Intercollegiate Studies Institute

For other uses, see ISI.

Intercollegiate Studies Institute

Abbreviation	ISI
Formation	22 June 1953 (71 years ago) (22 June 1953)
Founders	Frank Chodorov William F. Buckley Jr.
Type	nonprofit
Tax ID no.	23-6050131
Legal status	501(c)(3)
Purpose	education
Headquarters	3901 Centerville Rd Wilmington, Delaware 19807-1938 United States
President	John A. Burtka IV[a]
Chairman	Thomas E. Lynch
Revenue	$7,078,238[b] (2020[c])
Expenses	$6,195,894[b] (2020[c])
Website	isi.org

The Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) is a nonprofit educational organization that promotes conservative thought on college campuses.^[1][2] It was founded in 1953 by Frank Chodorov with William F. Buckley Jr. as its first president.^[3] It sponsors lectures and debates on college campuses, publishes books and journals, provides funding and editorial assistance to a network of conservative and libertarian college newspapers, and finances graduate fellowships.^[4]

Some financial information about the organization is published on their website (for FYE 30 June 2021);^[5] however, their financials shown on their website differ somewhat from their filed IRS Form-990.^[6] For their fiscal year ending 30 June 2021,^[b] their donations were $5,809,831, their revenue was $7,078,238, and their expenses were $6,195,894.

History

In 1953, Frank Chodorov founded ISI as the Intercollegiate Society of Individualists, with a young Yale University graduate William F. Buckley Jr. as president.^[7][8] E. Victor Milione, ISI's next and longest-serving president, established publications, a membership network, a lecture and conference program, and a graduate fellowship program. ISI has been teaching various forms of intellectual conservatism on college campuses ever since.^[9] In the 1980s, ISI and its journal Continuity, edited by Paul Gottfried, were known to feature some neo-Confederate views.^[10]

Past ISI president and former Reagan administration official T. Kenneth Cribb led the institute from 1989 until 2011,^[11] when Christopher G. Long took over. Cribb is credited with expanding ISI's revenue from one million dollars that year to $13,636,005 in 2005.^{[citation needed]} John A. Burtka IV became president of ISI in September 2020.^[12] ISI lists its core beliefs as limited government, individual liberty, personal responsibility, the rule of law, free-market economics, and traditional Judeo-Christian values.^[3] ISI is a member of the advisory board of Project 2025,^[13] a collection of conservative and right-wing policy proposals from the Heritage Foundation to reshape the United States federal government and consolidate executive power should the Republican nominee win the 2024 presidential election.^[14]

Programs and activities

ISI runs a number of programs on college campuses, including student societies and student papers. It publishes a series of "Student's Guide to..." books, such as A Student's Guide to Liberal Learning.^{[15][third-party source needed]} It hosts conferences and other events featuring conservative speakers and academics, and provides funding for students to attend. In this funding capacity ISI is affiliated with the Liberty Fund.^{[citation needed]} ISI administers the Collegiate Network, which provides editorial and financial outreach to conservative and libertarian student journalists.^[16][17]

Publications

Periodicals issued by ISI include:

• The Intercollegiate Review (ISSN 0020-5249)^[18]
• The Academic Reviewer (ISSN 0567-6487)^[19]
• The Political Science Reviewer (ISSN 0091-3715)^[20]

In the fall of 2006, ISI published the findings of its survey of the teaching of America's history and institutions in higher education. The Institute reported, as the title suggests, that there is a "coming crisis in citizenship."^{[21][22][verification needed]}

ISI Books

Until 2023, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute operated ISI Books, which published books on conservative issues and distributed a number of books from other publishers.^[23] Its focus was largely on the humanities, the foundations of Western culture, American history, and conservative political themes. In 2023, ISI Books was acquired by Regnery Publishing.^[24][25]

