Northwood University’s signature publication brings faculty expertise, student perspectives and enduring lessons about liberty and free enterprise to readers around the world.
Across 50 editions, When Free to Choose has invited readers to consider an idea that has shaped Northwood University since its founding: Human flourishing is greatest when individuals are free to make choices, accept responsibility for those choices and pursue earned success.
Northwood is celebrating the 50th edition of its signature publication dedicated to exploring the importance of individual freedom, earned success, limited government, free enterprise, moral law, personal responsibility, and other enduring principles in the institution’s guiding philosophy, The Northwood Idea.
First published in November 2020, When Free to Choose was created to provide a substantive and thoughtful examination of liberty, enterprise and the institutions that support a free society. Its title was inspired by Milton and Rose Friedman’s influential book and television series, Free to Choose.
Since its launch, the complimentary publication has brought Northwood scholarship and free-market thought leadership to tens of thousands of readers throughout the United States and around the world.
“Milton and Rose Friedman understood that the case for freedom must be made clearly, thoughtfully, and continually. When Free to Choose was created in that spirit, it gave Northwood scholars and students a platform to examine how liberty, enterprise, and individual responsibility advance human progress,” said Northwood University President Kent MacDonald. “Reaching 50 issues demonstrates that Northwood is not simply teaching these principles. We are helping lead the conversation about why they remain essential to a free and prosperous society.”
Each edition examines issues that affect the economy, public policy, business and everyday life. Contributors have examined subjects ranging from entrepreneurship, international trade and inflation to artificial intelligence, automotive mobility, education, regulation and the moral foundations of capitalism.
The publication primarily showcases the expertise of Northwood faculty members, whose work connects economic and philosophical principles with current questions facing business leaders and society. It also periodically features insights from alumni, industry authorities and respected free-market thinkers from across the globe.
“The beliefs and philosophies we embrace shape our decisions, our organizations and ultimately our society,” stated Northwood’s Marketing and Communications Officer Rachel Valdiserri, who led the creation and launch of the publication. “We created When Free to Choose to give scholars, students, alumni, and other respected voices a platform to make the case for freedom, personal responsibility, and free enterprise. Fifty issues later, it continues to challenge assumptions, deepen understanding and ensure consequential ideas and actions remain part of the public conversation.”
Enduring principles for changing times
When Free to Choose also features Timeless Values pieces that preserve and reintroduce the insights of Northwood founders, former presidents, beloved professors and other thinkers whose work continues to illuminate the relationship between freedom and human progress.
Recent selections have explored former Northwood President Dr. David E. Fry’s “mobility is freedom” lesson and former professor Dr. Dale Haywood’s “human taxonomy” framework for evaluating whether human actions are moral, legal or coercive.
“Through these essays, new generations encounter the thinkers who helped shape Northwood’s intellectual heritage — not as historical artifacts but as guides for understanding present-day challenges,” said Kate Hessling, Northwood’s executive director of communications and public relations, and the editor of When Free to Choose.
A platform for student voices
When Free to Choose also provides Northwood students with an opportunity uncommon in higher education: the chance to join important public conversations about economics, innovation and public policy.
Student Views have examined trade, artificial intelligence, housing, the American Dream and the role Northwood graduates can play in strengthening a free society. Many originated as assignments in Northwood economics and public-policy courses before being developed for a broader audience.
The publication therefore serves as more than a showcase for finished ideas. It demonstrates the educational process at Northwood — students studying important questions, evaluating evidence, learning from faculty mentors and developing the confidence to explain and defend their conclusions.
“Every edition of When Free to Choose offers tangible evidence of Northwood’s mission to develop free-enterprise leaders in action,” Hessling said. “Readers see faculty members sharing meaningful expertise, students developing and expressing informed perspectives, and enduring Northwood lessons being applied to the questions of our time.”
Many essays appearing in When Free to Choose are also published through True North, Northwood’s free-market connector. That digital platform expands the reach of Northwood authors and makes their work available to students, educators, business leaders, journalists and others searching for thoughtful perspectives grounded in liberty and free enterprise.
Continuing an important conversation
The publication’s 50th edition arrives as Northwood continues to expand the ways it advances free-enterprise education beyond the classroom.
Those efforts include the complimentary Philosophy of Free Enterprise online course. The self-paced course offers 18 powerful lessons about personal freedom, individual responsibility, voluntary exchange, and the moral case for capitalism.
The annual Northwood University Freedom Seminar and President’s Freedom Celebration are other ways Northwood connects students and the public with ideas that support free and prosperous societies.
“Northwood was founded to develop leaders who understand how free enterprise works and why it matters,” President MacDonald stated. “At a time when capitalism and the institutions of a free society are often misunderstood, America’s Free Enterprise University has a responsibility to bring knowledge, evidence, and conviction to the public conversation. This 50th issue honors the intellectual foundation that inspired the publication and carries that important work forward for generations.”
Readers can subscribe at no cost to receive future editions of When Free to Choose. Explore essays online through True North at truenorthideas.org.
