Join other exceptional students and leading conservative intellectuals from all academic disciplines for ISI’s premier, all-expenses-paid, weeklong summer program.
This year’s theme is God, Man, and State: Liberalism, Individualism, and the Crisis of the Post-Christian Era. Honors scholars will be taken on a journey from Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, London, and to Philadelphia — Russell Kirk’s five cities that shape the American order — to gain perspective about what holds America together, and what can tear it apart.
It is by understanding the foundation of the American order that we can address the drift away from the “permanent things,” with the hopes that graduates of this program can remedy what ails American institutions today through virtuous leadership in any track they pursue.
The ISI Honors Program introduces students to Russell Kirk’s masterpiece, The Roots of American Order, a masterful account of the cities and traditions that gave life to Western Civilization. Honors Scholars embark on a journey from Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, London, and to Philadelphia—the five cities Kirk identifies that shape the American order—to explore the principles that hold America together and the forces that can tear it apart.
Graduates of the ISI Honors Program will join an exclusive fellowship of conservative leaders who are equipped and empowered to remedy what ails American institutions today. We aim to cultivate more than influential policymakers; ISI shapes prudent, principled statesmen and women who bring a clear-eyed historical sensibility to their decision-making. Our Honors Fellows go on to shape culture through virtuous leadership in the wide variety of careers they pursue.
The ISI Honors Program is not merely an informational presentation; it is an introduction into a lifelong community of like-minded people. Our top-tier faculty members and speakers join students for the entire week, passing on knowledge and guidance through lectures and discussion groups, and serving as mentors to help to further students’ academic and professional careers.
But the Honors experience does not end after the week. Honors scholars will also be invited to attend additional lectures by leading conservative intellectuals throughout the 2023-2024 academic year. Each Honors scholar also has the opportunity to attend ISI’s annual Homecoming weekend as a capstone to the year-long experience and embarks on a lifetime of access to ISI’s many connections and resources.
If you are a hardworking, dedicated, undergraduate conservative leader as of Spring 2024, you are encouraged to apply to the 2024 ISI Honors Program. Applications are due by February 4, 2024. We look forward to reviewing your application!
