College of Democratic Leadership
Est. for the Republic
Distinguished Democracy Forum

A forum, not an echo chamber.

Democracy is learned by meeting the people who practice it. Every week, the college hosts a lecture, debate, workshop, or interview with a practitioner of public life.

The Standing Rule

Hear people you admire, people you disagree with, and people whose experience challenges your assumptions.

Attendance
Students attend a minimum number of Forum events each semester.
Reflection
Every event ends with a written analysis of the arguments, evidence, and rhetoric — not whether you agreed.
Standards
Rigorous evidence, civility, and respectful debate govern every session.
Range
Balance is measured across four years — not mechanically inside a single event.
First-Year Speaker Series

Understanding Democracy

Twelve weeks. Twelve practitioners. A first, ground-level view of how self-government actually works.
  1. Week 0101

    Why Democracy Matters

    Constitutional Scholar
    • ·How democracies begin, survive, and fail
  2. Week 0202

    How a City Actually Runs

    Mayor, Host City
    • ·Budgets
    • ·Zoning
    • ·Homelessness
    • ·Policing
    • ·Public meetings
    How local government actually works.
  3. Week 0303

    Administering an Election

    County Election Administrator
    • ·Voter registration
    • ·Ballot security
    • ·Vote counting
    • ·Certification
    Includes a tour of election equipment.
  4. Week 0404

    Reading the Public

    Political Pollster
    • ·Sampling
    • ·Forecasting
    • ·Polling mistakes
  5. Week 0505

    Inside a Campaign

    Campaign Manager
    • ·Budgets
    • ·Staffing
    • ·Advertising
    • ·Field operations
    • ·Volunteers
  6. Week 0606

    Building a Movement

    Community Organizer
    • ·Grassroots organizing
  7. Week 0707

    Covering Politics Ethically

    Political Journalist
    • ·Sourcing
    • ·Verification
    • ·Fairness
  8. Week 0808

    The Constitution in Court

    Civil Rights Attorney
    • ·Voting rights
    • ·Equal protection
    • ·Constitutional litigation
  9. Week 0909

    How a Bill Is Really Written

    Legislator (State or Federal)
    • ·Drafting
    • ·Committees
    • ·Coalitions
  10. Week 1010

    Judicial Independence

    Sitting or Retired Judge
    • ·The role of courts
    • ·Judicial ethics
  11. Week 1111

    Leading Through Crisis

    Former Governor
    • ·Emergency powers
    • ·Executive judgment
  12. Week 1212

    Public Ethics

    Ethics Commissioner
    • ·Public corruption
    • ·Campaign finance
    • ·Government ethics
Sophomore · Junior · Senior

Three years of deeper practitioners.

Sophomore Year

Institutions

  • ◆Federal judges
  • ◆State Supreme Court justices
  • ◆Legislative counsel
  • ◆Former White House staff
  • ◆City managers
  • ◆Inspectors General
  • ◆Government auditors
  • ◆Lobbyists (multiple sectors)
  • ◆Budget directors
  • ◆Agency heads
Junior Year

Politics in Practice

  • ◆Campaign managers (multiple parties)
  • ◆Media consultants
  • ◆Polling firms
  • ◆Digital strategists
  • ◆Political advertisers
  • ◆Grassroots organizers
  • ◆Fundraisers
  • ◆Speechwriters
  • ◆Press secretaries
  • ◆Chiefs of staff
Senior Year

Leadership

  • ◆Cabinet members
  • ◆Governors
  • ◆Members of Congress
  • ◆Former university presidents
  • ◆Supreme Court advocates
  • ◆Foreign ambassadors
  • ◆International election observers
  • ◆Military leaders
  • ◆Human rights leaders
  • ◆Constitutional scholars
Signature · Monthly

The Debate Series

Two nationally recognized figures. Opposing viewpoints. No "winner" — students evaluate evidence, reasoning, clarity, respect, and persuasiveness.

  • Conservative SenatorvsProgressive Senator
  • Former Republican Campaign ManagervsFormer Democratic Campaign Manager
  • Libertarian EconomistvsLabor Economist
  • Former ProsecutorvsPublic Defender
  • Police ChiefvsCivil Liberties Attorney
  • Climate ScientistvsEnergy Policy Expert
  • Technology CEOvsDigital Privacy Advocate
Every Election Cycle

Campaign Week

Every qualified candidate on the ballot for a given office is invited. Equal speaking time, transparent moderation, and civility are the ground rules.

20 min
Presentation
20 min
Moderated discussion
20 min
Student questions
Students compare platforms, budgets, communications, field organization, and advertising side by side.
Career-Grounding Series

"Day in the Life"

A guest walks students through an ordinary workday — what these careers actually involve, not what they look like on television.

State Senator
Congressional Aide
Legislative Attorney
Campaign Volunteer Coordinator
Mayor
School Superintendent
Political Reporter
County Registrar
Judge
Lobbyist
Union Organizer
Public Defender
District Attorney
Policy Analyst
Nonprofit Director
City Planner
Comparative Perspectives

Democracy Around the World

International practitioners help students compare democratic institutions across countries and cultures.

  • ·Former Members of Parliament
  • ·Election Commissioners
  • ·Diplomats
  • ·Foreign Correspondents
  • ·Political Dissidents
  • ·Human Rights Advocates
  • ·Former Political Prisoners
  • ·International Election Observers
  • ·Comparative Constitutional Scholars
Annual Program

Democracy in Crisis

A yearly examination of moments when democratic institutions were tested or undermined. The emphasis is historical conditions, institutional strengths and weaknesses, and lessons for preserving constitutional government.

  • ·The fall of the Roman Republic
  • ·The French Revolution and the Reign of Terror
  • ·The rise of fascism in Italy
  • ·The collapse of the Weimar Republic
  • ·Stalin's Soviet Union
  • ·Mao's Cultural Revolution
  • ·Apartheid South Africa
  • ·Military dictatorships in Latin America
  • ·Democratic transitions in Eastern Europe
  • ·The Arab Spring
  • ·Contemporary democratic backsliding
Flagship · Spring

The Annual Democracy Summit

Three days of public programming with elected officials, judges, scholars, journalists, civic leaders, campaign professionals, and students. The Summit culminates in the campus-wide Democracy Laboratory election.

  • ◆Oxford-style debates
  • ◆Candidate forums
  • ◆Policy workshops
  • ◆Moot court championships
  • ◆Student research presentations
  • ◆Civic technology demos
  • ◆Community service projects
  • ◆Cross-partisan dialogue
The Rule of Intellectual Reciprocity

"A graduate should be able to accurately explain an opposing argument before critiquing it — and converse respectfully across profound political differences while remaining grounded in evidence, constitutional principles, and ethical reasoning."