Renewing American Civilization

Request for Funding
June 1, 1993

Summary

Beginning in the Fall Quarter of 1993, and again in the Winter Quarters of 1994, 1995 and 1996, Congressman Newt Gingrich will teach a for-credit class offered through the School of Business Administration at Kennesaw State College, in Kennesaw, Georgia. In addition to the 150 graduate and undergraduate students who enroll for the class on campus, it will be offered through a satellite uplink and through video and audio cassettes to students across the country.

The class will explain the core pillars of American civilization as it has developed over 250 years and apply these central truths to the challenge of renewing American civilization for the 21st century.

Kennesaw State College and its tax-deductible foundation, the Kennesaw State College Foundation, are committed to supporting the development of the class and ensuring that it is made available to as many Americans as possible. His proposal requests funding, on a one-time or multi-year basis, to support these goals. The program will be conducted under the auspices of the Kennesaw State College Foundation, and is budgeted at $291,775 per quarter.

The Class

Renewing American Civilization [GBA 890/490] will be taught in ten two-hour lectures, held on Saturday mornings from 8:30-10:30 a.m., on the campus of Kennesaw State College. Each lecture will be taught by Congressman Newt Gingrich, who received his Ph.D. in History from Tulane University and spent seven years as a college professor prior to being elected to Congress.

While the class is offered through the School of Business Administration, the substance is derived from Mr. Gingrich's expertise as an historian and his experience as a national leader. In addition, a distinguished panel of reviewers and "co-editors" will work with Mr. Gingrich throughout the four-year period to develop and improve the curriculum.

This review and editing group already includes approximately 100 of America's leading thinkers and scholars, and is anticipated to grow to 500 or more during the four-year process of creating and improving the curriculum.

The ten topics that will be covered in the course lectures are:

I. Understanding American Civilization II. Personal Strength III. Entrepreneurial Free Enterprise IV. The Spirit of Invention and Discovery V. Quality and Deming's Profound Knowledge Vl. Applying American History VII. Application #1: Economic Growth VIII. Application #2: Health and Wellness IX. Application #3: Inner Cities X. Citizenship for the 21st Century

A comprehensive syllabus for the class is in preparation; copies are available upon request. The class will be supported by a book of ten readings, to be published by McGraw-Hill this August, which includes articles by George Gilder, Everett Carll Ladd, Steven Covey and Congressman Gingrich.

The Students

Approximately 150 graduate and undergraduate students will take the class for credit at Kennesaw State College in each of the four years it is offered. The vast majority of students, however, will participate at remote sites across the country, either by satellite or by obtaining video or audio tapes of the lectures. It is anticipated that these students will include:

Students on other college campuses where the class will be offered on a for-credit basis through a team-teaching arrangement;
Businessmen and employees, who will participate as part of company staff development programs;
Professionals, who will take advantage of the Continuing Education Credits being offered by Kennesaw State College for class participants;
Members of civic and community groups, who will participate in order to learn the principles by which they can implement constructive changes in their own communities;
American citizens, in groups and as individuals, who are interested in better understanding the core principles of the American idea and how these principles can be applied to create a successful 21st century America.

There is no way to predict precisely the number of students who will take the class during the four years it will be offered. However, based on previous experience with such projects, it is anticipated that 50,000 students may take the class during its first offering in the Fall of 1993, and this number is expected to grow for subsequent offerings.

The Class Development Program

It is important to understand that the content of the class, while ultimately the responsibility of Congressman Gingrich, will be developed in collaboration with dozens --and ultimately hundreds-- of America's leading thinkers and practitioners. Among those already committed to participating in this process are intellectuals (Edwards Deming, Everett Carll Ladd), management consultants (Steven Covey, Daryl Conner), journalists (Bob Novak, Dick Williams, Joe Klein), political and government leaders (Lamar Alexander, Clarence Thomas) and business leaders (Tucker Andersen, Richard Scrushy).

The process of coordinating and compiling comments and suggestions from what is expected to be a growing and active group of "co-editors" is a substantial undertaking. As indicated in the attached budget, the Kennesaw State College Foundation is employing one full-time "class coordinator" to provide staff support for this task. It is expected that this person's role will ultimately include coordinating the efforts of volunteer working groups formed around each of the ten topics of the class, which will help to synthesize input received from supporters, participants and others interested in the class.

The Outreach Program

The decision to make the class available by teleseminar and through audio and video tapes was reached on the basis of the very enthusiastic response Congressman Gingrich and Kennesaw State College received to the initial announcements that the project was underway. Time after time, those who heard about the class asked the question, "how can I participate?"

In order to make the class available to the largest possible number of students, Kennesaw State College and the Kennesaw State College Foundation are providing for the class to be captured on video, both for immediate satellite broadcast to sites across the country and for subsequent distribution by audio and video tape.

As indicated in the attached budget, the bulk of the funds requested in this proposal are for the purposes of supporting the video "uplinking" of the class itself, plus an aggressive outreach program designed to make potential students aware of the class and of how they can participate.

This program includes:

A professional but relatively inexpensive television production and satellite uplink of the class as it occurs each Saturday morning; Printing and distribution of approximately 100,000 flyers describing the class and soliciting registrants; Printing and distribution of information to help potential seminar leaders find sites and solicit fellow students and a supplementary "seminar leaders" guide to facilitate discussions at remote sites; A full-time "downlink coordinator" (already on staff at the Kennesaw State College Foundation) to coordinate the registration process and to work directly with seminar leaders.

Finally, it should be noted that distribution of the course book, video tapes and audio cassettes --along with much of the infrastructure (data base, incoming telemarketing capability)-- is being financed through fees charged for course registration and for the video and audio tapes. This part of the budget, projected at approximately $1.2 million, is therefore entirely self-financing.

Supporting "Renewing American Civilization"

This proposal solicits support from individuals, corporations and foundations to allow the Kennesaw State College Foundation to undertake the activities described above.

The Kennesaw State College Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization under the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, and all contributions to the Foundation are thus deductible for Federal tax purposes. (In many cases these are deductible for state tax purposes as well.)

Contributions of any size are, of course, welcomed. An explicit effort will be made to acknowledge contributions in the following categories:

Sponsors: Individuals, corporations and foundations which contribute $50,000 or more to the Renewing American Civilization project will be recognized as "Sponsors." Sponsors have the option to receive prominent recognition at the beginning and end of each Renewing American Civilization broadcast, including the video and audio tape reproductions of the broadcasts, and in all printed matter distributed in conjunction with the course. In addition, sponsors will work directly with the leadership of the Renewing American Civilization project in the course development process [1], will be provided extensive personalized support in establishing seminar sites at locations of their choosing and will have the option of registering up to three students on site at Kennesaw State College. [2]

Patrons: Individuals, corporations and foundations which contribute $25,000 or more to the Renewing American Civilization project will be recognized as "Patrons." Patrons will receive recognition in the Renewing American Civilization broadcasts and in selected printed materials. Patrons will also receive extensive personalized support for their own sites and will be invited to participate in the course development process. Patrons have the option of registering one student on site at Kennesaw State College.

Friends: Individuals, corporations and foundations which contribute $10,000 or more to the Renewing American Civilization project will be recognized as "Friends." Friends receive recognition at the conclusion of the final Renewing American Civilization broadcast and in selected printed materials. Friends also will receive extensive personalized support for their own sites and be invited to participate in the course development process.

[1] Complete editorial control of course content lies, of course, with Congressman Gingrich, in conjunction with Kennesaw State College.

[2] Credit status for these registrants will be the option of Kennesaw State College.