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What an enthusiastic, smart, and committed bunch of students we had this summer at the Mises University. The faculty agrees. This was an exceptional year. What encouragement it is to see so many young people taking up the cause of the free economy.

We've become used to receiving more qualified applications than we can accept. But we were stunned by the flood this year. Twice as many top young people could have been let in, if we'd had room.

And never before has the quality of the students been this high. They had done the reading in advance. They came prepared to study and learn. They paid careful attention to all lecturers in a tight schedule. They left ready to dedicate their academic lives to excellence in every area, and even more committed to the ideals of freedom.

We are so grateful to all who helped make this, the most impressive and important of all our programs, possible.

There is no question that the Mises University has made a massive difference in the world of ideas. These students leave inspired to pursue a full-time academic career. That means that they are the college professors of the future, ready to teach their own students the value of economic liberty.

The philosophy of the Mises University goes way beyond merely introducing ideas on a variety of topics. We set out to achieve what you hardly find anymore in college: a systematic, integrated program to instill a logical and coherent body of ideas from beginning to end.

It's an ambitious agenda, but we've honed the program over the years to get the best out of the time, and provide the best possible education.

These days, with the web and digital communication, there is no shortage of spotty commentaries from every perspective. What students truly lack is a disciplined understanding that goes from the beginning to the end of a discipline — the way Mises's own Human Action is structured. We've taken this structure and made it into a teaching program that would make Mises very proud.

As I look through the student evaluations, they confirm what all my conversations with students indicated: they were completely blown away by what we offered.

Altogether the program offered more than 60 sessions that permitted students to choose among a variety of research programs. A tremendous amount of preparation time is necessary or else students could easily fall behind. They can take rigorous oral examinations and face the prospect of failure, passing, honors, and even cash prizes. All of this takes high intelligence, courage, and stamina.

They worked very hard, not only for the prizes but also for the other awards. There was high drama! But for those who are accepted and do the work, no experience is as intellectually rewarding.

Even after an exhausting dawn-to-dusk program, students and faculty were still discussing economic theory and policy in informal sessions at dinner and in social hours.

Economics is not the only subject covered. The program also dealt with history, philosophy, and law, as a way of showing that economics cannot be considered in isolation from life and society. All told, this is a powerful package, and it has to be, in order to displace the parade of fallacies that students are subjected to in today's colleges and universities.

While it is true that only those accepted can attend, we never want to miss an opportunity to get the word out. So we broadcast every lecture. You could hear them all live from everywhere in the world.

With technology and dedication, what amazing things can be accomplished with the support of those who love freedom. With thousands of graduates, the Austrian School now has a large and growing presence in the world of ideas.

The future is very bright indeed. To know it, you would only have had to spend a few minutes with the students who have been with us this summer. They know that with the Mises Institute, they have a structure of support that will be there throughout their lives.

Completing a PhD and entering academia requires that students set aside the normal advantages of a career, and pursue an ideal. Their solace — and it is a great one — is in the truth they teach, and the good they do, now and for generations to come. It is their calling, their vocation.

We must be there for them. We don't need government to assist us. In fact, we don't want its "help." We only want the freedom to do our work and the freedom for you to assist us in it with an investment in the future.

Please help us with next year's Mises University. We want to bring in many more good students, continue to broadcast all the proceedings around the world on video and audio, and teach everyone the values and ideas we share. We want to strike an even more powerful blow against leviathan. We want to train and motivate the leaders of the future. This is how we can ensure the survival, and the eventual victory, of liberty.

Here are some student comments: