2019 Winter Update

DEAR FRIENDS AND SUPPORTERS,

We write to give you an update on the Manhattan Institute (MI)’s latest work and to share exciting news from the Institute’s board of trustees: two weeks ago, the board voted to appoint Reihan Salam as MI’s next president. He will assume the role this spring. Please join us in congratulating Reihan and celebrating this forthcoming new chapter in the life of the Institute.

America today faces significant challenges, some of which were less well known but a few years ago. Prominently, while some of the nation’s major cities have flourished, other parts of the country have languished—setting up an urban–rural divide that increasingly defines our national politics and frames the public conversation. With the appointment of Reihan, MI will be well positioned to lead the national discourse on this and many critical issues, developing and applying our core principles of economic choice and individual responsibility anew.

Reihan’s experience and personal story make him an ideal choice to lead MI in this present context. He is Brooklyn-born and bred. At 39, he is young—and brilliant, with an intellect and breadth of policy knowledge rivaled by few. Having written for publications across the ideological spectrum, from National Review to The Atlantic to Slate, he has garnered a reputation for rigor and intellectual honesty, following the facts where they lead.

As you will read in the enclosed Winter Update, Reihan joins MI at a time when the Institute is developing fresh ideas to uplift struggling communities and people in cities and states across America. In the area of education reform, for example, MI senior fellow Oren Cass has explained how the “college-for-all” mentality has warped the U.S. education system, denigrating work in skilled trades. To provide millions of kids with alternative pathways to success, Cass calls for reinvigorating vocational education and restoring honor to blue-collar jobs. So, too, has MI sought to highlight the indispensable role of civil society in breaking cycles of poverty and instilling the virtues that lead to stable families. MI’s new Tocqueville Project, launched this year, seeks to educate Americans about how citizens, self-organized into voluntary associations and supported by private philanthropy, are working to address a host of social ills—often far more effectively than can government.

We could not be more optimistic as we look to MI’s future. There is much work to be done, and we know that we could not do it but for the generosity of our donors. I hope that after reviewing the enclosed update, you might find us worthy of your support.  Moreover, we hope to see you at the Alexander Hamilton Award Dinner on Wednesday, May 1, where we will honor Larry Mone and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and celebrate the work of the Institute and its scholars.

To request an information packet about MI, contact support@manhattan-institute.org.