American History and Western Civilization Challenge Bowl™ (AHWCCB)
The American Heritage Education Foundation (AHEF) has designed and implemented a new program, the nation’s first college-level academic competition and scholarship, named The American History and Western Civilization Challenge Bowl™ (AHWCCB). AHEF successfully kicked-off its first Challenge Bowl on January 27-28, 2017, in Houston, Texas, with four Texas universities competing: Sam Houston State University, Texas State University, Texas Southern University, and Houston Baptist University. Teams competed in their knowledge and understanding of American history, government, and philosophy and of Western Civilization. Cash scholarships were awarded to teams based on performance and judging by professional historians and scholars. The runner-up team was HBU, and the winning team was SHSU.
Topics covered in the competition are significant to America’s founding as a nation. Topics span ancient and modern history—from Greek, Roman, and Israelite history and the Bible to the Renaissance, Reformation, and Enlightenment to America’s history, foundations, and documents.
AHEF started the Challenge Bowl to address a growing problem—confirmed by many studies in the last 20 years—which is that Americans of all ages and backgrounds are increasing uninformed about America’s history, founding principles, and civil institutions. Furthermore, many colleges no longer teach or require students to take American History or Western Civilization.
The goal of AHEF’s Challenge Bowl are: 1) to encourage college programs and students to teach and learn these subjects; 2) to improve understanding, appreciation, and love of the United States of America; 3) to ignite excitement, engagement, humor, fun, and youthful appeal in the learning and understanding of America’s founding principles and Western Civilization; and 4) to develop an educated citizenry essential to our self-governing republic. The program aims to motivate and improve students’ intellectual and practical understanding of the American idea so that students may become engaged citizens and leaders who perpetuate America’s founding principles and values.
We thank the coaches for their work to prepare and teach their school teams, and we commend all the teams for their participation and commitment to learning about American history and Western Civilization. Congratulations to all the teams for qualifying, and to HBU as the runner-up and SHSU as the winning team in 2017!
AHWCCB Impact & Feedback:
AHWCCB Impact & Feedback: Responses from Participating Professors and Students
Judges left to right: Dr. Stephen Balch, Director of the Institute for the Study of Western Civilization, Texas Tech University; Founder of the National Association of Scholars. Dr. Robert Koons, Professor of Philosophy and Co-Founder of the Western Civilization and American Institutions program, The University of Texas at Austin
Semi-finalist team Texas State Univeristy left to right – Evan Dominguez, Molly Williams, Miguel Carandang
The two finalist teams, HBU and SHSU and their coaches. In order left to right: Dr. Gary Hartenberg (HBU coach), Paul Hoyt (HBU), Kenneth Peters (HBU), Jacob Phillip (HBU), Chase Miller (SHSU), Scarlet Bolivar-Castillo (SHSU), William Bailey (SHSU), and Dr. Brian Domitrovic (SHSU coach)
Semi-finalist team Texas Southern University left to right – Sam Godswill, Amber Brown, Sarah Smith 
Jack Kamrath, Co-Founder of American Heritage Education Foundation (AHEF), and moderator Dr. John Tyler, Professor of Governmente and Pre-Law at Houston Baptist University
AHWCCB I in the news:
–SHSU Team Wins First History Challenge Bowl, Sam Houston State University, Feb 15, 2017
–Culture Influencers: John Tyler, Gary Hartenburg, Houston Baptist University, Feb 3, 2017
–HBU places second, American History & Western Civilization Challenge Bowl™, Houston Baptist University, Jan 31, 2017
–American Liberty and Principles of Western Civilization: Texas State team revives 70’s quiz show format, San Marcos Daily Record, Jan 24, 2017
For more information about AHWCCB, please visit americanheritage.org.
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