WASHINGTON—The Heritage Foundation announced its second annual awardees of the Freedom and Opportunity Academic Prizes. Launched last year, this initiative supports higher education professionals advancing research aligned with Heritage's priority issue areas.
The recipients include:
- J. Joel Alicea, J.D., Associate Professor of Law at the Catholic University of America
- Dr. Paul Dragos Aligica, Professor at George Mason University and the University of Bucharest
- Dr. Francis Beckwith, Professor at Baylor University
- Dr. Kevin Burns, Associate Professor at Christendom College
- Dr. Gregory Collins, Lecturer at Yale University
- Dr. Justin Dyer, Dean at the University of Texas at Austin
- Dr. William Inboden, Director at the University of Florida and Senior Fellow at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies
- Dr. Melissa Moschella, Associate Professor at the Catholic University of America
- Dr. Michael Munger, Director at Duke University
- Dr. Pavlos Papadopoulos, Assistant Professor at Wyoming Catholic College
- Dr. Mark Regnerus, Professor at the University of Texas at Austin
- Dr. Alexander Salter, Associate Professor at Texas Tech University
- Dr. Luke Sheahan, Assistant Professor at Duquesne University and Senior Affiliate at the University of Pennsylvania
- Todd Zywicki, J.D., George Mason University Foundation Professor
Heritage President Dr. Kevin Roberts stated: "The Freedom and Opportunity Academic Prize recognizes and commits to supporting scholars in our higher educational institutions whose work acknowledges America's exceptionalism and fights to preserve it... I am proud to support their remarkable work."
Prize winners will receive between $15,000 and $20,000 for research exploring economic freedom, human dignity, constitutional governance among other topics related to traditional American values. They are also invited to participate in a Summer Colloquium and Workshop.
Prizewinner J. Joel Alicea remarked: "The Heritage Foundation played a key role in the intellectual and political battles that brought us an originalist Supreme Court... I'm very honored to be a recipient as I carry on my scholarship exploring an originalist approach to constitutional adjudication."
Dr. William Inboden added: "Much of higher education in the United States is suffering a crisis of public trust... So it is a welcome tonic for the Heritage Foundation to highlight professors who remain committed to those values."
Learn more about the Freedom and Opportunity Academic Prize here.
