WASHINGTON, D.C. — Hillsdale College Washington, D.C. Campus faculty member Matthew Mehan, Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Government, has been selected to receive an America250 Innovation Prize from the Heritage Foundation for his forthcoming book of fables.
The book will feature American wildlife, geography, and folklore, using the words of the Declaration of Independence as morals to organize each group of fables.
“The prize money will allow me the liberty to write beautifully about our Declaration of Independence and our country and allow me the means to commission truly beautiful art that will make for an heirloom book fitting for this grand 250th birthday of our country,” Mehan said. “With this prize, I am very hopeful that I can help a great many American families fall in love with this great nation for generations to come.”
Dr. Mehan is the Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Government for Hillsdale’s Van Andel Graduate School of Government in Washington, D.C. He also teaches undergraduates in the Washington-Hillsdale Internship Program. Mehan is the author of two children’s books. “Mr. Mehan’s Mildly Amusing Mythical Mammals” is a story of friendship and the struggle against sadness in which twenty-six poems introduce readers to a mythical mammal for each letter of the alphabet. “The Handsome Little Cygnet” tells the story of a family of swans in Central Park as their baby cygnet discovers the importance of his parents’ love for him.
The Heritage Foundation’s Innovation Prizes provide financial awards totaling approximately $1 million annually to nonprofits for projects that promote conservative principles through litigation, education, outreach, or communications. The Heritage foundation held a special round of the prizes to recognize projects focusing on patriotism, education, and America’s founding principles ahead of the 250th anniversary of American independence.
For more information about the America’s 250th Innovation Prizes, click here. For more information about Mehan’s children’s books, click here. For a photo of Mehan, click here. For photos of Hillsdale in D.C., click here. For photos of Hillsdale College, click here. For a high-resolution copy of the Hillsdale College clocktower logo, click here.