Murray Bessette on Clubhouse

Bio

Murray Bessette is the director of academic programs at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. In his 18 years working in the academic area, Bessette has edited or co-edited three books; single authored 14 peer reviewed articles, book chapters, and reviews; organized more than 10 international conferences; participated on dozens of panels as presenter, discussant, and/or chair; and co-
directed more than $3 million in US federal grants. As an Associate Professor at Morehead State University, he taught and mentored undergraduate and graduate students, coordinated the undergraduate government program, and led the development and implementation of a new MA in government, as well as undergraduate and graduate certificates in intelligence studies. In 2016, having recognized that the single greatest threat to human liberty was the continued attractiveness of the false promises of Marxism, Bessette gave up tenure and joined VOC to stand up its academic programs. Since then he has designed
and implemented a comprehensive series of professional development programs—including seminars, workshops, and webinars—to support middle school teachers and high school teachers; developed and directed new middle school and high school curricular initiatives; established and managed VOC college programs and engaged with college students and faculty as well as relevant academic organizations; established and implemented VOC area studies programs and managed affiliated research fellows; and served as the lead program organizer of the Foundation’s flagship events. He holds a PhD in political science and a MA in American government from Claremont Graduate University, a MA in political philosophy, a Honours BA in political science, and certificate in globalization and governance studies from the University of Alberta, and an executive certificate in counter-terrorism studies from the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism at the Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya, Israel.