Jack Miller Center

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The Jack Miller Center (JMC) describes itself as a non-partisan nonprofit private operating foundation dedicated to enriching education in America’s founding principles and history. It has also been described as part of the right-wing movement to fund professors and research to advance the conservative movement.[1] A study by the Center for Public Integrity found that JMC used its funds, including money from the Koch brothers, "to help bankroll academic programs that “reinvigorate the teaching of America’s founding principles and history” at 45 institutes of higher education, from Harvard University to American University to the University of California, Los Angeles."[2]

JMC was founded by millionaire Jack Miller "after first collaborating with the 55-year-old Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI), which promotes conservative thought on campus."[1] At one point, ISI sued JMC employees based on allegations that ISI donor and other "proprietary" information was taken when JMC became "independent" of ISI, a conservative think tank but it appears that lawsuit was resolved.[3]

Koch Wiki

Charles Koch is the right-wing billionaire owner of Koch Industries. As one of the richest people in the world, he is a key funder of the right-wing infrastructure, including the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and the State Policy Network (SPN). In SourceWatch, key articles on Charles Koch and his late brother David include: Koch Brothers, Americans for Prosperity, Stand Together Chamber of Commerce, Stand Together, Koch Family Foundations, Koch Universities, and I360.

Ties to the Koch Brothers

JMC was given nearly $1 million by the Charles G. Koch Foundation betwen 2008 and 2012, the most recent year for which data is available. A 2014 report by the Center for Public Integrity found that "Koch proselytizing of government deregulation and pro-business civics is increasingly targeted not just at creatures of Capitol Hill, or couch sitters in swing states, but also at the hearts and minds of American college students, as well." CPI reported that in 2012 alone, the Kochs spent millions

"to fund dozens of academic scholarships and internships, numerous think tanks and education-focused organizations, such as the Philadelphia-based Jack Miller Center. The latter is a nonprofit that used $250,000 in Koch money to help bankroll academic programs that “reinvigorate the teaching of America’s founding principles and history” at 45 institutes of higher education, from Harvard University to American University to the University of California, Los Angeles."
[2]

Activities

JMC lists three types of programs it supports: educational programs such as seminars and workshops; fellowships and grants, primarily post-docs and research fellowships; and support for "Partner Programs" at colleges and universities (listed below). According to its website, JMC's programs are aimed at "enriching education in America’s founding principles and history."[4] The Center for Public Integrity has reported that such academic centers, supported in part by funding from the Koch brothers and other conservative sources, tend to support "academic programs or centers that teach theories and principles aligned with the Kochs’ convictions about economics and public policy" such as deregulation and pro-business policies.[2]

Partner Programs

JMC listed the following partner programs on its website as of June 2014:[4]

  • Adam Smith Program, University of Richmond
  • American Democracy Forum, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • American Founding Initiative, Boise State University
  • Center for American Studies, Christopher Newport University
  • Benjamin Franklin Project, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Benjamin Franklin Project, Illinois Institute of Technology
  • Center for American Studies, Columbia University
  • Center for Legal Studies, Northwestern University
  • Center for the Liberal Arts and Free Institutions, UCLA
  • Civic Education Project, George Mason University
  • Civil War Era Studies Program, Gettysburg College
  • Classical Tradition in Learning & Leadsership, Louisiana State University
  • Cline Center for Democracy, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
  • Colloquium on the American Founding, Amherst College
  • Committee on Social Thought, University of Chicago
  • Common Intellectual Experience, Ursinus College
  • Conference on American and Jewish Legal Thought, DePaul University
  • Constitutional Studies, University of Notre-Dame
  • Daniel Webster Project, Dartmouth University
  • David Hume Forum, Loyola University, Chicago
  • Davis Political Theory Forum, UC-Davis
  • Department of Politics, Lake Forest College
  • Forum on Constitutional Democracy, University of Missouri
  • George Washington Forum, Ohio University
  • Gerst Program in American Values and Institutions, Duke University
  • The Modern World, Claremont McKenna College
  • James Madison College; Department of Political Science, Michigan State University
  • Jepson School of Leadership Studies, University of Richmond
  • Kent Forum, IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law
  • Miller Forum for Civics Education, Florida Atlantic University
  • Montesquieu Forum for the Study of Civic Life, Roosevelt University
  • Political Theory Project, Brown University
  • Program in Constitutional Government, Harvard University
  • Program in Democracy and Citizenship, Emory University
  • Program in Political Thought and Leadership, Arizona State University
  • Program on Constitutionalism and Democracy, University of Virginia
  • Program on Freedom and Free Societies, Cornell University
  • Program for Study of the American Heritage, Boston College
  • Project for the Study of Liberal Democracy, Rhodes College
  • Project on Liberty and American Constitutionalism, Utah State University
  • Ryan Center for the Study of Free Institutions, Villanova University
  • The Charles Carroll Program, College of the Holy Cross
  • The Forum for Citizenship and Enterprise, Northwood University
  • The Phronesis Program in Politics and Ethics, University of Houston
  • The Project on American Democracy and Citizenship, University of Montana
  • Tocqueville Forum, Georgetown University
  • Tocqueville Forum, Indiana University
  • Washington D.C. Political Theory Colloquium, American University
  • Western Heritage Program, Carthage College
  • Yale Center for the Study of Representative Institutions, Yale University

Personnel

Staff

As of June 2014:[5]

Academic Council

As of June 2014:[5]

Funding

While the Jack Miller Center does not disclose its donors, it received almost $1 million from the Charles G. Koch Foundation from 2008-2012 and $369,000 from the conservative Bradley Foundation from 2010-2012. JMC stated in its 2013 annual report that it had surpassed $50 million in revenue since its founding in 2007.[6]

Core Financials

2013[6]

  • Total Revenue: $6,686,763
  • Total Expenses: $6,557,086

Contact Information

Address:
Jack Miller Center
3 Bala Plaza West, Suite 401
Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004
484-436-2060
jmc@gojmc.org

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Patricia Cohen, "Conservatives Try New Tack on Campuses," New York Times (Sept. 22, 2008), http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/22/education/22conservative.html?pagewanted=print
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Dave Levinthal, "How The Koch Brothers Are Targeting The Hearts & Minds Of College Students," Center for Public Integrity, March 27, 2014. Accessed June 19, 2014.
  3. ↑ Ella Powers, "Conservative Group Says Inside Information Got Out," Higher Ed (Oct. 19, 2007), http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/10/19/isi
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Jack Miller Center, Programs, organizational website, accessed June 19, 2014.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Jack Miller Center, Our Staff, organizational website, accessed June 19, 2014.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Jack Miller Center, 2013 Annual Report, organizational report, accessed June 19, 2014.
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