The author of his own American success story, Henry Salvatori dedicated the last chapters of his life to philanthropic endeavors, especially those promoting liberty, freedom, and the strengthening of civil society. When he helped establish CMC's first research institute in 1969—the Henry Salvatori Center for the Study of Individual Freedom in the Modern World—Salvatori honored his experiences as a young immigrant to a land of opportunities, by ensuring the ongoing study of—and support for—freedom and its underpinnings in the American founding and Constitution.

"All of us associated with the center believe there's great value in returning to the thoughts of the Constitution's framers," says Joseph Bessette, CMC's Alice Tweed Tuohy Chair of Government and Ethics, and the center's associate director. "Democracy was a question mark back then. Everything was up for grabs, so issues such as the place of religion in a free society were often addressed more clearly and directly than they are today."

"We're interested in freedom and the conditions of freedom," adds center director and government professor Charles Kesler. "The relationship between culture and freedom, for example, or between economics and freedom, are questions we delve into."

While such questions may appeal to today's intellectually curious undergraduate, issues of freedom are rarely pressing for those who grew up in America in the 1980s and 1990s. "They haven't had the same experience that I had, going to elementary school in the 1950s, when we were in the middle of a Cold War that could turn hot at any time," Bessette says. "It's necessary to remind students that we take freedom for granted today—entirely understandably—but that there's no guarantee that this freedom will always be with us."

Although most CMC students have little experience in defending their freedom, some are naturally attracted to the center's mission and its work. Jane Lee '02, an international relations and government major and two-time Harrison Fellowship recipient, has had the opportunity to assist Bessette on a book about impeachment, and an upcoming book evaluating the justice of death penalty incarcerations. Her tasks included tracking down all U.S. impeachment hearings, researching the effects and constitutionality of presidential powers, and investigating high-profile rapists in Southern California from 1970-1989. "Although the work presented to me seemed daunting at first," says Lee, "every assignment was an adventure, and I felt a sense of accomplishment each time I would complete one."

Henry Salvatori