FORMER CONGRESSMEN FRANK R. WOLF (R-VA) AND TONY P. HALL (D-OH) JOIN ATHENAI TO ANNOUNCE FRANK WOLF-TONY HALL FELLOWS PROGRAM Eight students in four regions around the country will lead the university divestment movement in their states.
Washington, DC
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July 28, 2022 12:28 PM Eastern Daylight Time
The Athenai Institute, a non-partisan, student-founded 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to removing the influence of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from colleges and universities throughout the country, unveiled the Frank Wolf-Tony Hall Fellows Program. Athenai will select 8 politically engaged undergraduate leaders from around the country to serve as the vanguard of its campaign for university divestment from entities tied to the Chinese government and its human rights abuses.
The program will combine education with advocacy, equipping students with the skills and expertise they will need to become lifelong leaders. The Fellows Program is named for former members of Congress Frank R. Wolf, a Republican who represented Virginia’s 10th Congressional District between 1981 and 2015, and Tony P. Hall, a Democrat who represented Ohio’s 3rd Congressional District between 1979 and 2002. While in office, Congressmen Wolf and Hall were staunch and politically courageous advocates for human rights whose commitment to doing what was right transcended party lines. Now, Athenai is proud to have their support as it seeks to bring these same values to campuses around the country.
As part of the program, fellows will work directly with Athenai’s national leadership to advocate for universities to eliminate their entanglements with the Chinese government and its proxies, including investments held through their endowments, contracts with businesses, and research partnerships. Fellows will also participate in biweekly virtual seminars hosted by experts in key aspects of Athenai’s mission as part of the organization’s Agora Program. After completing the program, fellows will become part of Athenai’s alumni network, providing regular opportunities for young leaders who share a commitment to human rights, free inquiry, and the independence of our academic institutions to network through Athenai and partner organizations as they begin their professional careers.
“On campuses across the country, momentum is building for our student-driven divestment movement,” said John Metz, Athenai’s President. “This new program is a major step forward in holding institutions of higher education accountable and ensuring that universities feel the growing pressure to live up to their stated ideals. The Fellows Program represents Athenai’s biggest investment yet in the next generation of leaders who will speak truth to power and demand that our leading educational institutions disentangle themselves from the CCP.”
“The Athenai Institute is carrying the torch of human rights and democracy into the next generation,” said Former Congressman Frank R. Wolf. "Their work to empower college students to create change on a bipartisan basis could not be more important."
“While serving in Congress and as an Ambassador, I sought to show America's commitment to building hope in the world,” said Former Congressman Tony P. Hall, who served as United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture from 2002 to 2006. "Today, the students of the Athenai Institute are part of that same mission. I am proud to stand with these students as they seek to effect change on their campuses and around the world."
Details about the program can be found on Athenai’s website.
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Athenai is a non-partisan, student-founded 501(c)(3) formed in May 2020 to remove the influence of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from American college campuses. Athenai advocates for student governments and university administrations to close Confucius Institutes, divest of investments and other financial entanglements with the Chinese government, and establish policies and mechanisms to prevent the CCP from encroaching on academic discourse and the independence of academic institutions.
To support Athenai's work, please visit https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/athenaiinstitute.
For more information or to schedule an interview with an Athenai spokesperson, please contact Dan Rene at 202-329-8357.
Contact Details
Athenai Institute
John Metz
+1 804-615-5838
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