YOU'RE INVITED! Two Consequential Conversations for America 250
Higher Education and the Future of Liberty
In 1776, a small republic announced to the world a daring claim: that human beings possess natural rights and that legitimate government rests on the consent of the governed. Two hundred fifty years later, that claim still asks something of us.
Anniversaries are not merely occasions for celebration. They are invitations to reflection. They call us to consider whether the principles that launched the American experiment still shape our institutions, our civic habits, and our understanding of freedom.
As we approach the nation’s 250th year, the Institute of American Constitutional Thought & Leadership (IACTL) at the University of Toledo invites the Toledo community to two public conversations. Each is committed to meaningful, respectful dialogue about consequential issues. Together, they offer an opportunity to engage foundational questions at a pivotal moment in our national story.
DEBATE: “Is Trump Good for Higher Education?”
Thursday, March 12, 2026 | 7 PM
University Hall | Doermann Theater
Free Parking
Higher education plays a formative role in shaping civic life. Its mission influences how future citizens think, lead, and participate in self-government. What, then, is the purpose of the modern university? How does political leadership affect academic institutions? What is at stake for academic freedom and institutional direction?
Two nationally respected scholars will take opposing perspectives:
Steven F. Hayward — senior resident scholar at the Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California, Berkeley.
Nadine Strossen — senior FIRE fellow, former president of the American Civil Liberties Union, and nationally recognized constitutional scholar, widely known for her work defending civil liberties and free speech.
This is not an invitation to division. It is an invitation to dialogue — thoughtful, respectful engagement about issues that matter.
Register here: https://bit.ly/IACTL-Event5
PANEL: “Is Liberty Still Relevant?”
Friday, March 13, 2026 | 12 PM
McQuade Auditorium | UT College of Law
Lunch Provided | Free Parking
If 1776 articulated the principles of natural rights and government by consent, 2026 calls us to consider whether those principles still command our understanding and stewardship.
Four distinguished scholars will examine the political and moral foundations of equality, rights, and legitimate government:
Steven F. Hayward — senior resident scholar at the Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California, Berkeley.
Vincent Phillip Muñoz — Tocqueville Professor of Political Science and Professor of Law at the University of Notre Dame, specializing in religious liberty and constitutional interpretation.
Thomas G. West — professor of politics at Hillsdale College and leading interpreter of the Declaration of Independence and the moral foundations of American self-government.
Michael P. Zuckert — Reeves Dreux Professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame, widely recognized for his scholarship on natural rights constitutionalism and the American founding.
Together, they will consider not only whether liberty remains relevant, but what its preservation requires of a free people.
Register here: https://bit.ly/IACTL-Event6
These events are open to students, faculty, and the broader Toledo community. As we reflect on the foundations of a free Republic, serious civic engagement matters. The habits of careful reasoning, principled disagreement, and disciplined civil discourse are not luxuries. They are necessities of self-government.
The Institute of American Constitutional Thought & Leadership (IACTL) at the University of Toledo is committed to cultivating meaningful, respectful dialogue about consequential issues. Through engagement with primary texts and sustained conversation, we form citizens prepared for the responsibilities of freedom.
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Learn more at LeadToledo.com
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