Cato University
# Cato University 2025: Summer Term I
Date and Time
**July 31, 2025 — August 3, 2025**
Location
Cato Institute, 1000 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC
Share This Event
[Apply for Cato University](#apply) | [Cato University Program](#program)
**Applications for Cato University close Monday, June 30 at 5:00 pm EDT.** Please [click here](https://register.cato.org/CatoUniversityApplication2025) to apply.
Applications for Cato University are open. Please [click here](https://register.cato.org/CatoUniversityApplication2025) 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](mailto:events@cato.org).
[Apply for Cato University](https://register.cato.org/CatoUniversityApplication2025)
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### Cato University Program
#### July 31
**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**
***The Classical Liberal Diaspora***
[Michael Munger](https://www.cato.org/people/michael-munger), Professor of Economics and Political Science, Duke University
#### August 1
**8:00 — 8:45 AM**
**Breakfast**
**9:00 — 10:15 AM**
***Bettering Humanomics: A New, and Old, Approach to Economic Science***
[Deirdre N. McCloskey](https://www.cato.org/people/deirdre-n-mccloskey), Distinguished Scholar, Isaiah Berlin Chair in Liberal Thought, Cato Institute
**10:15 — 10:30 AM**
**Break**
**10:30 — 11:30 AM**
***Defending Globalization***
[Veronique de Rugy](https://www.mercatus.org/scholars/veronique-de-rugy), George Gibbs Chair in Political Economy, Senior Research Fellow, Mercatus Center
**11:30 AM — 1:00 PM**
**Lunch Program**
***Telling the Story of Human Progress***
[Chelsea Follett](https://www.cato.org/people/chelsea-follett), Policy Analyst and Managing Editor of HumanProgress.org
[Erec Smith](https://www.cato.org/people/erec-smith), Research Fellow, Cato Institute
**1:00 — 1:50 PM**
**Session A:** ***The Foundations of Classical Liberalism***
[Jonathan Fortier](https://www.cato.org/people/jonathan-fortier), Director, Libertarianism.org
**Session B:** ***Non-Western Liberals***
[Paul Meany](https://www.cato.org/people/paul-meany), Intellectual History Editor, Libertarianism.org
**2:00 — 3:00 PM**
***A Roadmap for US Foreign Policy in a Multipolar World***
[Emma Ashford](https://www.stimson.org/ppl/emma-ashford/), Senior Fellow, Reimagining US Grand Strategy, Stimson Center
**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**
**Dinner Program: Justin Amash**
**Justin Amash**, Former Member of the US House of Representatives
#### August 2
**8:00 — 8:45 AM**
**Breakfast**
**9:00 — 10:15 AM**
**Understanding the Constitution**
[Clark Neily](https://www.cato.org/people/clark-neily), Senior Vice President for Legal Studies, Cato Institute
[Alex Nowrasteh](https://www.cato.org/people/alex-nowrasteh), Vice President for Economic and Social Policy Studies, Cato Institute
**10:15 — 10:30 AM**
**Break**
**10:30 — 11:30 AM**
***A Consequentialist Approach to Limited Government***
[Jeffrey Miron](https://www.cato.org/people/jeffrey-miron), Vice President for Research, Cato Institute
**11:30 AM — 1:00 PM**
**Lunch**
**Lunch Program:** ***Making a Convincing Case for Classical Liberalism in Polarized Spaces***
[Allan Carey](https://cato.org/people/allan-carey), Director of Sphere Education Initiatives, Cato Institute
**1:00 — 1:50 PM**
***Unlocking America’s Potential through Immigration***
[David Bier](https://www.cato.org/people/david-bier), Director, Immigration Studies, 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](https://cato.org/people/allan-carey), Director of Sphere Education Initiatives, Cato Institute
**5:30 — 6:15 PM**
**Break**
**6:15 — 7:00 PM**
**Reception**
**7:00 — 9:00 PM**
**Dinner Program: Nadine Strossen**
[**Nadine Strossen**](https://www.nyls.edu/faculty/nadine-strossen/), Former President, American Civil Liberties Union; and John Marshall Harlan II Professor of Law Emerita, New York Law School
#### August 3
**8:30 — 10:30 AM**
**Farewell Brunch**
*Certificate and Stipend Distribution*
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