
Institute Programming
The Gary L. McDowell Institute hosts a wide variety of events for students, faculty, and the University community. Institute programming focuses on the history of ideas and stresses the importance of viewpoint diversity as a way of realizing the prospects of leadership.
Participants in the McDowell Student Fellows Program and faculty seminars discuss works that address the place of the classics in a liberal education, freedom of thought and expression, and potential solutions to social and political problems. The Institute is also home to a longstanding lecture series. Open to students, faculty, staff, and the larger Richmond community, the lectures feature some of the world's top scholars and most influential thinkers.
2022-23 Student Fellows Activities
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Sept. 30, 2022 Meeting with Dr. Alison McQueen, followed by her public lecture Reading: "The Wages of Fear" by Dr. Alison McQueen |
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Oct. 18, 2022 Dinner and discussion at the Jenkins Greek Theatre Reading: "Apology" by Plato |
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Oct. 24, 2022 Jepson Leadership Forum lecture "Free Speech and Open Inquiry in Higher Education" given by Dr. Alice Dreger |
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Nov. 30, 2022 Jepson Leadership Forum lecture "U.S. Withdrawal from Afghanistan" given by Congressman Seth Moulton |
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Spring 2023 Bi-weekly meetings to discuss Dr. Roosevelt Montás' "Rescuing Socrates: How the Great Books Changed My Life and Why They Matter for a New Generation" in preparation for the author's March 16 visit. |
2022-23 Faculty Workshops
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Dec. 2, 2022 • 3 p.m. |
2022-23 Public Lectures
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March 16, 2023 • 5 p.m. |
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Sept. 30, 2022 • 4 p.m. • Ukrop Auditorium |
2023-24 Public Lectures
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Sept. 28, 2023 • 5 p.m. |
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Nov. 9, 2023 • 5 p.m. |
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March 21, 2024 |