Live Now
Cato University

Cato University 2026: Summer Term II

Date and Time
August 19, 2026 — August 22, 2026
Location
Cato Institute, 1000 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC
Share This Event

Applications Are Closed

Cato University is the Cato Institute’s premier educational conference for college and graduate students. Each program will explore classical liberal philosophy as a foundation for considering current policy issues. While the topics for each conference will vary, the goal of Cato University is to foster an enduring community of outstanding faculty and participants who share a commitment to liberty and learning.

Cato University is for United States based students. Benefits include room and board, 20+ hours of academic programming, networking opportunities, resources for further study, and a $500 travel stipend upon completion of the program.

Applications for the 2026 summer terms will open in the last quarter of 2025. Applicants will be notified of their status on a rolling basis. If you have any questions or need assistance applying, please email our staff at events@​cato.​org.

Schedule

Wednesday, August 19

4:30 - 5:30 PM

Registration

5:30 - 6:30 PM

Welcome Reception

6:30 - 7:30 PM

Dinner

7:30 - 8:30 PM

Keynote Address:

Divided over the Declaration: How an Enduring Debate Sustains the Vision of America

David Bobb, President and CEO, Bill of Rights Institute

Thursday, August 20

8:00 - 8:45 AM

Breakfast

9:00 - 10:15 AM

The Grievances of the Declaration of Independence at 250

Clark Neily, Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs, Cato Institute

in conversation with

Thomas A. Berry, Director, Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies, Cato Institute
10:15 - 10:45 AM

Break

10:45 - 11:45 AM

Session A: Data & Dollars

Jennifer Huddleston, Senior Fellow in Technology Policy, Cato Institute
Nicholas Anthony, Research Fellow, Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives, Cato Institute

Session B: Your Body, Your Health Care

Jeffrey A. Singer, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute
11:45 AM - 12:45 PM

Lunch

12:45 - 2:00 PM

Policy Session: Understanding the Federal Budget Process

Romina Boccia, Director of Budget and Entitlement Policy
2:00 - 2:30 PM

Break

2:30 - 3:30 PM

Cato’s Letters and the American Founding

Paul Meany, Intellectual History Editor, Lib​er​tar​i​an​ism​.org
3:30 - 4:00 PM

Refreshment Break

4:00 - 4:30 PM

Debrief and Discuss

4:30 - 6:00 PM

Free Time

6:00 - 6:30 PM

Reception

6:30 - 8:30 PM

Dinner

Dinner Program: Free Speech at America’s 250th

Rikki Schlott, Media Fellow, Cato Institute

Friday, August 21

8:00 - 8:45 AM

Breakfast

9:00 - 10:00 AM

Religious Liberty, Natural Rights, and the American Founding

Mustafa Akyol, Senior Fellow, Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, Cato Institute

in conversation with

Allan Carey, Director, Sphere Education Initiatives
10:00 - 10:30 AM

Break

10:30 - 11:45 AM

Policy Session

11:45 AM - 12:45 PM

Lunch

12:45 - 1:45 PM

Policy Session

1:45 - 2:00 PM

Break

2:00 - 3:00 PM

Breakout Sessions

3:00 - 3:30 PM

Refreshment Break

3:30 - 4:30 PM

Professional Development Workshops

4:30 - 6:00 PM

Free Time

6:00 - 6:30 PM

Reception

6:30 - 8:30 PM

Dinner

Dinner Program: To Be Announced

Saturday, August 22

8:00 - 8:45 AM

Breakfast

9:00 - 11:00 AM

Workshop: Civil Discourse and Communicating Classical Liberalism on Campus

11:00 - 11:15 AM

Closing Remarks and Group Photo

11:15 - 11:30 AM

Stipend Distribution and Departures

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.