The Salem Center vs. The Civitas Institute
I recently attended an event hosted by The Salem Center featuring Sad Gaad. Before the talk, I asked a docent what the relationship was between the center and Civitas. He responded "none," and that this was their last event. He said that Hartzell was responsible for closing them down, and that it had much to do with how aggressive they were (I assumed he meant the establishment of the Liberty Institute, now Civitas). I asked if it was because of "God," by which I meant many Salem folks are Ayn Rand atheists and Civitas is mostly Christian Nationalists. He said "no."
I'm writing to ask if anyone is in the "know" about the relation between these two units? I have asked around folks affiliated with the business school, and no one seems to have an answer.
I am speculating that, indeed, it has something to do with atheism vs. theism, but really cannot confirm or deny. It's just a guess.
Anyone here have any insight? I'm not a fan of either, just trying to figure out what is going on at UT since opacity has gotten worse, not better.