Texas Tech University

About the Institute

Mission and Vision

The Free Market Institute at Texas Tech University advances research and teaching related to the free enterprise system and the institutional environment necessary for it to function well. The Institute promotes scholarship that crosses disciplinary boundaries, providing a forum that encourages and values discussion and rigorous debate regarding all aspects of free markets. The Institute coordinates programs at Texas Tech University and Angelo State University that engage both university communities, the broader Lubbock and San Angelo communities, and public and scholarly communities across the nation and the world.

The Institute achieves these ends through:

  • Affiliated Faculty — The Institute recruits emerging scholars and recognized experts in fields related to the Institute's mission to join the faculty at Texas Tech and Angelo State.
  • Teaching — Institute faculty and staff offer courses for undergraduate and graduate students at both universities in the following departments/areas:
    • Area of Energy Commerce & Business Economics
      (Jerry S. Rawls College of Business Administration)
    • Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics
      (Gordon W. Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources)
    • Department of Political Science
      (College of Arts & Sciences)
    • Department of Accounting, Economics and Finance
      (Norris-Vincent College of Business).
  • Research — Institute faculty and staff pursue independent and collaborative scholarly research and participate in Institute-sponsored research programs.
  • Public Speaker Series/Visiting Scholars Program — The Institute hosts scholars from around the world, who deliver public lectures and research presentations.
  • Graduate Fellowships — The Institute awards fellowships to promising doctoral students, who aim to become researchers and teachers at other domestic and international institutions.
  • Undergraduate Programs — The Institute operates a reading group and sponsors seminars for students interested in exploring ideas related to the Institute's mission.
  • Outreach — Institute faculty and staff members write articles for popular audiences, give television, radio, and podcast interviews on issues, and deliver public lectures at events across the country and the world.
  • External Service — Institute staff support the administration and governance of external professional associations focused on research and education in fields related to the Institute's mission.

Board of Directors

The Institute's Board of Directors provides advice and counsel on the Institute's affairs. Board members include individuals from the Texas Tech community, as well as other academic and business communities. Current board members are listed below.

  • Joseph Heppert — Vice President for Research & Innovation, Texas Tech University
  • Benjamin Powell — Executive Director, Free Market Institute, Texas Tech University
  • Eduardo Segarra — Emeritus Professor of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Texas Tech University
  • F. Scott Dueser — Former Chairman of the Board of Regents, Texas Tech University System and Chairman, President & CEO, First Financial Bankshares, Inc.
  • W. Grady Rosier — President & CEO, McLane Company, Inc. (Retired)
  • Peter Boettke — University Professor of Economics and Philosophy, George Mason University
  • J.R. Clark — Scott L. Probasco, Jr. Distinguished Chair of Free Enterprise Emeritus, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

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