Institute of American Constitutional Thought and Leadership

10/22/2026

Our Free Speech Debate was featured in the UToledo news! You can read about the debate at the link below!

Still interested in coming? There is still time to RSVP here: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/1aeJrVDS61

We hope to see you there for what promises to be a lively debate!

https://news.utoledo.edu/index.php/10_19_2026/free-speech-scholars-to-debate-first-amendment-on-friday

Dr. Mary Anne Franks of George Washington University and Nathan Goetting of UToledo’s Institute of American Constitutional Thought and Leadership will share their perspectives in “Does the First Amendment Actually Protect Free Speech?”

10/18/2026

In his National Affairs piece, "Science, Civics, and the Future of Self-government," IACTL’s Senior Associate Director, Dr. Michael Gonzalez, addresses the divide between STEM and the humanities, and the benefits civics education can bring to those in STEM fields.

After World War II, American universities struck a compact with the federal government to pursue the technological innovations necessary to defend the free world. But this too often came at the expense of civic formation — of scientists as much as an...

10/15/2026

Join us on OCTOBER 23rd for a debate on Free Speech!

The Institute of American Constitutional Thought and Leadership is hosting a lively debate at 12pm on Friday, October 23rd. Come hear two scholars address the question, "Does the First Amendment actually protect free speech?"

Lunch and parking is provided!

To RSVP use the QR code in the flyer below or register here: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/1aeJrVDS61

09/24/2026

Attention Teachers: Paid PD Opportunity!

The Institute of American Constitutional Thought and Leadership is hosting three half-day teacher workshops at the University of Toledo this fall.

You don't have to be a social studies teacher to apply—you only have to be interested in learning about important American things with colleagues.

See the flyer for more details, then sign up here: https://bit.ly/4yYuZR6 or use the QR code below to be considered.

09/15/2026

Join us this Thursday for a lunch time lecture from 12pm-1pm! Lunch and Parking are provided! See Details below. Register with the QR Code below or at this link: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=BxdrHam6PUqo-N6r-z1Ge6QSM5qmgHtOn7EV1jV1VLpUQVZPT1JEMFBaRDNMV0tNRTBCVkk2TFBYTy4u

We hope to see you there!

The Institute restores the intellectual and civic conditions essential for a flourishing republic.

09/11/2026

Studying the United States founding is as important as ever, but what about studying it from a distance?

Read about Jaden Smith, a student pursuing our Constitutional Studies minor, who received an excellence award from Oxford University’s Quill Project. Read Here: https://news.utoledo.edu/index.php/09_02_2026/marketing-senior-digs-into-u-s-constitution-in-england

Where is the best place to study the founding of the United States? For UToledo senior Jaden Smith, the answer was the University of Oxford in England.

Through UToledo’s Institute of American Constitutional Thought and Leadership, Jaden spent two weeks studying the U.S. Constitution alongside students from across the country, taking part in lectures, seminars and debates. https://bit.ly/4ide0Fw

09/02/2026

Join us Today at 12pm for a Lunch and Lecture over the topic of Free Speech! Lunch and Parking Provided. We hope to see you there!

04/07/2026

LAST CALL- TOLEDO TEACHERS! An Extraordinary Week And Get Paid $400! DEADLINE: Monday, April 13

Northwest Ohio Founding Civics Institute:
Educating the Enduring Republic

APPLY NOW | LIMITED SEATS
WHEN: June 22 - 26, 2026
WHERE: Toledo, OH

This week-long institute for teachers, hosted by the University of Toledo's Institute of American Constitutional Thought and Leadership (IACTL), will focus on key themes, thinkers, and texts of America's constitutional tradition. Topics will include, but are not limited to, natural rights, constitutional interpretation, the Founders and religion, slavery and the Constitution, and American foreign policy.

Scholar sessions will be led by the Institute's faculty and visiting scholars, including Lucas Morel (Washington & Lee University), Vincent Phillip Muñoz (The University of Notre Dame), and Joseph Postell (Hillsdale College).

