Scheduled April 7-10 at Northwood University

Northwood University will hold its 44th Freedom Seminar, “America at a Crossroads: Challenges and Opportunities for the Next Generation,” April 7-10, 2022.

The Northwood University Freedom Seminar is an annual three and a half day symposium on the free enterprise system led by leading academics and business leaders. The purpose of the Freedom Seminar is to investigate current business and economic topics of greatest interest to academic and business circles.

“Compared to previous generations, polls show that young Americans are more negative about the current state of the world,” said Dale Matcheck, who chairs Northwood’s economics department and co-organizes the Freedom Seminar. “It’s no surprise, having come of age during the War on Terror, the Great Recession, the COVID pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and other historically significant events that shaped their worldview. . On the other hand, surveys also show that young people today are also more optimistic than previous generations about their future and confident in their ability to have a positive impact on the world.

Matchcheck noted that Northwood University shares his optimism, but we know it won’t be easy.

“At this year’s Freedom Seminar, we will look at some of the key challenges and opportunities facing their generation,” he added. “The sessions will revolve around three main areas of concern for young people: the economy, the environment and society.

This year’s program includes:

• Opening speech by stephen mooreFreedom Works and Jonathan WilliamsAmerican Legislative Exchange Council

• “Leave Me Alone and I’ll Make You Rich: How the Bourgeois Accord Made the World Richer”, by Art CardenSamford University

• “The Ingrained Problems of Political Economy: From Plato to Generation Z”, by Daniel J. SmithMiddle Tennessee State University

• “The post-Covid economy”, by Timothy G. Nashdirector of the McNair Center for the Advancement of Free-Enterprise and Entrepreneurship at Northwood University

• “You Can’t Print Prosperity”, by Harry VeryserUniversity of Detroit-Mercy

• “A Political Agenda for Generation Z”, by Michael TanerCATO Institute

• “Seven Principles of Free Market Environmentalism”, by Jason HayesMackinac Center for Public Policy

• “How Entrepreneurs Drive Sustainability,” a panel of Northwood faculty

• “Seven Principles for Sound Energy Policy,” by Jason Hayes, Mackinac Center for Public Policy

• “Removing Barriers to Upward Mobility”, a Northwood faculty panel

• “Transport Transformation”, by Derek KaufmanSchwartz Advisors, LLC

• “Coping with Cancel Culture”, a virtual presentation of the Leadership Institute

• “Parents, Children and Education”, a Northwood faculty panel

• “The Future of America”, featuring Georges Leef from the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal