Ayn Rand Institute - Programs

Programs

ARI runs a variety of programs:

  • Free books to schools. ARI offers to give to high schools classroom sets of Ayn Rand's novels Anthem, The Fountainhead, and Atlas Shrugged. ARI also continues this program at the university level by offering professors free review copies of Rand's writings.
  • Student essay contests. ARI sponsors essay contests on Anthem, The Fountainhead, We the Living and Atlas Shrugged. Students worldwide submit essays based on questions about Rand's novels which stress her ideas and their importance in today's world. The Anthem essay contest is for 8th, 9th, and 10th graders, with a top prize of US$2,000; the essay contest on The Fountainhead is for 11th and 12th graders, with a top prize of US$10,000; the essay contest of "We the Living" is for 10th, 11th and 12th graders, with a top prize of US$3000; and the Atlas Shrugged essay contest is for 12th graders, college undergraduates, and graduate students, with a top prize of US$10,000. The institute has offered 521 prizes for the 2009 contests, totaling US$81,250.
  • Campus clubs. ARI offers copies of essays, pamphlets, and recorded lectures, and provides live speakers to Objectivist clubs at universities and high schools.
  • The Objectivist Academic Center. ARI runs an educational program called the Objectivist Academic Center (OAC), which conducts classes on Objectivism and related fields.
  • Student assistance. ARI offers financial assistance to students applying to graduate school, and provides mentors for OAC students.
  • Academic outreach. ARI offers free copies and classroom sets of Rand's books to professors, as well as class syllabi which include Ayn Rand.
  • Media appearances. Intellectuals from ARI often appear on radio and television, and their op-ed articles and letters to the editor have appeared in many major newspapers.
  • Public lectures. ARI fellows frequently give public lectures in Orange County, California. They also lecture elsewhere, including college campuses across the U.S.
  • Ayn Rand Bookstore. ARI operates the Ayn Rand Bookstore, which sells lectures and other materials from Objectivists.
  • Objectivist conferences. ARI organizes a conference each summer which features lectures and dance classes from Objectivists.
  • Internship. ARI offers a three week summer internship each year to promote Rand's ideas, philosophy and novels. The program consists of both education and work portions. Interns are introduced to different philosophies, different approaches to economics, Rand's philosophical ideas and Rand's fiction. The internship stresses the idea of rights and how they are understood in an Objectivist framework. Interns are encouraged to ask questions to develop a better understanding of the ideas Rand promoted, rights, economics and politics. Mini work seminars are held to help establish basic skills that will be useful in a professional work setting. Current events are discussed and debated. At the completion of the internship, each person receives a verbal and written evaluation of their performance. Besides the personal development and education interns acquire, each intern receives a travel stipend and scholarship. (Based on 2011 information, for more information please check www.aynrand.org directly).

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