MISSION

Friends of UFM

The mission of Friends of UFM is to support the work of Universidad Francisco Marroquín (UFM).
Friends of UFM is registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and all contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by the law.

UFM

The mission of UFM is “to teach and disseminate the ethical, legal, and economic principles of a society of free and responsible persons.” It is the only university in the world expressly bound by its mission to promote the principles that sustain a free society.

In August 2017, the impact of UFM’s almost five decades of work received public recognition. UFM was ranked number one in the world on the list of Top Fifty Places to Study Classical Economics by TheBestSchools.org. When we asked the author of the article, Stephen DeRose, why he placed UFM first, he wrote: “UFM is completely unique. No other school on the planet is designed top to bottom with liberty in mind. It has the philosophical vision of a think tank and the resources of a university.”

Honorary doctorate recipients reflect UFM’s international reach, reputation, and commitment to liberty. They include Nobel laureates James Buchanan, Milton Friedman, Friedrich Hayek, Vernon Smith, and Mario Vargas Llosa along with champions of liberty outside the academy, such as Steve Forbes, Matt Ridley, Mary Anastasia O’Grady, and Jim Rogers.

Philosophy Statement of UFM

In 1971, UFM published its philosophy statement as a foundational document to guide trustees and administrators into the future. It is grounded in classical liberal thought and addresses the relationship of UFM to the following aspects of higher education:

Theory and practice Teach the theories upon which practice and application can build.
Human reason Teach students to respect the rights and ideas of others.
Intellectual freedom Cultivate love for and pursuit of truth and academic freedom.
Society and community Serve others through the efficient provision of academic services within a framework of academic freedom.
Academic freedom Decide course content in view of what UFM holds to be true or false, useful, or irrelevant.

UFM is a nonprofit institution that operates like an entrepreneurial venture. Professors do not receive tenure, the board of directors is made up of business people and entrepreneurs, and deans are expected to maintain balanced budgets in their departments.

Students in all disciplines—from architecture to medicine to filmmaking—learn the origins and causes of how nations create wealth. They are presented with a wide range of classical liberal perspectives to help them understand the links between individual liberty, genuine free enterprise, and human prosperity.