A half. [inaudible conversations] good morning, if everyone could go ahead and take their seats. So let me im ben story, senior fellow here at the American Enterprise institute, i want to welcome you all to aeis, American University conference. So when jenna, scholar here and i were talking about what we wanted to do by founding a new Conference Series on the American University here at aei, we wanted to focus on the ways that universities can help themselves and help the rest of us by doing better the things that they are best built to do. We want today focus on how thinks that universities can be better universities. Now Society Social changes but institutions dedicate today the discovery and transmission of wisdom and awakening and development of the most profound powers of the human mind. Weve been working on this with the help of many people in this room who are on the ground on campus working to make universities more like their best se lves, our goal is to gather the best that is being thought said and done in our colleges and universities so that all of us might think these projects through a little bit better together. May be public pledge address in april to improve Pacific Education on their campuses. Stanford is launching a required course on citizenship in the 21st century. Johns hopkins has great the answer to which seeks to realize the promise of the while of war and modern times. Other elite private institutions are taking similar effort. I comes to mind Duke University has been developing a particularly Fine Initiative of this kind. The civil discourse project. But then, just a couple of months ago the news broke a Public School just down the road from duke the university of North Carolina at chapel hill i which i happen to be an alumnus scooped dukes star player in this particular competitive sports. Its with us here this morning to be the inaugural dean of the new school of civic life and leadership in chapel hill. Porte duca. That was not enough you and cv twice in basketball this year. A list tough to be a blue devil these days mary Gerry Seinfeld could go down to campus and tell them a joke or two to feel better about themselves. [laughter] now, one reason caroline it was when jet away from duke is a great public universities are doing to be more ambitious things that are private universities. North ghana, texas, arizona, florida, ohio, tennessee, mississippi, have created an cre entirely new academic units. In some cases entire schools and colleges dedicated to Civic Education and more such projects are on the horizon. Many of projects are animated by the insight we need a new bottle of Civic Education. All the Service Learning model of Civic Education at energy does not automatically offer intellectual training for citizenship. Its universitys distinctive role to provide. A significant number of thoughtful scholars drawn by administrators, trustees, alumni, parents, students, legislators and other americans now recognize unit University LevelCivic Education needs to be reimagined. Theyre pouring tremendous resources of time, money, and talents into that effort. Such entrepreneurial projects however often failed to achieve their ends. Particularly is times to change the spirit of their founding moment has dissipated. Has put the history of Civic Education and colleges and universities is defined above all by repeated verse of civic resolve that have run aground or lost focus. In particular Civic Education initiatives in the past have dissipated by the pull of the existing researcher disciplines. Set the incentives for how faculty live and what students study. How will those involved and reviving University LevelCivic Education meet the challenge of creating something enduring and fruitful of academic life. Against the forces that have dissolved them in the past. Subfields and keep disciplines such as history, sociology, english and Political Science be created look at a specific area of the subject matter from a civic perspective. Or perhaps, as we approached you and 50th anniversary of the declaration of independence is time for Civic Education to declare its own independence. Perhaps Civic Education should assume among the powers of the university lead to separate and equal station to which the just demands of the human mind and the human republic. Perhaps Civic Education as English Literature shows became autonomous disciplines not so long ago. New name to mark the distinctive perspective that it brings to the study of human phenomena. As peter levine and others have suggested for civic thought the possibility of conversations among those leading some exciting new initiatives in public universities. However we answer that question, these are projects soon to become new centers of intellectual gravity in the academic world. They are designed with intellectual integrity and play host to great teaching and scholarship that might avoid succumbing to shift some public attention the entropic forces of university life. That might influence for the better the ideological atmosphere thats come to penetrate the classrooms, the offices, even the famous safe spaces of our campuses. So, to help all of the people involved in these projects do this vital and urgent work reflectively as possible, today we brought together an impressive question of classes, historians, political scientists to think with us about the fundamental question by this watershed moment. What is a citizen . What does it mean to think like a citizen . How have the political and civic thinkers of the past understood what Civic Education requires . What is american