Freedom Center Newsletter
Spring 2024 Newsletter
Highlights from the Center for the Philosophy of Freedom at the University of Arizona.
Message from the Director and Associate Director
As we prepare to begin a new academic year, we at the Freedom Center reflect on the importance of our mission. In today’s political climate, educating students and citizens to the values of freedom and civil discourse could not be more important. As recent events have reminded us, these values should never be taken for granted.
In this spirit, we launched a new Freedom Center debate series last April, focused on the rise of “Environmental, Social, and Governance” (ESG), featuring an esteemed panel of world-renowned experts and moderators. Debate has become almost a daunting word these days, but it shouldn’t be.
If conducted in a civilized and open-minded way, debating with others serves to foster an understanding of diverse perspectives and honor the freedom founding our democracy. Our goal is to demonstrate that our community remains capable of engaging in these debates for the benefit of all. Judging by the large attendance of the ESG debate and the outpouring of emails we received afterward, we believe we are on the right track toward achieving that goal. Expect more Freedom Center debates soon. You can see a short trailer here.
In April, we also had the privilege of welcoming Holocaust survivor Hanna Zack Miley to campus to share her life story of loss, survival, forgiveness and hope— told through a public screening of a documentary depicting her journey from victim to survivor. Her mission of promoting reconciliation between groups of faith, cultures, races, and politics embodies so much of what we aim to achieve here at the Freedom Center. Mrs. Miley, and her lifelong and worldwide mission, is a warm reminder to all of us of the power of forgiveness. You can view Mrs. Miley’s “Story of Hope” here.
You’ll find more about the ESG debate and the evening with Mrs. Miley, along with many other ways we are advancing the mission of the Freedom Center, in this Spring 2024 edition of our newsletter. You can also stay updated by checking our News page and follow us on X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn.
Hope you are having a wonderful summer,
Mary L. Rigdon
Freedom Center Director and
Associate Professor of Political Economy and Moral Science
Saura Masconale
Freedom Center Associate Director and
Assistant Professor of Political Economy and Moral Science, James E. Rogers College of Law Affiliated Faculty
Headlines
Encouraging Civil Debate of ESG Viewpoints Through Panel of Experts and the Freedom Center’s Justice, Law, and Capitalism Talk Series
The series showcased a dynamic panel debate, “Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) Now and in the Future: Is There Common Ground,” before a live audience at the Phoenix Heard Museum on April 3.
Former White House press secretaries Ari Fleischer and Robert Gibbs moderated, with panel participation by Andrew Behar, Kevin Hassett, Sandra E. Taylor, and Kimberly Yee.
Inspiring Through Oral History: An Evening With Holocaust Survivor Hanna Zack Miley
On April 29, the Freedom Center and the University of Arizona Center for Judaic Studies presented a screening featuring Holocaust survivor Hanna Zack Miley. Born in 1932 in Germany, Miley continues sharing her story of loss, freedom, and forgiveness around the world.
“My story is a story of hope. And I want to give you hope.”
Miley’s oral history was approved by the Arizona State Board of Education for teachers to use as part of the Freedom Center’s Oral History Mini Documentary Collection.
Dr. Rigdon Invited to Present Research on Narrowing the Gender Wage Gap in the NSF Distinguished Lecture Series
Dr. Rigdon was an invited speaker in the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Social and Behavioral Sciences Distinguished Lecture Seminar Series.
“It’s about changing the systems, not the women.”
Their work has been published in PNAS, Evolution and Human Behavior, and Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B.
Freedom Center Journalist-in-Residence Jay Nordlinger Honors Iconic Economist and Nobel Laureate Vernon Smith
Journalist-in-Residence Jay Nordlinger interviewed Vernon Smith, winner of the 2002 Nobel Prize in Economics. The visit was featured in the article “Scholar, and Champion, of a Free Society.”
Much of his Nobel-winning research was conducted from 1976 to 2001 at the University of Arizona, where he mentored then Ph.D. candidate and current Director Mary L. Rigdon.
Leading the Nation: UArizona Becomes First U.S. Institution To Join European Master in Law & Economics Program
The University of Arizona became the first U.S. institution to join the European Master in Law & Economics (EMLE), an interdisciplinary program focused on international business and law.
EMLE students will begin taking classes at UArizona in Spring 2025.
Spotlighting Post-Doctoral Fellow Dr. David Clark
Congratulations to David Clark on becoming a core faculty member in the Freedom Center and joining the U of A’s Department of Philosophy as an Assistant Professor in Fall 2024. Welcome and bear down!
Advancing K-12 Education: Freedom Center Partners With Cato Institute To Enhance Teachers’ Skills for Civic Education
Through a partnership between the Freedom Center and the Cato Institute, the Sphere Education Initiatives has provided teachers across Arizona and the United States tools, strategies, and materials to promote free speech and civil engagement among students.
PPEL Undergraduate Summer School Returned for Second Year, June 4–7
The PPEL Undergraduate Summer School was held at the University of San Diego for its second year, with more than 40 students attending from 30 different universities.
The plenary lecture was given by Dr. Deirdre McCloskey on the equality of permission.
