FROM INSTITUTE DIRECTOR, JONATHAN CULP, PH.D.
The Bill of Rights of Ohio’s first Constitution declared that “a frequent recurrence to the fundamental principles of civil government is absolutely necessary to preserve the blessings of liberty.”
That charge is as urgent now as it was two centuries ago.
At the Institute of American Constitutional Thought and Leadership, we make that ‘frequent recurrence’ real by equipping students, teachers, and citizens to preserve liberty in our own time.
A flourishing republic requires an informed and public-spirited citizenry. In our courses, we immerse our students in the great texts and debates of the American political tradition, and we also introduce them to the great works of the Western tradition that shaped the hearts and minds of our Founders. If John Adams, read it, you should too.
To that end, the Institute already offers a certificate and two minors, and we have a Constitutional Studies major launching in 2026.
A flourishing republic requires universities that citizens can trust to love and pursue the truth through free inquiry and an absolute respect for free speech. At the Institute, in our courses and our public events, we don’t seek to indoctrinate but to expose our students and fellow citizens to the great debates to give them the knowledge, skills, and virtues needed to make up their own minds.
A flourishing republic requires institutions of higher education that open the doors of opportunity to their students. At the Institute, we do this through our rigorous teaching and intensive mentoring, but also by providing students with scholarships, networking opportunities, and the chance to study abroad at Oxford University.
A flourishing republic also requires citizens who know how to engage in civil discourse so they can pursue the common good together despite their differences. At the Institute, we prepare our students for this through open, respectful dialogue in our courses. And we are helping renew the civic life here in Northwest Ohio through public events where we show our community what civil debate about controversial ideas looks like.
A flourishing republic requires primary and secondary schools that prepare future citizens for life, work, and higher education in a self-governing society. At the Institute, we strengthen civic education statewide through an expanding program of K-12 teacher institutes, so the teachers of the next generation and we bring the Northwest Ohio community together for public lectures and debates on America’s constitutional order and the pressing issues of today.
In short, a flourishing republic requires universities that serve the common good by forming students and citizens who are able to gather the wisdom of the past and apply it to the challenges and opportunities of today in order to preserve and expand the blessing of liberty for generations to come.