Happy Labor Day! We invite you to continue the celebration by joining us on Thursday for a special discussion of vocational education and the American dream.

Plus, tune in next week for a discussion of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and for the virtual launch of NAS's new case study on Qatari funding of American higher education.

More on our upcoming webinars:

Join NAS this Thursday, September 8, at 2 pm ET, for a special webinar on vocational education and the American dream.

A traditional four-year college degree is often considered the only viable approach for many students leaving high school, particularly if those students want to have a shot at a middle-class lifestyle and the "American dream." But is a four-year degree, which often requires taking on tens of thousands of dollars in debt, truly the only way? Or are there alternatives to traditional higher education?

Career and technical education programs are often absent from the conversation, but these offer a robust and accessible way to a good life for many. Why are these programs so often considered less valuable or less attractive for students? And how can we change that?

This webinar will feature David Ferreira, former teacher, coordinator, and principal of a vocational-technical school and co-author of Hands-On Achievement: Massachusetts's National Model Vocational-Technical Schools; Ted Hadzi-Antich Jr., Associate Professor of Government and founder of the Great Questions Project at Austin Community College; and Chris Sinacola, co-author of Hands-On Achievement.

The discussion will be moderated by Jamie Gass, Director of the Center for School Reform at the Pioneer Institute.

To learn more about the event, click here. 

Join NAS next Tuesday, September 13, at 2 pm ET, for a discussion of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.

“And I like large parties. They’re so intimate. At small parties there isn’t any privacy.”

What makes The Great Gatsby a great American novel? How does the idea of the American dream permeate the novel? Who influenced Fitzgerald's writings, and whom did his writings influence?

This webinar will feature William Blazek, Professor of American Literature and Modern Culture at Liverpool Hope University and Vice President of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Society; Sarah Churchwell, Chair in Public Understanding of the Humanities at the School of Advanced Study at the University of London; Lee Oser, Professor of English at the College of the Holy Cross; and Nicolas Tredell, Extramural Lecturer in Literature at the University of Sussex.

The discussion will be moderated by David Randall, Director of Research at the National Association of Scholars.

To learn more about the event, click here. 

Join NAS next Thursday, September 15, at 2 pm ET, for the virtual launch of our new case study "Outsourced to Qatar."

Qatar has become a major donor to American universities in recent years. Between 2001 and 2021, the petro-state gave universities at least $4.7 billion. Though the country may be small, its donations to American universities present large ethical and security concerns.

The webinar will feature NAS's new case study on Northwestern University's branch campus, as well as our recent exposé on Texas A&M's failure to report $100 million in Qatari funds.

Panelists include Neetu Arnold, Senior Research Associate at the National Association of Scholars and lead author of Outsourced to Qatar; Dan Currell, Fellow at the National Security Institute and former Deputy Under Secretary and Senior Advisor in the U.S. Department of Education; and Michael Rubin, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

The discussion will be moderated by Ian Oxnevad, Program Research Associate at the National Association of Scholars.

To learn more about the event, click here. 

If you can't attend the events live, you can still register to watch the recordings. All registrants will receive a follow-up email with a link to the recording shortly after each event.

If you have missed any of our past events or webinars, you may find all of our recordings here: https://www.youtube.com/user/NAScholars/videos.

I look forward to seeing you in the virtual audience!
 

Best,
Chance Layton
Director of Communications
National Association of Scholars