USM’s Farvin Earns Prestigious Hertog Fellowship
Wed, 10/23/2024 - 04:09pm | By: Dr. David Tisdale
Cameron Farvin, a University of Southern Mississippi (USM) undergraduate pursuing degrees in political science and philosophy, has been awarded a Hertog Humanities Fellowship by the Hertog Foundation, which offers highly competitive and selective educational programs for those seeking to influence the intellectual, civic, and political life of the United States.
The Humanities at Hertog program includes a variety of online seminars held on great texts, both classic and contemporary and is open to qualifying undergraduate and graduate students across the U.S. The application process includes submission of academic transcripts, provision of writing samples of the nominees’ academic work, and securing recommendations.
A native of Knoxville, Tenn., Farvin is a recipient of the Southern Miss Forrest Wood Philosophy Endowment Scholarship, the William Colmer Political Science Scholarship, program recognition for best papers in his classes, and the EAGLE DCUR/SPUR Research Grant from the Southern Miss Drapeau Center for Undergraduate Research for his study of tension in democratic systems. Farvin also presented his research at the Mississippi Philosophical Association's 2024 annual conference and the Concerned Philosophers for Peace annual conference. He is contributing his software skills to the USM Center for Digital Humanities' Riot Acts Project, is serving as an associate editor for the Concerned Philosophers for Peace, and is participating in an ethics internship at Northwestern University focused on Ethics Dumping.
Farvin is set to graduate from Southern Miss in May 2025, after which he plans to enroll in a Ph.D. program in philosophy, with emphases in political philosophy and philosophy of law. His research interests also include the philosophy of science, logic, and the intersection of philosophy and Artificial Intelligence.
“In only a few sessions of the Hertog Fellowship so far, I have already grown as a person and a scholar,” said Farvin, who expressed appreciation to Southern Miss political science professor Dr. Joe Weinberg for informing him about and nominating him for the fellowship; and professors Dr. Marek Steedman (political science), Dr. Sam Bruton (philosophy) and Dr. Paula Smithka (philosophy) for their mentorship and support, all of whom Farvin describes as “thoroughly wonderful human beings, not just outstanding professors.”
The Hertog Foundation was established by Roger Hertog, who serves as its president. Hertog is one of the founding partners of the investment research and management firm Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., which he joined in 1968, and was the firm’s president before its merger with Alliance Capital Management in 2000. He was previously chairman of The Tikvah Fund, New-York Historical Society and The Manhattan Institute, and served on the boards of the American Enterprise Institute, the New York Philharmonic, the New York Public Library, the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, and the Washington Institute for Near-East Policy. He was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2007 for his philanthropic efforts and the William E. Simon Prize for Philanthropic Leadership in 2010.
“Cameron Farvin is a remarkable student,” said Bruton. “He has a genuine passion for philosophy and works very hard to master the subject and hone his craft. Even as an undergraduate, he has been active in presenting his ideas at professional conferences, and his written work is top-notch. With a main area of interest in political philosophy, this Hertog Fellowship is a wonderful opportunity for him to interact with fellow high-achieving students seeking to expand their knowledge.”