George wins Bradley Prize

Professor Robert George and political commentator George F. Will '66 were named two of the four winners of the Bradley Prize last week, an honor bestowed annually on public intellectuals and academics by the Lynne and Harry Bradley Foundation, a prominent conservative group.

George and Will, who will receive $250,000 each, were chosen from more than 100 nominees by a committee made up of conservative heavyweights such as Thomas Rhodes, president of the National Review, a leading national opinion journal; Charles Krauthammer, a syndicated columnist and past winner of the prize; Robert Bork, a renowned legal scholar; and Jean Kirkpatrick, a Regan foreign policy adviser.

Michael Grebe, the foundation's president, noted that the winners were being recognized for their achievement with regard to the foundation's purpose, described on its website as "strengthening American democratic capitalism and the institutions, principles and values that sustain and nurture it."

Grebe described George, the McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence, as a "brilliant scholar." He particularly noted George's contributions in the areas of natural law — a theory that posits that the standards that govern human behavior are, in some sense, derived from the nature of humans — and constitutional philosophy, along with his service in government as a member of President Bush's bioethics council.

Grebe also singled out George's leadership of the University's James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions. "We think that [it] is an outstanding program, and we believe and we hope that it would become a model for other colleges and universities across the country," he said.

Will, a Pulitzer Prizewinning author who appears on ABC's "This Week," was described by Grebe as one of the nation's "leading conservative commentators."

George said the news of his winning the prize was unexpected. "I'm still in something of a state of shock," he said. "I feel deeply honored to be receiving it."

Will, who is traveling, was unavailable for comment.

Noting the Madison Program's "conservative orientation," Grebe acknowledged the foundation's interest in furthering the cause of conservative scholarship, particularly on college campuses.

"We clearly put ourselves within the group of conservative foundations who have been quite effective over the past several years in developing public policy from the conservative perspective," Grebe said of the foundation's aim.

George said he was gratified to have his work with the Madison Program recognized, particularly at a time when civic education in colleges is lacking.

"I'm very pleased with what we've been able to do to contribute to enhancing the quality of teaching and scholarship in the field of constitutional studies and related areas here at Princeton, and I certainly hope what we're just doing here — making a special effort — will be emulated at other schools," George said. "Far too often we think of civics as only a kind of high school enterprise."

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Though George agreed with a description of him as "conservative" — in spite of shifting labels and his concern about what they mean — he stressed that the Madison Program is not, by definition, conservative.

"We don't have a program for the liberals and a program for the conservatives. That's not how we've chosen to do things around here," George said. He added that programs are naturally affected by those who lead them, taking on a particular "coloration."

George's work with the program has won accolades beyond the Bradley Foundation. In a recent Wall Street Journal oped noting the resurgence of conservative thought on college campuses, Brian Anderson wrote, "Princeton's right-leaning students have formed a little platoon around the Madison Program."

Indeed, for one conservative student on campus, the Bradley Prize is a strong affirmation of George's work, both within and outside the Madison Program.

"I think it is a wonderful recognition — especially in the instance where his politics are to the right of his peers — [that] he can be awarded the higher levels of distinction," said Duncan Sahner '06, editor of the Princeton Tory. "This award helps raise the profile of how solid Prof. George's scholarship is and it might draw people to look at Prof. George's colleagues, because for sure he's certainly not the only guy in the conservative spectrum."

At this time, George isn't entirely sure how he will put his money to use.

"I'm reflecting on what to do with the money," he said, adding, "I strongly believe in charitable giving — a sizeable portion will be given to charitable giving."

The other winners of the prize are Ward Connerly, founder of the American Civil Rights Institute and an outspoken advocate of programs that exclude race and gender consideration, and Heather MacDonald, a legal scholar at the Manhattan Institute, a prominent conservative think tank.