Two years ago I spent a summer studying and interning in Washington with The Fund for American Studies (TFAS). It was a tremendous experience, and I am excited to have another opportunity to study with TFAS this summer. The Fund’s purpose is to educate young leaders in the values of freedom, democracy, and free-market economies. It was begun to train American college students, but today runs programs in three foreign countries with plans for more.
My program, The American Institute on Political and Economic Systems, was begun in 1993 to take advantage of the opportunity created by the fall of communism. Students were brought to Prague and trained in democracy and free markets to prepare them to play a part in the dramatic transitions happening in their countries. Today the program still targets top Eastern and Central European students. Each year some students who are graduates of other TFAS programs are accepted, in part to help communicate the ideas TFAS champions. AIPES runs a little over a hundred students.
AIPES is organized through Georgetown University. We will receive Georgetown credits for our classwork. Our professors are Dr. James Lengle from Georgetown University and Dr. Michael Veseth from the University of Puget Sound.
More information about The Fund for American Studies and AIPES can be found on their websites.