Dream School

“It is incredible the quantity of good a man can do in a country if he makes a business out of it.” — Benjamin Franklin

Jim Doti and Mark Skousen next to the Adam Smith statue at Chapman University.

This week, Jim Doti, former president of Chapman University, gave me an autographed copy of his new book, “Using Data Analytics to Drive Transformational Change: The Chapman University Model” (Bloomberg, 2025), available on Amazon here. Highly recommended!

It’s an in-depth study of how, in just 25 years, he transformed Chapman from a small private liberal arts college to a major university in Southern California, adding schools of business, film, law, pharmacy and engineering. He became the fourth-best fundraiser in the nation, building a $300 million endowment from scratch. Doti retired as president in 2016, but has remained on campus as a popular economics professor, teaching econometrics.

As a result of his extraordinary, untiring efforts, Chapman is one of the top schools in the country and is included in the Princeton 390 Best Schools catalog. Jo Ann and I feel honored to have been part of the Chapman faculty since 2014.

Through trial and error, Jim learned the ropes of university management, and never gave up. His intelligence, experience and genuine love of people resulted in a unique success story. He was able to convince top professors to teach at Chapman, including Nobel prize winners Vernon Smith (economics) and Elie Wiesel (peace). While running the university, he kept up his interest in economics; his annual economic forecast is considered the most accurate prediction model in the country.

Jim is a devoted family man, married to Lynne Doti, also a professor of economics, and they have two children and two grandchildren. He even donated a kidney to keep a stranger alive. Walk around the well-manicured campus and you will see what a difference a man with a mission can make, including displays of the Berlin Wall, beautiful artwork and the Walk of Fame busts of famous people, including Milton Friedman, Adam Smith, Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Ayn Rand. In the middle of the campus is the beautiful Attallah Piazza with the “Four Pillars of Chapman,” encouraging students to develop their intellectual, physical, social and spiritual skills.

In 2014, Jim appointed me a Presidential Fellow, and in 2022 named me the inaugural Doti-Spogli Chair of Free Enterprise.

My wife Jo Ann and I are honored to be included in this history. Here is what Jim wrote:

Mark Skousen

“I met Mark Skousen at a lecture he gave at Chapman on gross output (GO), a macroeconomic statistic he champions as the only measure that considers spending at all stages of production. While I hadn’t met Mark before his lecture, his reputation had preceded him. My former teacher, Milton Friedman, had great respect for Mark’s work. Professor Friedman told me that his book “The Making of Modern Economics” is excellent, and he went on to joke, ‘All histories of economics are B.S. — Before Skousen!’

“After Mark’s very compelling GO lecture, I was convinced that he had all the makings of a great Presidential Fellow at Chapman. He presented his lecture with cool conviction, verve and humor. It was obvious that Mark was a gifted teacher. I invited Mark to become a Presidential Fellow. When I later learned that his wife, Jo Ann, was also a gifted college professor, our English department invited her to teach English literature and poetry. To my delight, they both accepted.

“Mark and Jo Ann did not disappoint. They both continue to teach at Chapman. In fact, in 2022, Mark was appointed to the inaugural Doti-Spogli Endowed Chair in Free Enterprise, a chair established by Ronald Spogli, the former U.S. ambassador to Italy.

“In addition to teaching undergraduate classes in micro and macroeconomics, Mark has taught classes titled ‘Modern Political Economy: Who Is Winning the Battle of Ideas?’, ‘Financial Economics,’ ‘Puzzles and Paradoxes in Economics and Finance’ and ‘Eurekanomics: Great Breakthrough in Economic Science.’

“Mark’s class on libertarian CEOs includes case studies of Koch Industries (Charles Koch), Whole Foods Market (John Mackey), Truist Bank (John Allison) and Agora Financial (Bill Bonner). Before he came to Chapman, Mark suggested teaching this class at Columbia Business School. The dean turned it down as ‘too controversial.’ At Chapman, we relish that kind of controversy, as do our students.

“Mark wrote a recent cover story in Skeptic magazine titled ‘The Economics of Life Made Simple.’ Over five thousand reprints of this article have been distributed around the country.

“At the end of each semester, Mark invites his students to a party at his home. These get-togethers include a discussion between faculty and students on various controversial topics. In listening to our students’ arguments, I was particularly impressed with how they used their nascent knowledge of economics to inform their views on various social issues. As our students and faculty bounced ideas back and forth, I was reminded how important it is to create opportunities for students to begin testing what they learned in the classroom in the marketplace of ideas. Mark Skousen helps make such opportunities a reality.”

Since Jim retired as president of Chapman, he has been succeeded ably by Daniele Struppa (2016-2025), and this year, by Matt Parlow. It’s been a pleasure to know and work with them all.

Here’s to another great 10 years at Chapman University!

You Nailed It!

Franklin Book Is Getting High Praise on Amazon

Last week, I visited former L.A. County Mayor Mike Antonovich at his beautiful home in Glendale, California. He’s a big fan of my books, having bought a box of “The Maxims of Wall Street,” and just purchased multiple copies of my new Franklin book.

He loved the book so much that he ordered 35 copies for his friends and family.

Reviews on Amazon are equally enthusiastic, with 76% giving it five stars: “Wonderful treatment of the life and wisdom of a remarkable American. A great read for all ages and persuasions, Timeless”… “very informative. I learned things about Franklin that I did not know”… “Great book. I can’t recommend it enough”…

My book is not a traditional biography, but rather 80 short essays on how to apply Franklin’s views and experience in your own life. Here’s a summary: Why This Man Deserves to be on the $100 Bill — Mark Skousen.

Of course, those who buy it on Amazon are missing out on an autographed copy with a rare Franklin stamp with each copy. To get your own personalized copy for only $24 postpaid, go to Skousen Books at Discount.

Recently, Michael Shermer, publisher and editor of Skeptic magazine, interviewed me about the book. It was a wide-ranging and thought-provoking interview. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPOxqHwT8zA.

Good investing, AEIOU,

Mark Skousen