In the fall of 1987 I was a senior economics major at the University of North Carolina, looking at options for graduate school. By chance, I found a flyer for a five-year-old organization called the Ludwig von Mises Institute. I was thrilled — I was already an enthusiastic, if unsophisticated, fan of Mises and the Austrian school of economics, and was amazed that someone had named an institute after him! That someone, of course, was Lew Rockwell, and a letter of inquiry about graduate fellowships led to a phone interview with Murray N. Rothbard, Mises’s former student and the Institute’s academic vice president, a visit to Stanford University for the Institute’s summer instructional conference (what became Mises University), and the most important relationship of my professional life.
I went on to earn my PhD, become a tenured professor, and spend my days researching and teaching Austrian economics, speaking at Mises Institute events, writing for its publications, and following its work. Next year I will go to Auburn to serve as the Institute’s Executive Director and the inaugural Carl Menger Fellow. The Mises Institute continues to be the world’s leading center of research, teaching, and outreach in the tradition of Mises and the Austrian school, and its beautiful campus in Auburn is the center of the action.
It’s hard to believe it’s been 30 years since Lew founded the Institute, working from his dining room table, working with indefatigable energy and the help of Rothbard, one of the truly creative geniuses of our time. In those three decades, the Institute has achieved so much. Thank you for making all of this possible. Your continued support is crucial in this fight for sound ideas and sound policies. We can do nothing without the help of good people like you. Thank you!
