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.

2024–25 Events

	Nov. 13 • 5 p.m. • Robins School of Business, Ukrop Auditorium  The Zero-Risk Society Barton Swaim Editorial Page Writer at The Wall Street Journal REGISTRATION for this presentation opens Wednesday, Oct. 23.
	March 27, 2025 • 5 p.m. • Jepson Alumni Center   Mammon or Marriage? How to Maximize Happiness in Life and Love Brad Wilcox Professor of Sociology at University of Virginia
	Sept. 12 • 5 p.m. • Queally Center for Admission and Career Services Justice by Means of Democracy Danielle Allen  James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University and Director of the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation at Harvard Kennedy School's Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation *Co-sponsored by the Gary L. McDowell Institute, the Bonner Center for Civic Engagement, and the School of Arts & Sciences Watch the presentation. Listen to the audio.