Spring 2025 Events

January 28th, 2025

The Supreme Court ruled that Harvard and UNC discriminate against Asian applicants. A top architect of the lawsuits against Harvard and UNC talks about where affirmative action -- and the Supreme Court -- are likely to go next.

February 4th, 2025

Great Britain's back was against the wall. Professor Gerard Alexander on how the UK fended off Nazi Germany in desperation and with firepower and Winston Churchill's rhetoric.

February 6th, 2025

 Donald Trump has dominated the Republicans and U.S. politics for a decade, but what happens when he can't run again? Scholar Matt Continetti joins Blue Ridge and the Karsh Institute to discuss what's next for conservatives and Republicans. We'll have copies of his book The Right: The Hundred Year War for American Conservatism.

February 10th, 2025

Charles Lehman and Brent Scher. Suddenly, betting is everywhere, and Americans gambled $120 billion on sports in 2023. But is this ruining lives? Charles Lehman, Manhattan Institute fellow, and Brent Scher, executive editor of the Daily Wire, disagree on whether legalizing sports gambling was a mistake and what we should do about it.

February 12th, 2025

February 19th, 2025

Dr. Curt Thompson and Prof. David Constanza

Cosponsored with Veritas Forum

April 8th, 2025

December 3, 2024

Julia Mahoney taught law at the University of Southern California and the University Chicago before joining the UVA Law faculty. She has a diversity of specialities, she regularly teaches Property law, and she'll discuss Intellectual Property in particular. This is the third event in our series about classes you'll take your first year in law school.

November 20, 2024

Violence and wars are erupting or threatening to erupt all around the world. Are they connected to one another? What should the United States be doing in response? One of the biggest debates for the last 60 years is what the basic U.S. posture should be toward conflicts around the globe. Noah Rothman, a leading voice on the topic, makes the case for the United States to be engaged internationally now more than ever.

November 19th, 2024

Is it risky for firms to get branded politically? Michael Moynihan, a prolific journalist and prominent podcaster -- at the Fifth Column & the Free Press -- worked for years at Vice, the online and TV media company. He describes how Vice's leadership decided to wade into politics, and drove a multi-billion-dollar firm into bankruptcy last year.

November 13th, 2024

Featuring Leah Libresco Sargeant and Rachel Cohen. Two of the most innovative thinkers and best writers commenting on abortion today discussed how this controversial issue will probably evolve in American law, politics, and society in the next few years in the wake of the Supreme Court's 2022 Dobbs decision.

Cosponsored with the Civil Discourse Initiative

November 11th, 2024

Featuring Janet Spittler and Charles Mathewes. Early Christian ethics and morals spread all over the Western world. Did those morals emerge from Jewish culture at the time—or were they more revolutionary than that? Charles Mathewes and Janet Spittler are in Religious Studies at UVA and have strong views on this important historical, cultural, and inter-faith question.

October 30th, 2024

Now a businessman and member of UVA’s board, Paul Harris handled all tort cases involving the U.S. government in the early 2000s. This is the second in our series about the classes you’ll take your first year in law school. Harris will identify what a “tort” is, how they operate across our legal system every day, and tell tort war stories from his time in the Department of Justice.

Cosponsored with Phi Alpha Delta Pre Law Fraternity

October 28th, 2024

A leading intellectual in India and host of the influential “Ideas of India” podcast, Shruti Rajagopalan identifies the policy reforms that have had the most impact on economic growth and political change in the most populous country in the world in recent years, and what is still needed.

Cosponsored with EconClub at UVA

October 23rd, 2024

Gassman, a scholar of antiquity now at the University of Florida, will explain how early Christian thought was radically different from other major cultures at the time. This will be the second part of the series: Where Did I Get My Ethics?

October 22nd, 2024

Sports is big business. Harvey Schiller knows that firsthand. He has been executive director of the U.S. Olympic Committee, CEO of the company that owned the Yankees, and president of what is now TNT Sports.

October 22nd, 2024

Federal Judge John Nabandian serves on the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. A lawyer at Jones Day, he will talk about how judges make decisions and handle cases that get politicized.

Cosponsored with Phi Alpha Delta Pre Law Fraternity

October 21st, 2024

Emily Hamilton is a leading advocate of reform in land-use rules. Head of the Urbanity project at the Mercatus Center think tank, she believes that zoning and permitting reform can dramatically improve the costs of housing, growth, and the environmental impact of growth.

