![Cato University](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/optimized/public/2025-11/Cato-University%20hero%20copy.JPG?itok=i5-6QX9f) 

Cato University 

# Cato University 2026: Summer Term I 

Date and Time 

**August 2, 2026 — August 5, 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](mailto:events@cato.org).

### Schedule

#### Sunday, August 2

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: Proclaiming Liberty**

![](https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/styles/bio_picture_desktop_3x/public/authors/crops/tim-sandefur-cropped.jpg?itok=TCAR5vQ4)[Timothy Sandefur](https://www.cato.org/people/timothy-sandefur), Vice President of Legal Affairs, Goldwater Institute 

#### Monday, August 3

8:00 - 8:45 AM 

**Breakfast**

9:00 - 10:00 AM 

***Cato’s Letters and the American Founding***

![](https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/styles/bio_picture_desktop_3x/public/2023-07/paul-meany.jpeg?itok=H4VWSWo9)[Paul Meany](https://www.cato.org/people/paul-meany), Intellectual History Editor, Lib​er​tar​i​an​ism​.org 

10:00 - 10:30 AM 

**Break**

10:30 - 11:45 AM 

**The Grievances of the Declaration of Independence at 250**

![](https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/styles/bio_picture_desktop_3x/public/2021-01/Clark%20Neily.jpg?itok=gAushuUJ)[Clark Neily](https://www.cato.org/people/clark-neily), Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs, Cato Institute 

in conversation with

![](https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/styles/bio_picture_desktop_3x/public/2026-02/2025-10-16-Thomas%20Berry-sq_0.jpg?itok=tRmZz2--)[Thomas A. Berry](https://www.cato.org/people/thomas-berry), Director, Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies, Cato Institute 

11:45 AM - 12:45 PM 

**Lunch**

12:45 - 1:45 PM 

**U.S. Trade Politics: Just as Adam Smith Predicted?**

![](https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/2023-10/scott-lincicome-square.jpg)[Scott Lincicome](https://www.cato.org/people/scott-lincicome),Vice President, General Economics and Stiefel Trade Policy Center, Cato Institute 

1:45 - 2:00 PM 

**Break**

2:00 - 3:00 PM 

**Breakout Sessions**

**Session A: Data and Dollars**

![](https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/styles/bio_picture_desktop_3x/public/2023-06/Jennifer-Huddleston-img-cropped2.jpg?itok=GLQEheea)[Jennifer Huddleston](https://www.cato.org/people/jennifer-huddleston), Senior Fellow in Technology Policy, Cato Institute 

![](https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/styles/bio_picture_desktop_3x/public/2025-02/NicholasAnthony-cropped.jpg?itok=mo7PVqUG)[Nicholas Anthony](https://www.cato.org/people/nicholas-anthony), Research Fellow, Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives, Cato Institute 

---

**Session B: Clinician Licensing: An Obstacle to Universal Health Care**

![](https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/styles/bio_picture_desktop_3x/public/2021-01/Michael%20Cannon.jpg?itok=5Zpj-XrJ)[Michael F. Cannon](https://www.cato.org/people/michael-f-cannon), Director of Health Policy Studies, Cato Institute 

3:00 - 3:15 PM 

**Refreshment Break**

3:15 - 4:15 PM 

**Professional Development Workshops**

4:15 - 4:45 PM 

**Debrief and Discussion**

4:45 - 6:00 PM 

**Free Time**

6:00 - 6:30 PM 

**Reception**

6:30 - 7:30 PM 

**Dinner**

7:30 - 8:30 PM 

**Dinner Program: From Tea Parties to TikToks: Free Speech at 250**

A conversation with

![](https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/2023-10/nadine-strossen-square.jpg)[Nadine Strossen](https://www.cato.org/people/nadine-strossen), Former President, ACLU 

#### Tuesday, August 4

8:00 - 8:45 AM 

**Breakfast**

9:00 - 10:00 AM 

**The International Impact of the Declaration of Independence**

![](https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/styles/bio_picture_desktop_3x/public/2025-01/calderon-cropped.jpg?itok=ddnsKgpt)[Gabriela Calderon de Burgos](https://www.cato.org/people/gabriela-calderon-de-burgos), Fellow in Latin American Studies, Cato Institute 

in conversation with

![](https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/styles/bio_picture_desktop_3x/public/2023-07/paul-meany.jpeg?itok=H4VWSWo9)[Paul Meany](https://www.cato.org/people/paul-meany), Intellectual History Editor, Lib​er​tar​i​an​ism​.org 

10:00 - 10:30 AM 

**Break**

10:30 - 11:30 AM 

**Affordability and Abundance**

![](https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/2021-01/Ryan%20Bourne.jpg)[Ryan Bourne](https://www.cato.org/people/ryan-bourne), R. Evan Scharf Chair for the Public Understanding of Economics, Cato Institute 

in conversation with

![](https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/2021-01/Chelsea%20Follett.jpg)[Chelsea Follett](https://www.cato.org/people/chelsea-follett), Managing Editor, Human​Progress​.org, Cato Institute 

11:30 AM - 12:00 PM 

**Debrief and Discussion**

12:00 - 1:15 PM 

**Lunch**

**Lunch Program: Inside the Cato Internship**

![](https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/2026-01/cortez-bartolome.jpeg)**Cortez Bartolome**, Student Programs Manager, Cato Institute 

1:15 - 1:30 PM 

**Break**

1:30 - 2:45 PM 

**Breakout Sessions: Policy Briefings**

2:45 - 3:15 PM 

**Refreshment Break**

3:15 - 4:15 PM 

**Breakout Sessions: Communicating with Each Other**

**Session A: Rhetoric and Strategies for Civil Discourse**

![](https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/2023-02/ErecSmith-cropped.jpg)[Erec Smith](https://www.cato.org/people/erec-smith), Research Fellow, Cato Institute, and Cofounder, Free Black Thought 

---

**Session B: Public Speaking**

![](https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/styles/bio_picture_tablet_2x/public/2026-06/rowecropped.jpg)**Stephen Rowe**, Cato Courses Director, Cato Institute 

4:15 - 6:00 PM 

**Free Time**

6:00 - 6:30 PM 

**Reception**

6:30 - 7:30 PM 

**Dinner**

7:30 - 8:30 PM 

**Dinner Program: The Universalist Principles of the Declaration of Independence**

![](https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/styles/bio_picture_desktop_3x/public/2023-04/ilya-somin-cropped.jpg?itok=viJYGjPw)[Ilya Somin](https://www.cato.org/people/ilya-somin), B. Kenneth Simon Chair in Constitutional Studies, Cato Institute 

#### Wednesday, August 5

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](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) 
This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).