In the summer of 2005, ISI Books published It Takes a Family: Conservatism and the Common Good, by Pennsylvania Republican Senator Rick Santorum. The book premiered at No. 13 on the New York Times Best Seller list. Passages from it generated controversy during Santorum's 2006 reelection campaign and his 2012 presidential campaign.^[26]

See also

• Collegiate Network
• Students for Academic Freedom
• Traditionalist conservatism

Notes

1. Burtka became president on 21 September 2020
2. IRS Form-990 yr2020
3. Fiscal-Year-Ending 30 June 2021

References

1. Honan, William H. (6 September 1998). "A Right-Wing Slant on Choosing the Right College". The New York Times.
2. Clymer, Adam (9 November 2014). "Philip M. Crane, Former Illinois Congressman and Conservative Leader, Dies at 84". The New York Times.
3. "ISI - About". Intercollegiate Studies Institute. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
4. Wood, Kate; Binder, Amy (2013). Becoming Right: How Campuses Shape Young Conservatives. Princeton University Press. pp. 104–111. ISBN 978-0691145372. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
5. "ISI - Financials". Intercollegiate Studies Institute. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
6. "ISI - Form-990 yr2020" (PDF). Intercollegiate Studies Institute. 14 March 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
7. Nash, George (2014). The Conservative Intellectual Movement in America Since 1945. Open Road Media. ISBN 9781497636408.
8. Gillian Peele, 'American Conservatism in Historical Perspective', in Crisis of Conservatism? The Republican Party, the Conservative Movement, & American Politics After Bush, Gillian Peele, Joel D. Aberbach (eds.), Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011, p. 29
9. Colapinto, John (25 May 2003). "ARMIES OF THE RIGHT; The Young Hipublicans". New York Times Magazine. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
10. Sebesta, Edward H.; Hague, Euan; Beirich, Heidi, eds. (2009). Neo-Confederacy: A Critical Introduction. United States: University of Texas Press. p. 31.
11. "T. Kenneth Cribb, Jr". Young America's Foundation. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
12. "Johnny Burtka Appointed as New President of ISI". ISI. 31 August 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
13. "Advisory Board". The Heritage Foundation. Archived from the original on 19 November 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
14. Mascaro, Lisa (29 August 2023). "Conservative Groups Draw Up Plan to Dismantle the US Government and Replace It with Trump's Vision". Associated Press News. Archived from the original on 22 September 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
15. Student's Guide to the major disciplines Archived 2012-08-25 at the Wayback Machine Intercollegiate Studies Institute.
16. Beer, Jeremy; Jeffrey, Nelson; Frohnen, Bruce (20 May 2014). American Conservatism: An Encyclopedia. Open Road Media. ISBN 978-1497651579. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
17. Alonso, Johanna (8 February 2023). "Creating an Outlet for Conservative Student Voices". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
18. Kirk, Russell (1 June 1968). "Magazines". Library Journal. Vol. 93, no. 11. p. 2221.
19. Troy, Tim (October 1977). "Review Sources". Serials Review. 3 (4): 32–33. doi:10.1080/00987913.1977.10763030.
20. Pilachowshi, David (July 1976). "Book Reviewing Tools". Serials Review. 2 (3): 86. doi:10.1080/00987913.1976.10762983.
21. "Most College Graduates Flunk 'Civic Literacy,' Group Says". The Chronicle of Higher Education. 21 November 2008.
22. "College Makes Students More Liberal, but Not Smarter About Civics". The Chronicle of Higher Education. 5 February 2010.
23. "ISI Books". Intercollegiate Studies Institute. 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
24. "Regnery Publishing Buys ISI Books". Publishers Weekly. 23 February 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
25. "ISI Books". Regnery Publishing. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
26. Falcone, Michael (17 March 2012). "Rick Santorum Was Warned That 2005 Book Could Become Fodder For Political Attacks". ABC News. Retrieved 9 May 2023.

External links

• Official website
• "Intercollegiate Studies Institute Internal Revenue Service filings". ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.

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