Scholars and Educators in a Brave New World
Call for Proposals
DUE: June 1, 2026 11:59pm EST
Higher Education in the Western world, and especially the United States, has reached a point of crisis. Declining enrollments and dwindling funds, unsustainable budgets, ideological polarization, and artificial intelligence increasingly undermine public and private institutions of intellectual and moral formation. Prospective students see less value in a college degree, distrust of scholars is commonplace, and universities struggle to retain students – especially men.
We do not lack compelling diagnoses of what produced this crisis. What we need now are hopeful and realistic ways forward. We need to take stock of what may be beyond repair, what needs to be restored, and where opportunities for innovation present themselves. Educators and scholars undoubtedly face daunting challenges, but despair is not an option. Too much is at stake for our generation and those to come.
James Madison observed that “knowledge will forever govern ignorance: And a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.” A people that wishes to remain both free and virtuous requires institutions committed to intellectual moral formation. By “formation,” we do not simply mean the acquisition of information and skills primarily for instrumental purposes of power and economic gain. Free people need to be virtuous as well as intelligent. They must be able to discern what is good, true, and beautiful. In keeping with our classical and Christian heritage, we recognize that ignorance is not strength, nor is it bliss. Vice and ignorance are slavery.
The Ciceronian Society, in its first ever Fall Symposium, will convene scholars, educators, clergy, entrepreneurs, “edupreneurs,” and others looking to rethink, reform, and restore institutions and strategies of moral, aesthetic, and intellectual formation for young adults, seniors, and everyone in between.
Please direct all questions to Josh Bowman at info@ciceroniansociety.org
Participation
The Ciceronian Society invites proposals from individuals and sponsoring organizations. While individual papers are welcome, we strongly prefer proposals for full sessions.
Sessions will be 75 minutes in length and can take the form of traditional academic panels, brief debates, roundtable discussions, author-meets-critics, and more. We will not accept proposals that consist of one speaker talking for an entire session. Session proposals challenging the premises articulated in the call for papers will also be considered. Each session must include time for Q&A.
All presenting participants must be physically present at the conference. Remote presentations are not permitted.
We hope that we will have the capacity to record all sessions.
Accepted panelists will be notified by July 10 and will receive discounted registration, but they will be responsible for their own travel expenses.
Instructions for Non-organizational Proposals
- Please complete the form below. To open it as a separate page, click here.
- As of April 2026, registration rates have not yet been determined.
Instructions for Organizational Proposals
- Organizations may sponsor a session where they can distribute promotional materials and use the allotted time to share how their organization or group is uniquely responding to the Call for Proposals. We simply ask that the organization allow for a time of Q&A and the opportunity to critically assess the organization’s strategy/response.
- The cost of the sponsorship will be $4000 and includes registration for all participants in that session (up to 6 people). You will not need to pay the sponsorship fee unless your session is accepted.
- Please complete the form below if you are interested, or view the form as a separate page.