Civic Education in particular require . Does the thinker need to be humanist . Do Civic Education above a liberal education . What lessons can we take from history that conform of academic the hiring of faculty, the contours of scholarly projects . How should these lessons be reflected in the syllabi of courses the project students undertake the style in which faculty write their books. Weve invited jewell to come to ai to ask these questions and others and hope that reflecting on them more integral, more enduring projects of Civic Education. So the best chance to successfully resist the entropic forces that seek to subsume them. Thank you for the time and trouble that many of you have taken to be here. Well continue long after these sessions and be useful to your intellectual and practical work. So with that i will turn things over to my fellow scholar who will moderate our first conversation on Civic Education the ancients and us. [applause] [applause] think you and thank you all for coming. Good morning and welcome. You might expect a conflict of Civic Education past and present would begin with the panel on the ages. But, and our view this is not because the exclude chronologically at western civilization. Most more importantly to us greeks and romans are fundamental to conceive of a revived Civic Education today. They sell with fresh eyes a new Human Capacity paid the capacity for selfgovernment. The capacity to act and to think like a citizen. Therefore it uniquely suited to remind us of the noblest aspirations of citizenship and the kind of education that is necessary to live up to that vocational ideal. The nobility of citizenship, the high demand and accent education, these are important things. Scooped circle stalking both Civic Education as we often do, people like a contradiction in terms. Civics is something we have been accustomed to thinking and having primarily in k12. Its about learning the basic facts of our countrys history, the nuts and bolts of our government system. As you come to the conclusion reads offer the kind of education and our universities today, it is because our schools have failed it. Universities of education seems like remedial work. In the ancient perspective and in particular it will feature both of our presentations today civics is not just for kids. Its an endeavor that makes great demands on our minds and honor characters. It could spark sworn intellectual evolution is bound up with the loftiest questions. So this morning, on our planet look here first trip jed atkins you heard about his dramatic move he is now the founding dean and director of the school of civic life and leadership. He also holds the distinguished professorship on the philosophy of women which sets high expectations. [laughter] hes going to talk to us about a more concerned subject and a liberal arts of her civics. After he speaks will hear from eric adler who is a professor and chair of the department of the university of maryland. Eric has a doocy duke a phd and the author of several books about roman history and a rhetoric as well as the role of the classics have played in the history of education and American Education when i would particularly recommend his recent book called the battle of the classics 19th century debates can save humanitys today. His presentation this morning is entitled Civic Education and the need. Please join me in welcoming jed atkins to the podium. [applause] thank you so much jena for that introduction. The move to from duke to you and see was not that dramatic pair for the last 15 years i went out of my driveway and took a right and drove 10 minutes to work. I know i get in my driveway and take a left and drive 10 minutes to work. It is wonderful to be with you here today. Civic life is in crisis. Americas polarizing faster than any other major democracy. Republicans and democrats believe that members of their political outgroup are evil. This tremendous polarization is impacting how we address our countrys problems of virtually every institutional level from our nations capitol to state capitals. From Corporate Board rooms to grade school classrooms. Trust in on us all of americas institutions that is an alltime low decline in trust includes the university, the majority of americans no longer believe a Fouryear College degree is worth the cost only 36 have a great deal or have quite a lot of confidence in Higher Education according to wellpublicized gallup poll that was released last spring this is down 48 in 201957 in 2015. Confidence is falling at higherr education across all major subgroups by political affiliation. Gender and educational attainment. Since october 7 University Britain and when this regard. The irony is not lost on the public. The university as an institution that should be best position to foster civil conversations about the weighty matters hope to recruit put sue has become a symbol for our democratic failures. But even amidst the challenges some of us are hopeful the university can equip future citizens and leaders with the knowledge and capacities to discharge the weighty duties of democratic citizenship. My own decision to leave my faculty position at dukes becomes a director and dean of Carolina School of civic leadership was made from confidence in such a hope. And i know many of you here today share this hope. I am going to set up these remarks by recalling something cornell wrote in an essay on democratic hope in the 90s. The prisoner of hope confidently faces the future and the light of the best of the past. As a scholar of classical philosophy of spent a good many years are