charles Koch Institute". Retrieved 4 December 2016.
- ^ Wemple, Erik (28 January 2014). "MSNBC's Rachel Maddow recommits to her slam on Koch brothers". Retrieved 4 December 2016 – via washingtonpost.com.
- ^ "Institute for Humane Studies". Retrieved 4 December 2016.
- ^ "Institute for Humane Studies". Retrieved 4 December 2016.
- ^ "IJ Attorney Scott Bullock Wins Koch Award". Liberty & Law. 15 (4). August 2006.
- ^ DeMuth, Christopher (July 2010). "The Surprising Return of Price Controls". In Schulz, Nick. The Impact on Economic Recovery. U.S. Regulatory Policy and Free Enterprise. U.S. Chamber of Commerce: American Enterprise Institute and the National Chamber Foundation. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
Further reading[edit]
- Wilcox, Derk Arend (2000). The Right Guide: A Guide to Conservative, Free-Market, and Right-of-Center Organizations. Ann Arbor, MI: Economics America, Inc. p. 455. ISBN 978-0-914169-06-2.