Special Edition, June 30, 2010

Board Directs Search for Permanent East Coast Campus

The John Jay Institute's Board of Governors resolved to relocate the Institute from Colorado to the northeastern region of the United States, preferably to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This decision is contingent upon finding the friends, funding and facilities to support the move. The Board's decision is principally motivated by its organizational strategy to directly engage American society at its cultural, civic and commercial centers of influence.  
 
As an inter-collegiate organization committed to developing principled public leaders, the Institute desires to lead and inspire not only its students and supporters, but other faith-based non-profit organizations in a vanguard effort to re-engage America's first cities. The Institute's first choice of relocating to Philadelphia is informed by the city's symbolism as America's birthplace, its historical significance to John Jay and the other American founders, its abundant archeological and architectural features of America's founding, its strategic location in the heart of the northeastern "Megapolis", and the lower operating costs relative to the region.
 
"I couldn't be more pleased with this decision," said Dr. Claude Pressnell, Chairman of the Board.  "It makes both strategic and operational sense. I can't think of a better place to inspire young leaders with America's constitutional principles than Philadelphia. America was born in Philadelphia. It's the logical place to re-commit and re-inspire leaders with the American ideals and institutions that made this country great."
 
In the months to follow, the Institute will be planning for and seeking the funding to effect its relocation to the northeastern United States.

ORIENTING EAST TO AMERICA'S ROOTS

First Principles Needed for Country’s Future West

Philadelphia, Penn. – There is a great case to be made that America’s future is in the West. Prior to the War for Independence Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin found British policy toward the colonials to be incredulous because his own statistical study demonstrated that the British Empire’s demographic center would soon shift to North America. George Washington’s Mt. Vernon estate overlooked the Potomac River, what he believed to be the gateway to America’s future in the West. Thomas Jefferson not only purchased the Louisiana Territory, but he later oriented the University to Virginia to face the West in hope of the future. In his many foreign diplomatic roles John Jay labored tirelessly to secure the navigation rights of the Mississippi River for America’s future in the West. More recently President Barak Obama has seen the strategic import of the American West. He accepted his party’s nomination in Denver, Colorado and last year announced his economic “stimulus” plan in the city of “Wall Street – West.”

For nearly five years, the John Jay Institute has operated in Colorado at the foot of a mountain discovered by the Jefferson administration explorer – U.S. Army Lieutenant Zebulon Montgomery Pike – and in a beautiful city founded by a Philadelphia Quaker turned Civil War General and railroad engineer – William Jackson Palmer. Colorado has been a wonderful place to incubate the John Jay Institute in the first five years of its organizational life.  Yet, at its most recent board meeting, the Institute’s Governors voted to relocate the Institute on the East Coast with priority preference for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The late Russell Kirk, architect of modern American conservatism, argued that America is the historical consequence of the civilizing values of four ancient cities that converged in a fifth city more modern. Jerusalem bequeathed to America the Jewish and Christian religions. Athens seeded democracy. Rome offered republican virtues. London provided a model of constitutional limited government with corresponding rights and duties. In the 18th Century these  ideals and values converged in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and gave birth to the American Order.

 There are numerous strategic and operational reasons for the John Jay Institute to relocate to Philadelphia: (1) Geographic centrality in the Northeastern “Megapolis” midway New York and Washington, D.C., (2) Easy access to Ivy League and top-tier universities for student recruitment as well as cultivation of faculty networks, (3) Close proximity to other like-minded organizations in New York, Princeton, Wilmington and Washington, D.C., (4) Easy access to Washington, D.C. to better serve Institute Fellows during their field placements as well as alumni in their career placements, (5) Lower costs of operation relative to the region.

While all of these reasons are sound, perhaps the most compelling reason to relocate the Institute to Philadelphia is the city’s history, symbolism, cultural relevancy and the inspiration that this place provides for those who believe in the permanency of principles. In Philadelphia the Institute can claim America’s first city as its campus. Imagine the curriculum enhancement when Fellows learn about American principles while visiting Carpenters’ Hall where the First Continental Congress convened or Independence Hall where the Second Continental Congress and Constitutional Convention convened, or Congress Hall where the Bill of Rights was adopted, or the First Bank of the United States where Alexander Hamilton’s economic philosophy and vision laid the financial foundation of American enterprise and prosperity, or Christ Church where many of the founders worshiped, or City Tavern where men of principle and prudence brokered the political deals with a port or porter in hand, or the Old Supreme Court where John Jay presided as the first Chief Justice of the United States.

With the founders the Institute believes that America’s future is in the West, but the outcome of that future is very much in question. Today the Western states and states elsewhere are a battleground over competing ideologies, not political first principles.  The future that we boldly want to imagine is one in which new leaders are informed and inspired by the enduring principles of the American founding. Kirk was wont to describe conservatism as a temperment, not an ideology. In his view conservatism was not nostalgia for the past, but rather deference to the wisdom of the ages in light of prospects for the future. This is exactly the temperment we want to communicate to Fellows at the John Jay Institute. Philadelphia is arguably the best place to be informed and inspired by American ideals and institutions while gaining wisdom and insight into their relevancy for America’s future.

