Colorado Civic Future's Undergraduate Symposium

We recently partnered with the Benson Center (CU Boulder) to host the inaugural Colorado Civic Futures Undergraduate Symposium (Aug. 3–6). The event brought together students and professors from across the Front Range and Mountain West. We began with a close examination of classical and modern philosophical texts of the Western tradition that informed the Founders’ constitutionalism, followed by a study of the core market principles that enable the material conditions of a free and flourishing society. Students then engaged with important articles in the Colorado Constitution and had the opportunity to speak directly with state legislators about current pressing issues in Colorado politics. The symposium culminated with a rare opportunity for students and professors to explore the art of presidential speechwriting with special guest Dr. Mary Kate Cary, former speechwriter for President George H.W. Bush. Drawing from President Bush’s 1991 address commemorating the 50th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Dr. Cary showcased the art of elevated rhetoric and its capacity to foster a shared sense of national purpose.

Our exchanges extended well beyond the classroom, with meaningful discussions continuing over dinner, between sessions, and during planned recreational activities that fostered new friendships and strengthened existing ones. Such informal exchanges created space for genuine civic dialogue, where ideas were tested, challenged, and connected to the perspectives of people from different institutions, professions, and communities in a spirit of collegial fellowship. CSGI’s inaugural Colorado Civic Futures Undergraduate Symposium was a tremendous success, offering a model for America’s civic renewal, giving students, professors, and local leaders an ideal hub to deepen their constitutional self-understanding, cultivate lasting friendships, and contribute to civic life in the Mountain West and throughout our republic as a whole.