Tocqueville Forum

The Rev. James V. Schall Award for Teaching and Humane Letters

The Tocqueville Forum

 on the Roots of American Democracy

 

is pleased to announce the creation of the annual

The Rev. James V. Schall, S.J. Award

for Teaching and Humane Letters

 

The Rev. James V. Schall, S.J. Award for Teaching and Humane Letters has been created to honor individuals who embody the teaching excellence and scholarly breadth and impact of the Rev. James V. Schall, S.J., Professor of Government at Georgetown University. A renowned teacher and prolific author, Father Schall’s contributions defending classical liberal learning and his engagement with the enduring questions about “what is” have influenced generations of students and readers. The Award will be conferred annually upon an individual who shares Father Schall’s commitment to liberal education, the great books, and the philosophical and religious tradition of the West. The Award is $5,000. The recipient will deliver a lecture in conjunction with the Award ceremony at Georgetown University.

In creating the Rev. James V. Schall, S.J. Award, the Tocqueville Forum on the Roots of American Democracy honors the example of Father Schall and calls attention to the permanent need for such teachers and scholars. It further acknowledges the debt that students owe to great teachers. As Father Schall has written in his book A Student’s Guide to Liberal Learning, “students … ‘owe’ something to their teachers; to wit, their interest, their study habits, their good will, their diligence, their very capacity to learn something they do not already know….The kind of ‘owing’ I have in mind here reaches to issues of honor, of integrity, and above all, to the effort it takes to know the truth for its own sake.” The Rev. James V. Schall, S.J. Award will acknowledge our debt to truth-seeking teachers of integrity and honor.

Out of just such a sense of obligation, Michael Maibach – a former student of Father Schall – and The Maibach Foundation have generously supported the creation of this Award. The Tocqueville Forum is grateful for his generosity and will confer the Award in the same spirit of gratitude. Presentation of the second annual Award is planned for Spring 2009.

Contact/Nominees: Professor Patrick Deneen: by email or by phone at 202-687-5708.