Building on his legacy of public service, The George Nethercutt Foundation is founded on the belief that greater emphasis must be placed on knowing our country, its history, and how and why our economic system is the world's best.
The Need
The National Assessment of Educational Progress has been evaluating the condition of American education since 1969. The 2007 civics report card showed that American school systems are failing in the area of civics education, and young people are not becoming informed, engaged citizens of our country. Students who obtain a working knowledge of civics during their college years are more likely to vote and be part of civic dialogue than students who do not learn about the founding of America, the economic system which governs and sustains us, and the institutions that drive public policy. Furthermore, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute’s National Civic Literacy Board (2005 and 2006) tested 14,000 freshmen and seniors at 50 U.S. colleges and universities on 60 multiple-choice civics questions (take the quiz at www.americancivicliteracy.org). The average 2005 score was 53.2 percent – a failing grade. In 2006, the college seniors again failed all civics subjects.*
*For more information or to read the complete report, visit www.americancivicliteracy.org.
The Mission
Too frequently, public policy discussions quickly deteriorate into partisan rhetoric. If a message gets communicated as “Republican” or “Democrat”, the merits of that message, however worthy they may be, are quickly lost on the audience, especially younger adults.
As noted, many students today lack the exposure to a solid foundation in economics and the essentials of a free enterprise system–the founding principles that have made America great. These are the principles that inspire leadership, and first hand exposure to them is what will propel American government, business, foreign affairs into the new century.
Now, more than ever, we need young people to make informed, independent and objective judgments on the vital issues confronting our nation and the world. It is the purpose of The George Nethercutt Foundation to develop in young adults an understanding of government, business, public policy issues and civics, and to foster leadership qualities that will add value to their communities and create a new generation of principled leadership across America.
To accomplish its mission, the Foundation provides fellowships and leadership development opportunities for college students. Through leadership forums, didactic lessons and a real-world, inside-the-beltway experience, The George Nethercutt Foundation forges tomorrow’s leaders, giving them first-hand knowledge of the U.S. democratic process and how it can be used to better both our country and the world at large.
