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Celebration Marks Opening of Objectivist Graduate Center THE AYN RANDINSTITUTE THE CENTERFOR THE ADVANCEMENTOF OBJECTIVISM voL.9, NO.1 APRTL1994 CelebrationMarks Openingof ObjectivistGraduate Center To celebratewhat was describedby PeterSchwarb as "a momentousevent characterizedby quiet, proud, benevo- lent excitement,"faculty, students,ARI staff and supportersall gathered at the Fullerton (CA) Marriott Hotel on Sun- day aftemooryJanuary 23, and offered a toast to the successof the Ayn Rand Institute's newly-created Objectivist GraduateCenter. In the same room which 13 hours later would becomethe fint classroom for the first courseof the first graduate school for Objectivist studies, Michael Berliner,Executive Director of the Ayn Rand Institute, introduced each of the founding faculty members: Dr. Harry Binswanger,Mr. PeterSchwartz and Dr. LeonardPeikoff. The audience first heard Dr. Bins- wanger expresshis vision of the school OGC participant6 gather at oponing colobration (clockwieel David Haniman, Petcr Schwartz, Gary Hult, as "a full immersion in Objectivism- Leonard Poikoff, Onkar Ghate, Anna Franoo. Michael Borlinor,Danicl Drako, Harry Binawanger moming, noon and night. What we're doing," he said, "is almost more than a premier semester:Daniel Drake, Anna school;it's an apprenticeshipprogram." Franco and David HarrimarL all doc- Then Mr. Schwartzlikened the oc- toral students at Claremont Graduate casionto the first run of the John Galt School, Dr. Gary Hull, who teaches Line saying,"Objectivism is our equiva- BusinessEthics at Claremont, and lent of ReardenMetal, the OGC is our Onkar Ghate,a doctoral student at the John Galt Line, the celebrationtoday is University of Calgary,Alberta, Canada, our statementto the world that Objec- who moved to Califomia to attend the tivism is the track of the future and... OGC. Two other local students were that it will hold." unable to attend the celebration: Dr. Finally, glassesof champagnewere Darryl Wright, assistantprofessor at passedaround, and Dr. Peikoff, after Harvey Mudd College, and Linda somebrief comments,invited tlre audi- Reardarl Claremont doctoral student enceto join in the following toasf "I see The remaining six students,attend- this as an historic moment in the pas- ing the classesby teleconferencing,live sagefrom conceivingthe philosophy to out of state: Adam Mossoff, graduate dominatingthe world. To the successof student at Columbia University, NY; this step, I ask you all to rise." Dna Garmong, Robert Garmong and To the sound of clinking cham- Paul Blair, all graduate students at the pagne glasses,well-wishers toasted the University of Texas,Ausdn; Dr. Robert successof the OGC, and the "ribbon- Mayhew, Assistant Professorat Seton cutting" ceremonywas complete. Hall University, NJ, and Ron Cum- At the center of the celebrafionwere mings, graduatestudent at the Univer- five of the 13 students chosen for the sity of Pitbburgh. r Campus Clubs: | 993 Videotapes Clab*porcord slnwings of ARI's videdqes, boud AmsterdamBusiness School ARI provided tlu follovhg litardure for disffiu- d no costto tlu clubs,reulud alinost3,800 peoplc. fuizona State University tbn at cbb pmtuionaltfrb, rmdhgs ndevct*. Tiile............. .........Showing* rAtlantic Community College ftenr....,........ Quantity -....... An Introductionto Objectivism....................33 oUniversity of Western Australia ..............3,315 ARI Brochure The Moral Basisof Freedom...27 Boston University lndividualism: IntroducingObjectivism ...................... 5,800 = University of British Columbia Socialism Fascism ............14 An ObjectivistBibliography .. ...............3,260 2 Cal. Staie Polytechnic Univ. - Pomona Conservatism:The Antithesisof Capitalism..... Ployboy'sInteruiew with Ayn Rand.......4,1E5 10 Cal. State University - Fullerton Why lohnnyCan't Think ........................... Who NeedsIt? ................4,5E0 University of California - Berkeley Philosophy: The OminousParallels .......... 15 University of California - Davis Man's Rights/Nahrreof Government...... 3,787 Medicine:The Deathof a hofession............13 University of California - Los Angeles The Anti-hdustrialRevolution ............. 3,29 S Religionvs. America ............15 University of California - San Diego Objectivism:A Brief Summary...........z,Effi My ThirtyYears with Ayn Rand.................12 rUniversity of California - San Francisco Religionvs. America .....3,130 Why ShouldOne Act on Principle?..............17 University of SouthernCalifornia Educationand Barbarism ..,...............,. 2,540 Montessori: A PhilosophicPerspective ......... 14 RationalEgoism in TheFomahhead ........... l7 Camegie-MellonUniversity Environmentalists/NewLife-Haters,,.,..,. 2,770 University of Chicago Literatureand LiteraryTheory .................... ll WestemCivilization vs. Primitivism..,... 