LeFrak Forum :: Symposium on Science, Reason and Modern Democracy
The Purpose of the Symposium
Founded in 1989 in the Department of Political Science at Michigan State University, the Symposium on Science, Reason, and Modern Democracy and the LeFrak Forum are centers for research and debate on the theory and practice of modern democracy. They sponsor lectures, conferences, publication, and teaching, as well as graduate, post-doctoral, and senior fellowships. Their specific mission is to explore the intersection of philosophy and public policy: to place theoretical issues in practical context and policy issues in philosophical perspective. Founded in in the Department of Political Science at Michigan State University, the Symposium on Science, Reason, and Modern Democracy and the LeFrak Forum are centers for research and debate on the theory and practice of modern democracy. They sponsor...
SYMPOSIUM ON SCIENCE, REASON AND MODERN DEMOCRACY AWARDED NEH GRANT
MSU earns NEH award to fund Symposium, Reason, and Modern Democracyby Tom Oswald (from MSU Today) September 9, 2004 - MSU has been awarded a “challenge grant” from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) — a first for MSU — for the purpose of creating a permanent endowment for the Symposium on Science, Reason and Modern Democracy. The Symposium, also known as the LeFrak Forum sponsors lectures, conferences and publication, as well as graduate, post-doctoral and senior fellowships — all devoted to the theme of “the theory and practice of modern democracy.” Founded in 1989, the Symposium has sponsored more than 200 lectures on the MSU campus; played host to more than a dozen international conferences in locations such as Lisbon, Munich and Budapest; and overseen a large array of publications, including proceedings from the conferences. “This challenge grant is both an honor and a challenge,” said Arthur M. Melzer, MSU political science professor and one of the program’s three co-directors. The honor is in the fact that MSU is one of only 17 institutions and one of only two universities in the country to receive such a grant. Additionally, MSU was one of only four institutions to earn a special “We the People” award, a unique recognition for model projects that advance the study and teaching of American history and culture. But the challenge, Melzer said, lies in the fact that, to receive the full $500,000, MSU must match these funds on a three-to-one basis.“The clock is ticking,” he said. “We have only three-and-a-half years in which to raise the $1.5 million match.” The specific mission of the Symposium — drawn from the tradition of liberal education — is to explore the intersection of philosophy and public policy, said Richard Zinman, forum co-director and a University Distinguished Professor of political theory in MSU’s James Madison College. “We seek to place theoretical issues in practical context and policy issues in philosophical perspective,” he said. The forum aims to produce politically balanced and intellectually rigorous programs that bridge the divide between the social sciences and humanities as well as between the university and the outside world. This grant is the most prestigious national award given for a program of this kind,” said Marietta L. Baba, dean of the MSU College of Social Science. “It is a fitting tribute to an excellent program.” MSU earns NEH award to fund Symposium, Reason, and Modern Democracyby Tom Oswald from MSU Today September, - MSU has been awarded a challenge grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities NEH a first for MSU for the...
