The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s Center for Economic Education reported significant achievements during the 2024-2025 academic year, including new scholarship opportunities, expanded programming and major public events, according to Claudia Williamson Kramer, the Scott L. Probasco, Jr. Distinguished Chair of Free Enterprise, professor of economics and the center’s executive director.
One of the year’s highlights was the launch of the Phillips Scholars Program, which awarded nine students $3,000 scholarships to explore principles of free enterprise, individual liberty and personal responsibility.
The inaugural cohort participated in weekly discussions of seminal economic texts, including works by Thomas Sowell, Milton Friedman and F.A. Hayek, alongside an economics elective taught by Kramer.
The program also emphasized professional development and secured funding to support its continuation. Recruitment for the 2025-2026 cohort is already complete.
In August 2024, Kim Holder joined the center as managing director. Together, Kramer and Holder delivered presentations and workshops promoting “the economic way of thinking” to more than 1,300 people across Chattanooga and beyond. Their audiences included students, educators, business professionals, journalists and librarians.
The center also organized four major public lectures featuring prominent speakers and topics. Highlights included economist Dr. Arthur B. Laffer discussing income taxes, a panel on education choice, a discussion with University of Tennessee President Randy Boyd on the economics of sports and Nobel Laureate Dr. Vernon Smith joining etiquette coach Candace Smith for a lecture on economics and etiquette.
The CEE additionally supported events such as Empower Your Future, the Real Estate Luncheon, the Annual Financial Literacy Lecture and two K-12 teacher workshops in collaboration with local partners.
Kramer notes the impact of the center’s outreach and experiences, including taking two Phillips Scholars to Capitaf, the former summer home of Milton and Rose Friedman, for an immersive learning opportunity.
Research remained a major focus during the year. Kramer published four peer-reviewed journal articles exploring topics such as economic freedom and gender disparity, immigration and deportation, crime rates and the relationship between state antiquity and economic progress.
Holder published four articles on economic education, including one that won the Best Educational Note Award from “The Journal of Private Enterprise.”
Between them, the center’s leaders delivered 27 academic presentations and secured a University of Tennessee System Grand Challenges Grant for the IDEAL for Citizenry project. Holder also received the 2024 Kenneth G. Elzinga Distinguished Teaching Award from the Southern Economic Association.
The center’s work drew significant media attention, with local and national coverage in outlets including The Hill, C-SPAN, the Chattanooga Times Free Press, WUTC Scenic Roots, the Hamilton County Herald, the Online Library of Liberty and Chattanoogan.com.
Kramer also launched The Exchange, a monthly column in Business Trend that provides economic insights for business readers.
“Our goal is simple: Economics is about how people make choices, trade freely and create prosperity,” Kramer says. “It’s rooted in self-ownership: control over your life, labor and property. From that flows voluntary exchange, what the Greeks called katallasso, turning strangers into allies through trade.”
Upcoming events
Looking ahead, the center has scheduled a series of public events for 2025-2026. These include a K-12 teacher workshop on Trading Places: Exploring Global Trade on Sept. 26 at the South Carolina Ports Authority and a Nov. 3 panel discussion on tariffs featuring Kramer, Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly and local business leaders. Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Charles Wood will moderate.
Other upcoming events include the Feb. 4 “Empower Your Future” seminar for high school students and teachers and the Burkett Miller Distinguished Lecture Feb. 26, where Steve Forbes will discuss “How free enterprise – not government – made America great.”
“I encourage you to mark your calendars and join us when possible for these excellent opportunities,” Kramer says. “These events are open to the public. Come learn, ask questions and see how economics can make a difference in our community.”