THIS FOUNDING CIVICS INITIATIVE is a project of the Jack Miller Center for teaching America's Founding Principles and History.

APPLY NOW:

This week-long institute for teachers, hosted by the University of Toledo's Institute of American Constitutional Thought and Leadership, will focus on the key themes, thinkers, and texts pertaining to America's constitutional tradition. Topics will include, but are not limited to, natural rights, co...

04/06/2026

TOLEDO FRIENDS! YOU'RE INVITED. LAST CALL. REGISTER NOW FOR FREE LUNCH & LECTURE NEXT TUESDAY, 12 P.M.!
"Can Communism and Constitutionalism Coexist?"
REGISTER NOW: bit.ly/IACTL-Event9

WHERE: University of Toledo College of Law – Room 1013
WHEN: Tuesday, April 14 | 12–1 PM

LUNCH PROVIDED | Free parking

We welcome Prof. Elizabeth Spalding, a nationally respected scholar of American political thought from Pepperdine University. She will help us explore a fundamental tension in political philosophy, systems grounded in natural rights and limited government versus systems grounded in centralized power and collective control.
Whether you are a student, educator, professional, or simply someone who cares about our republic, there is a seat for you at the table.

ABOUT US
At the University of Toledo, the Institute of American Constitutional Thought & Leadership (IACTL) fosters the intellectual and civic conditions essential for a flourishing republic, forming students and citizens in the principles of liberty through lectures, civil dialogue, and academic programs that equip leaders and engage the broader community in the work of self-government.

We believe you're made for greater things.
SCHOLARSHIP | LEADERSHIP | FRIENDSHIP

IACTL Lunch & Lecture Series Tuesday, April 14, 12 PM UT College of Law | Room 1013

03/25/2026

AS THE UNITED STATES APPROACHES ITS 250th ANNIVERSARY, the Institute of American Constitutional Thought and Leadership (IACTL) convened a panel of four eminent scholars to ask a foundational, and increasingly debated, question: Is the Declaration of Independence still the “standard of a free society,” or has it become a “mere wreck” of the dead past? [08:11].

THE PANELISTS:
Dr. Michael Zuckert (Notre Dame): A leading authority on natural rights, Zuckert explores how the Declaration serves as an “interpretive principle” for the Constitution, orienting the American conception of justice [19:22].

Dr. Thomas West (Hillsdale College): West offers a provocative critique of modern domestic and foreign policy, arguing that we have lost the “manly firmness” and spirit of self-reliance the Declaration demands [23:38].

Dr. Vincent Phillip Muñoz (Notre Dame): Muñoz bridges the gap between philosophy and law, explaining why the Declaration’s “self-evident” truths are the essential foundation for understanding individual liberties like religious freedom and speech [30:43].

Dr. Steven Hayward (Pepperdine): Hayward tackles the “moral skepticism” of our age, critiquing the postmodern shift toward “proprietary truths” that threatens to dissolve our shared political inheritance [33:40].

JOIN US for our next Free LUNCH & LECTURE SERIES:
"Is Communism Compatible with Constitutionalism?"
With Prof. Elizabeth Spalding
WHEN: Tuesday, April 14, 12 PM
WHERE: University of Toledo College of Law | Room 1013
REG: https://bit.ly/IACTL-Event9
PLUG INTO THE DELIBERATE REPUBLIC: http://LeadToledo.com

ABOUT US:
At the University of Toledo, the Institute of American Constitutional Thought & Leadership (IACTL) fosters the intellectual and civic conditions essential for a flourishing republic, forming students and citizens in the principles of liberty through lectures, civil dialogue, and academic programs that equip leaders and engage the broader community in the work of self-government.

Scholarship | Leadership | Friendship
You're made for greater things.

https://open.substack.com/pub/leadtoledo/p/is-liberty-still-relevant

A PANEL WITH STEVEN HAYWARD, VINCENT PHILLIP MUÑOZ, THOMAS WEST, & MICHAEL ZUCKERT