With 2025 behind us, 2026 ushers in America's 250th anniversary of independence—an opportunity not only to celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday but also to reflect on what it takes, as Benjamin Franklin famously put it, “to keep a Republic.”
That reflection is also an invitation: one we extend to all of you and that we, at the Center, take up daily through our studying, writing, teaching, and public-facing work. Whether by hosting conversations that model principled disagreement, convening speakers and scholars across viewpoints, or creating forums where students and community members can ask hard questions, the common aim is cultivating the habits a republic requires: reason-giving engagement, informed understanding, and civic courage.
This newsletter highlights the work we did toward those ends in Fall 2025. The full list is far longer than we can capture here, but our aim is to offer a snapshot of the programs and projects that shaped the semester—including the
publication of the Center’s first research digest
,
thematic workshops on freedom and responsibility and normative ethics, and new efforts to advance civic knowledge among younger generations while supporting the teachers tasked with delivering it.
As we look ahead, we will continue to provide opportunities for a sustained reflection on freedom and democratic engagement—and we hope you will join the conversation. We would be especially glad to see you
celebrate America's 250th with us on March 25, 2026
—an official America250 Arizona commemoration of this historic anniversary.
Director
Associate Professor of Political Economy and Moral Science
Associate Director
Assistant Professor of Political Economy and Moral Science, James E. Rogers College of Law Affiliated Faculty
Honoring America at 250
Join us on March 25, 2026, at the Museum of Democracy’s Pathway to the Presidency exhibit (lower level of the U of A Campus Store) for an evening of dialogue and celebration featuring Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and Representative Matt Gress. Space is limited, register now.
Register to Attend
Inaugural Research Digest Published
In October 2025, the Freedom Center launched the inaugural issue of the FC Research Digest , showcasing the Center’s varied research, publications, and scholarly activities over the past year. The Digest brings together varied perspectives on the nature and value of freedom across its many dimensions, alongside diverse methodological approaches spanning philosophy, economics, politics, and law.
SubscribeAcademic Research Workshops
FC Talks Series
Running year-round, the series is a hub for cross-disciplinary exchange and meaningful engagement with contemporary ideas. Learn more about FC Talks.
FC Visiting Fellows
The Freedom Center’s Visiting Fellows Program brings to campus distinguished scholars from top universities around the country and fosters sustained collaboration between leading academics and the U of A community through research engagement, teaching, and public dialogue, enriching scholarship, mentorship, and interdisciplinary exchange. Learn about FC Visiting Fellows.
Vote YOU for President
Empowering the Next Generation
Over 100 students, families, and community members participated in a live election for their “next president,” with awards presented by David Litt, former Obama presidential speechwriter and author. The Vote YOU for President event gave students a platform to turn big ideas into real-world impact—highlighting the ambition, creativity, and civic leadership of the next generation.
Empowering Teachers
Angela Nevico, a career and engineering teacher at Billy Lane Lauffer Middle School, was one of the winning teachers at the Vote YOU for President Awards Night. She reinvested her prize where it mattered most—her classroom, using the funds to purchase a large aquaponics system.
Free Enterprise in Focus
A Lunch & Learn with the Common Sense Institute
On October 15, 2025, more than 50 University of Arizona students, faculty, staff, and community members gathered at the Student Union for a dynamic Lunch & Learn on the role of free enterprise in shaping everyday life and public policy with Katie Ratlief, Executive Director of Common Sense Institute (CSI) Arizona .