JOHN JAY INSTITUTE FELLOW PROFILE: JOHN BALONZE

Education: Columbia University, B.S.; Fulbright Fellow, Galatasaray Universitesi; L'Institute d'Etudes Politques, M.A.; Regent University School of Law, J.D.; Universidad Abat Oliba, J.D.

Hometown: Woodland Park, New Jersey

Although he initially adhered to the typical conception of a merit-based relationship between God and man, John’s later exposure to the Gospel of grace led him into an intellectual and spiritual transformation. Realizing that self-interest was no virtue, he learned that surrendering completely to God’s will is required of the Christian. This spiritual pilgrimage from self-interest to the service of others piqued his intellectual curiosity in exploring the ideals of political liberty and the moral foundations of a just society. The John Jay Institute provided a thoroughly Christian integrative learning experience that helped him build a solid spiritual and intellectual foundation for his future. After his academic residency at the Institute, John interned at the U.S. Department of State. Ultimately he expects to be working in the fields of American constitutional law and international law and foreign policy in Europe, the Middle East, or Latin America.

What was the most memorable aspect of the Fellowship?

The opportunity to be taught by a world-class faculty was a true gift for me; one that I will always be reminded of as I remember the class gift we presented to the Institute, the replica of the British Royal Navy flagship, HMS Victory, whose commander, Adm. Horatio Nelson, was known for leading the vanguard at the Battle of Trafalgar with the famous words, “England expects that every man will do his duty.”

What was the most challenging aspect of the Fellowship?

Community. For some people, this comes naturally, but for more introverted individuals such as myself, who find themselves most comfortable reading a book or engaging in solitary activity, it can be challenging to spend so much time in a group setting. I enjoy friends but it was a real challenge for me to adjust to the informal “classroom” of the residence.

How has the Fellowship prepared you for your future vocation?

It gave me the opportunity to network, serve in the U.S. Department of State and ultimately shaped my vocational plans. Prior to the fellowship, I would not have considered entering the Judge Advocate General Corps of the U.S. military. Now, I am enthusiastic about this service to my country.

Tell us about your future plans.

I will spend the balance of the year serving at the U.S. Department of State, and next year, I will accept a commission to serve as an attorney for the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General Corps.

What would you say to the donors who funded your Fellowship?

This program changes lives. The Fellowship inducted me into a true fraternity of like-minded peers and a network of men and women dedicated to sacrificing for the love of freedom and the service of God. I can’t overemphasize the degree to which alumni have gone out of their way for me, helping on various tasks, from the offer to help me find an apartment in Washington D.C. to the advice I received from alumni currently serving in the J.A.G. Corps of the U.S. military. There is a net under me of solid friends that I can turn to for help and that I can help, as a result of the Institute’s amazing ability to bring people together. Although this fraternity is still young, I believe it has the power in the long term to change the landscape of American politics. Thank you for providing me with this remarkable education. I feel truly prepared to engage in conversation on the great thinkers that have formed and continue to shape Western civilization, from the ancient Greeks to the modern voices, and to articulate the reasons undergirding my beliefs.
 

OLD CITIES AND AMERICA'S FUTURE
Revisiting a Conservative Classic: The Roots of American Order by Russell Kirk

By Brian Brown

President Ronald Regan’s former speechwriter Peggy Noonan recently argued that modern liberalism boils down to this promise: “Trust us here in Washington; we will prove worthy of your trust.” With oil gushing into the sea and money gushing out of Washington, this pledge begs skepticism. But over time, kings and “the people” have all had their chance to rule nations, and all have seen catastrophic failures. Whom should America trust with its future?

It was to answer this question that Russell Kirk wrote his book The Roots of American Order (originally published in 1974). In it, he beautifully chronicled the history of America before America—the story of the cities and men who would build the foundation for America’s future, beginning thousands of years before Columbus was born. Kirk wrote, “It is not simply the people living in any one year whose opinions we must consult, but more amply the conclusions of all the generations that have preceded us in time—a kind of filtered wisdom of the human species.”

Every nation, Kirk argued, must make policy based on historical experience—not on the genius or power of one man or group. When the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia in 1775-6, the worldwide consequences were not the product of infallible men. Rather, they were the product of the combined experience of four other cities—Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, and London.

Today, tourists see historic Philadelphia as a city of 1776. But Kirk, and those present in July 1776 saw it as a city bearing in its cobblestone streets the wisdom of the ages. It was as if the red brick of Independence Hall carried with it the cedar of the Temple of Solomon, the pillars of the Parthenon and the Forum, and the intricate stonework of the Houses of Parliament. Through these five cities, Americans had learned the art of self-government. By studying the forgotten richness of their  history, Kirk hoped, Americans might rediscover that vanishing art—and with it, their own future.
 

Brian Brown is a Fellow at the El Pomar Foundation in Colorado Springs, Colo. Previously he worked at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. as a Research Associate. Mr. Brown is member of the John Jay Institute’s inaugural class of Fellows in 2007 and a graduate of Princeton University.

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