2,385 University of Chicago l:w School The His0oryof IndividualRights ................. l6 Racism.......... ..... 6,750 University of Cincinnati Diversity: The New The Virhreof Selfishness .......15 University of Northern Colorado Libertarianism ..............1,450 Debatel9E4: Capitalismvs. Socialism..........14 University of Connecticut SuggestedReading List .................,.... 2,980 DebateI 990: Capitalismvs. Socialism.......... 23 CopenhagenUniversity @enmark) OPARinfonnational flyer ...................2,170 Sanctionof the Victims .......... 3 Cornell Urd!trrsity-- TheM€aning of Mcinej......... :. -.;.. - :-650- frtdl nirfrCr of showingsin 1992............271 Delfi University of Technology Total 1993Irterantre dktibuion .......55,907 Total audicnce(avg. 15 per showing)...... 4,065 rDrake University Duke University " Un de rstan di n g Ohje ctivis m " Drexel University This l2-lectrre course was given by Leonard Peikoff to a live audiencein 19E3. ARI loans out, at no BmemonCollege cost, a limited number of copies of the audiotapeto campusclubs that have a sufftcient number of mem- Florida Strte University bers ready to learn how to integrate Objectivism more fully. In 1993, over 70 studentsfrom 11 clubs University of Florida of the opportunity tro hear these tapes. rUniversity of South Florida, New College 0ook advantage aGeorge Mason University SpeakersBureau GeorgeWashirgton University rGeorgia Institute of Technology University of Gothenburg(Sweden) University of Illinois rlndiana University alowa State University olimma Institute of Health Sciences@thiopia) Irhigh University Univemity of Louisville University of Melbourne (Australia) Michigan State University University of Michigan University of Minnesota University of New Hampshire University of New Mexico NorthwesternUniversity University of Western Ontario Oregon State University University of Oregon OsgoodcHall ffi (Ontatio) University of Oslo (Norway) PennsylvaniaState University RensselaerPolyrechnic Instihtte tUniversity of Richmond osacramentoState University rUniversity of SantaClara oSarah lawrence College SienaCollege Stanford University University of Stockholm (Sweden) Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Tel Aviv University Qsrael) University of Tennessee oTexas Tech University University of Texas - Austin University qf Toronto, New College University of Utah University of Washington University of Waterloo (Ontario) rWells College Wayne State University Wlliams College University of Wisconsin - Madison eYork University (Ontario) ) = n€ht or reactivated chtb SophisticatedTools Link ClassroomNationwide With the help of technology un- availableten years ago, the Objectivist GraduateCenter linls graduatestudenb across the country enabling them to take courseswhile continuing to pursue their degrees.The tools: teleconfereng- ing, the fax machine and, ultimatelY, videoconferencing. Initially, Harry Binswanger'stele- phone seminars were conducted through an 800-1ine.Students would call and be patched (or bridged) into a con- ferenceline with the other students. Using the bridge that was alreadY in placethe Institute added a soundsta- tion with higher resolution than the On Teaching Philosgphy" saminar in his homa Lggqrg{ P9i!9!f -lgachos hie "Workshop speakerphone. The black metal device sits in the OGC classroom[ke an addi- OGC FromConcept To Reality tional student and makesit possiblefor It started with a plea for help. ate education always headed the list of sfudents from New York, Texas,Vir- Roughly fifteen years after the last ser- projects to begin as soon as finances ginia, and elsewhereto hear and be ious Objectivist graduate students in made it feasible."When contributions heard as part of the class. philosophy had received their doctor- increasedsignificantly, the Objectivist Even while the OGC operates in ates,the fint philosophy sttrdentsof the GraduateCenter was bom. this functional, and relatively simple new generation began their struggles LeonardPeikoff, Harry Binswanger method, ARI is exploring the next step through the universities. TWo students, and Peter Schwartz were the obvious toward emulating a classroom:video- new to graduate school, telephoned choices as OGC core professots.All conferencing. Mchael Berliner at ARI and urged him three possessthe required backgrounds A 'data highway' network is in to organize telephone seminars with in philosophy, teaching and writing. place acrossthe country for video- Harry Binswanger. Thus began ARI's Dr. Peikoff'sbackground is unique: conferencingwith equipmentprovided graduate training program. during the thirly yearc he knew Ayn by such diverse carriers as local and "The horror of graduate school trig- Rand, she subjected his thinking and longdistance phone companies,cable gered
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