wrestling with how my work and enrich our understanding of our present political i only like this way of putting the questions. Face the future in light of the past . The best in the past into the future is a tradition. Often tradition can sound stale and antiquated rather than living and vibrant. One of my friends and former colleagues and theologian roe likes to speak in terms of traditions innovation. Liberal arts itself offers a tradition of education for civic license thought. Civic education in this sense might be regarded as that liberal arts for civics. What are some features of such a tradition . How does this a tradition of these features of this tradition distinguish liberal arts for civics from other approaches to Civic Education. Catching a brief answer to these questions im going to ask for your patience. I want to draw it out on the bue whole of the liberal arts tradition but i have two excuses for doing so. First this is like when invited me. But he would say about Civic Education like many professors im a good student who likes to do my homework. And so might homework assignment is completed. But to give credit where credit is due or making a special compelling assignment for a participant on the panel on Civic Education and the ancients and us. Eyes. Cicero was an important eay figure and it liberal arts libes tradition. One can make a good case he was the founder of the liberal arts for civic tradition. Let me briefly explain. It was one of the writings the term liberal arts first appeared. This work was widely read during the renaissance. Had a profound impact on civic and rhetorical education. Cicero rights with reference to a life thats proper to consider among what men and whose direction he has been educated. Teachers of a liberal arts he has had. What instructors were living. What business or employment are craftsmanship he has occupied . In what manner does he administer property and what are his household traditions . Rule arts. Includes alongside other terms he does not explain it. The term would have been familiar to his contemporaries. The use of the term does not seem to innovate. In his early 20s he would later dismiss it as an unpolished work of his youth. Google arches in a practical context for once way of life this is also the world. But still, like much else and 60 year old sister deepen and develop his thoughts on the liberal arts for the rest of his life course for next four decades he would distinct ways one greek and went roman. Eventually works of the content of the liberal arts but philosophy that most greek subjects should have an important place. In deed and the work it characterizes is youthful and unpolished his last work on duties he advises his son to read ciceros own writings on philosophy which contains deep engagement with philosophicals of his stated this would supplement the education in athens brought duty with the letter written to marcus junior as he is studying abroad in athens and the publication was addressed to the aspiring young roman ruling class. Philosophy is a Good Development but its less important for that. Indeed in a letter to one of his friends he will cite philosophy is that liberal art that delights and most of all. And so and ciceros works taken place among the other pursuits being arts after rhetoric and literature and logic and grammar and astronomy, history, and music. All of these was such a rhetoric were seen by cicero and other romans to be greek. Even in his later work on moral and that have been transmitted into the latin language units fell at romans may consider them. As being our own. That is the grebe development. This will make clear that liberal arts will have a civic dimension. When he came to the study of politics the romans, but ciceroo could include it would not succeed for space of the greeks. When it broadens to include the study of the way of life of human beings and Political Affairs. The late this week become the title of the people on the ideal order on the commonwealth. There a character from a distinguish from my family confesses when it comes to the study of the way of human beings and Political Affairs hes learned much from the greeks. The commonwealth is not all republic. Cicero portrays in the life of human beings and about Political Affairs. Still the roman term as a civic term. I ask you to look at me in this way. As somewhat neither ignorant of greek learning, nor deferring to the greeks vertically on the subject. Educated by the father and inflame from childhood with the desire of learning educated much more by experience that my books. The roman dementia and the liberal arts curriculum was specific dimension but one must study questions. Ciceros on the commonwealth takes up the question of to whether and what degree we can achieve a Political Science with a predicted power and some sense to astronomy is doubtful. But a particular perspective in a particular context. To be a citizen is to be from somewhere. And to occupy some perspective. Once study of the timeless questions has the potential to lift at least to some extent us beyond our immediate horizons and commitments. That liberal arts manifests itself in the civics driving a global arts is a profoundly cicero and he and. For the rest of my time and going to briefly unfold three dimensions of ideas of liberal arts for civics that are relevant to the current Civic Education movement. Again keeping with my homework assignment of todays panel. First of all liberal arts civics combined the political and humanistic. Liberal arts for civics combines the political and humanistic. Ciceros wr