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Cato University

Cato University 2025: Summer Term II

Date and Time
August 13, 2025 — August 16, 2025
Location
Cato Institute, 1000 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC
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Applications for Cato University close Monday, June 30 at 5:00 pm EDT. Please click here to apply.

Applications for Cato University are open. Please click here to apply.

Cato University is the Cato Institute’s premier educational event for college students. Each program will explore classical liberal philosophy as a foundation for considering current policy issues. While the topics for each Cato University program will vary, the goal remains to bring together outstanding faculty and participants from across the country who share a commitment to liberty and learning and to provide participants an opportunity to form an enduring community through a one-of-a-kind experience.

Cato University is for United States based applicants; we are currently not accepting applications from internationally based attendees.

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.

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.

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Cato University Program

August 13

5:30 — 7:00 PM

Registration and Welcome Reception

7:00 — 7:15 PM

Welcoming Remarks

7:15 — 9:00 PM

Dinner and Opening Keynote Address

Timothy Sandefur, Vice President, Legal Affairs, Goldwater Institute

8:00 — 8:45 AM

Breakfast

9:00 — 10:15 AM

Bettering Humanomics: A New, and Old, Approach to Economic Science

Deirdre N. McCloskey, Distinguished Scholar, Isaiah Berlin Chair in Liberal Thought, Cato Institute

10:15 — 10:30 AM

Break

10:30 — 11:30 AM

Radical Deregulation

Bryan Caplan, Economics Professor, George Mason University

11:30 AM — 1:00 PM

Lunch

Lunch Program: Telling the Story of Human Progress

Chelsea Follett, Policy Analyst and Managing Editor of Human​Progress​.org

Erec Smith, Research Fellow, Cato Institute

1:00 — 1:50 PM

Session A: Liberty, the Rule of Law, and the Legacy of David Boaz

Andy Craig, Fellow, Institute for Humane Studies

Session B: Non-Western Liberals

Paul Meany, Intellectual History Editor, Lib​er​tar​i​an​ism​.org

2:00 — 3:00 PM

Unlocking America’s Potential through Immigration

David J. Bier, Director, Immigration Studies, Cato Institute

3:00 — 3:15 PM

Break

3:15 — 4:15 PM

Professional Development Workshops

4:15 — 4:30 PM

Break

4:30 — 5:30 PM

Workshop: Debrief and Application

5:30 — 6:15 PM

Free Time

6:15 — 7:00 PM

Reception

7:00 — 9:00 PM

Dinner Speaker

Nico Perrino, Executive Vice President, FIRE

8:00 — 8:45 AM

Breakfast

9:00 — 10:15 AM

Understanding the Constitution

Gene Healy, Senior Vice President for Policy, Cato Institute

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

Alex Nowrasteh, Vice President for Economic and Social Policy Studies, Cato Institute

10:15 — 10:30 AM

Break

10:30 — 11:30 AM

The War on Prices: Popular Misconceptions and Government Intervention

Ryan Bourne, R. Evan Scharf Chair for the Public Understanding of Economics, Cato Institute

11:30 AM — 1:00 PM

Lunch

Lunch Program: Making a Convincing Case for Classical Liberalism in Polarized Spaces

Allan Carey, Director, Sphere Education Initiatives

1:00 — 1:50 PM

Session A: Defending Globalization

Scott Lincicome, Vice President, General Economics and Stiefel Trade Policy Center, Cato Institute

Session B: Ideas for an Alternative Monetary Future

Nicholas Anthony, Policy Analyst, Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives, Cato Institute

2:00 — 3:00 PM

Policy Briefings

3:00 — 3:30 PM

Break

3:30 — 4:30 PM

Professional Development Workshops

4:30 — 5:30 PM

Workshop: Making a Convincing Case for Classical Liberalism

Allan Carey, Director, Sphere Education Initiatives

5:30 — 6:15 PM

Break

6:15 — 7:00 PM

Reception

7:00 — 9:00 PM

Closing Dinner and Keynote Address

Donald J. Boudreaux, Economics Professor, George Mason University

8:30 — 10:30 AM

Farewell Brunch

Certificate and Stipend Distribution

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