It was sometime around mid-June when the President of Lindenwood University, John Porter, asked me to lead The Hammond Institute for Free Enterprise.  I was heartened that he would entrust me with this responsibility given my short tenure (7 months) at the university.  I'd met Mr. Hammond at a Progress 64 West event in November 2022, though that was the extent of my acquaintance.  John and Barbara Hammond were gracious in welcoming me to lead the center bearing their surname.  

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I hope to continue the rich legacy of the Institute and expand its impact on the community and Lindenwood student body.  To that end, one of my initiatives is to encourage greater participation by Gen X and Gen Z in our programming and events.  They are the future, and we must ensure they understand how to think critically and espouse free enterprise principles.  We'll increase the likelihood of broader participation by understanding our customers through a process of discovery — we must talk to this constituency.  Besides direct interviews, we hope the newly conceived Linden Agora can also inform.  This will be the campus public square for students, where they can learn from each other.

 

As someone who, for part of their upbringing, grew up under a military dictatorship, I do not take freedom for granted.  The difference between Freedom OF and Freedom FROM is not well-understood. Let's do our part to further this understanding. 

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For a summary of broad Institute activity click HERE.

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