The benefactor behind The T.W. Lewis Foundation, Tom Lewis, set the record straight on Friday about his decision to pull funding from the ASU-Barrett Center for Personal Development.
Lewis’ decision to pull the funding comes after the executive director of the Center said, in an opinion piece published in The Wall Street Journal, that she was being fired and the Center was closing because she organized an event featuring Charlie Kirk, Robert Kiyosaki and Dennis Prager.
Ann Atkinson noted that the February event “outraged” faculty members at ASU’s honors college, Barrett, which houses the center.
Lewis’ statement appears to support her claim to an extent.
“After seeing this level of left-wing hostility and activism, I no longer had any confidence in Barrett to adhere to the terms of our gift, and made the decision to terminate our agreement, effective June 30, 2023,” stated Lewis in a press release. “I regret that this decision was necessary, and hope that Barrett and ASU will take strong action to ensure that free speech will always be protected and that all voices can be heard.”
Over the years, ASU has become increasingly intolerant of speech, especially conservative speech. So much so that in June, Arizona State Rep. Austin Smith called on the Arizona Board of Regents to investigate allegations that officials at ASU have frequently quashed free speech. Smith’s concerns centered around Atkinson’s allegations and the case of student Tim Tizon, who was arrested and charged “for handing out copies of the U.S. Constitution on campus.”
“It is my understanding that those charges have finally been dropped,” advised Smith, referring to Tizon. “Nonetheless, this student required the services of national free-speech legal advocates, embarrassing the university and the State. Then just this past week, an ASU employee reported in an editorial to the Wall Street Journal that at least two employees involved in the arranging of speakers for a career and life advice event were recently terminated.”
Three Barrett Honors College professors, Jenny Brian, Michael Ostling, and Alex Young, were seen as especially aggressive in their apparent attempt to shut down conservative voices and the Kirk Prager event, arguing that only inclusive persons belong on university campuses.
The three professors argued in an opinion piece in the Arizona Republic that anyone who did not hold “inclusive ideals” should be barred, but claimed they weren’t opposed to all conservative speakers.
According to AZFree News, the “on-campus marketing of the controversial event was removed following the complaint letter,” which was signed by 37 of 47 Barrett faculty members.
A thoughtful perspective by highly respected and nationally known ASU Professor @dr_owenanderson https://t.co/CnqvW2hyee
— Ann Atkinson (@Ann_Atkinson_AZ) June 29, 2023
Lewis statement in its entirety:
“The T.W. Lewis Foundation had a successful relationship with Barrett Honors College for over 20 years. Initially, we funded individual scholarships, and by 2015 we had approximately 40 active scholarship students at Barrett. In 2020, we expanded our support to include all students and created the T.W. Lewis Center for Personal Development. This center included several faculty members with courses on entrepreneurship, self-awareness, career management, and success and happiness. The program also included a full-time director, a speaker series, and a regular schedule of workshops. The purpose of the program was to “better prepare students for the challenges and opportunities of life.” Throughout this 20-year period we had a great working relationship with Barrett’s dean, Mark Jacobs, who retired at the end of the 2021-2022 academic year.
As part of its speaker series, the Lewis Center scheduled a major event on February 8, 2023, at Gammage Auditorium titled “Health, Wealth & Happiness,” featuring Dennis Prager, Charlie Kirk, Robert Kiyosaki, and Dr. Radha Gopalan. Because these were mostly conservative speakers, we expected some opposition, but I was shocked and disappointed by the alarming and outright hostility demonstrated by the Barrett faculty and administration toward these speakers. Instead of sponsoring this event with a spirit of cooperation and respect for free speech, Barrett faculty and staff exposed the radical ideology that now apparently dominates the college.
After seeing this level of left-wing hostility and activism, I no longer had any confidence in Barrett to adhere to the terms of our gift, and made the decision to terminate our agreement, effective June 30, 2023. I regret that this decision was necessary, and hope that Barrett and ASU will take strong action to ensure that free speech will always be protected and that all voices can be heard.
In March 2019, the T.W. Lewis Foundation, Tom Lewis – CEO of Scottsdale-based real estate business T.W. Lewis Company – and his wife Jan gave a $2.5 million gift to Barrett to support student personal development and success.
The couple designated their generous gift for two purposes: $1.5 million to establish and fund the T.W. Lewis Center for Personal Development at Barrett Honors College on the ASU Tempe campus and $1 million to go toward the construction of a $10 million Barrett Honors College Student Success Center.
Under the leadership of a full-time director, four faculty members, and an assessment coordinator, The T.W. Lewis Center offered a speaker series and specialized curriculum. It offered assistance with “personal development, career coaching, self-awareness assessments, leadership training, networking opportunities, and courses on finding success and happiness.”