Wheatley Institution

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Jack and Mary Lois Wheatley Institution of Brigham Young University (BYU) is a think tank whose mission is to "lift society by preserving and strengthening its core institutions".[1] As of 2019, the institution's director is Paul S. Edwards,[2] who succeeded Richard N. Williams,[3] its first director.[4]

The organization started in 2007 and was founded through the efforts of Jack Wheatley. Wheatley previously spent more than 20 years on the board of Stanford University's Hoover Institution and wanted the new BYU institution to fulfill somewhat the same role.

In October 2009, the Institution sponsored a symposium opposing the New Atheism.[5]

The institution regularly invites outside speakers, such as Zbigniew Brzezinski and Condoleezza Rice, organized by its senior fellow, Amos Jordan, who previously had been president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC.

During the 2012-2013 academic year, the institution sponsored a series of speakers on scientism. Speakers included Daniel N. Robinson, Peter Hacker, Richard G. Swinburne, Bas van Fraassen, Lawrence Principe, Kenneth F. Schaffner, and Roger Scruton.

The board of overseers consists of:[6]

  • Jack Wheatley, chair; a northern California real estate developer
  • Charles S. Wheatley, vice-chair; Principal, Wheatley Financial Consulting LLC
  • Kevin J Worthen, member; president of BYU
  • Merrill J. Bateman, former president of BYU
  • Alan Ashton, member; business executive
  • Bruce Christensen member; business executive
  • Shane C. Reese, member; BYU Academic Vice President
  • Jane Clayson Johnson, member on leave; TV news correspondent; public speaker

References[]

  1. ^ "About the Wheatley Institution" [1]
  2. ^ "Paul Edwards, Author at Wheatley Institution". Wheatley Institution. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
  3. ^ "Farewell". Wheatley Institution. 2019-06-11. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
  4. ^ Walch, Tad (2019-06-11). "BYU's Wheatley Institution to be led by member of Utah Gov. Gary Herbert's staff". Deseret News. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
  5. ^ Michael De Groote, "What's so new about the 'new atheism'", Deseret News, November 5, 2009
  6. ^ Wheatley Institution: Directors and Members
Retrieved from ""