Panels open to the public. See conference schedule at bottom of page.

On July 4th, 2000, the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions was founded to strengthen and renew civic education at Princeton and provide a model for reforming the study of civics in American higher education. Twenty-five years later, schools of civic thought and leadership inspired by the Madison Program have been established at eleven public universities in six states, with more on the horizon. 

We are pleased to commemorate our anniversary year by convening a conference to celebrate the achievements of these programs and address the challenges of building new institutions. Notable scholars, teachers, and directors will speak about the origins, guiding principles, and pedagogical approaches of these schools and related academic initiatives. A keynote session will feature a conversation between Robert P. George and Keith Whittington, who will be the 2025 recipient of the James Q. Wilson Award for Distinguished Scholarship on the Nature of a Free Society, presented at the conference by the Association for the Study of Free Institutions.

This conference is being held off-campus at the Chauncey Hotel & Conference Center (1 Chauncey Rd, Princeton, NJ 08541).