October 16th, 2024

Chris Wright is a leading advocate of diversifying America’s energy sources, as the best means of ending “energy poverty” that can limit both growth and quality of life. Wright is the CEO of Liberty Energy, a prominent oil and gas company.

October 9th, 2024

Think life doesn’t really start until your thirties? Or that your twenties are just for wasting time? Think again. Dr. Meg Jay discusses the contents of her bestselling book, The Defining Decade and challenges young people to a new perspective.

October 8th, 2024

Amid regular warnings that economies, disease, and the environment are on dangerous trajectories, how bad are things really? They're actually better than ever and improving more every year, says Marian Tupy. His Human Progress website compiles tons of historic and cutting-edge data to chart dramatic and ongoing progress in average earnings, calories consumed, literacy and education, living conditions, civil liberties, and more across the world.

Cosponsored with EconClub at UVA

September 30th, 2024

Blue Ridge is offering a new series on all the courses that you have to take your first year in law school. In this first in the series, UVA’s top lawyer explained what contracts are, why they matter, and what disasters can result when lawyers get them wrong.

September 25th, 2024

Convener of major conversations about faith and atheism, host of the prominent podcast "The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God" podcast, and author of the book of the same name. Brierley kicked off Blue Ridge's Where Did I Get My Ethics series and related it to the revival in faith that he believes is underway. We distributed copies of his recent book.

Cosponsored with the Center for Christian Study

September 24th, 2024

Respected diplomatic historian Mel Leffler presented one of the best new books about America’s decision to invade Iraq in 2003, rejected many myths about the war, and showed how both Saddam Hussein and George W. Bush made crucial mistakes.

Cosponsored with the History Club

September 24th, 2024

UVA’s own Sociology Professor and director of the National Marriage Project, Brad Wilcox, joined us to discuss his new book, Get Married, which explores the decades-old question of whether marriage is important for couples.

September 23rd, 2024

Head of the most important free-speech organization in the country, Greg Lukianoff made the case that free speech is the taproot of all our rights, protecting all the others and deserving to be defended by everyone.

Cosponsored with Heterodox Academy

September 19th, 2024

Does having two parents together (or not) affect kids’ performance at school and in life? Melissa Kearney, nationally recognized economist at the University of Maryland, says it does, and she flies in the face of some political fashions when she makes her important argument.

Co-Sponsored with the UVA Economics Club

September 12th, 2024

This discussion about abortion was moderated by Jack Siegel '25

Cosponsored with the Civil Discourse Initiative and Hoos for Life

September 3, 2024

At this event, geared toward first years, Professor Gerard Alexander and undergraduate/graduate assistant Sharon Marsh offered advice on building a schedule, tips and tricks for undergrads, and getting involved on grounds.

April 29th, 2024

Environmental activist and founder of the American Conservation Coalition Benji Backer discussed his upcoming book, The Conservative Environmentalist, and made his case for an alternative view of environmentalism.

April 16th, 2024

Head of the Pacific Legal Foundation and frequent litigator at the U.S. Supreme Court, Steven Anderson discussed how public-interest careers in the law can change America for the better.

Co-sponsored with Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity at UVA

April 16th, 2024

George and Sally Mayer Fellow for Economic Education and vice president of academic affairs at the Fund for American Studies, Anne Bradley, addressed the complexities of terrorism and counter-terrorism.

Co-sponsored with the EconClub at UVA

April 11th, 2024

Julius Krein discussed post-liberalism over a private dinner with students.

April 10th, 2024

Zongyuan Zoe Liu, a fellow at Council on Foreign Relations, and Scott Kennedy, advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and professor at Indiana University, discussed the economic competition and currency war between the U.S. and China.

April 10th, 2024

Old Dominion University’s Interim Dean, Suzanne Wright, came to UVA’s School of Nursing to discuss licensing— and other ways nurses are limited in their ability to practice. She was joined by UVA’s own Robert Graboyes to shed light on this important topic. Take-It-Away lunch was included.

April 8th, 2024

Author of the The Emerging Democratic Majority discussed how identity politics have - and haven’t - shaped the American political landscape.

Co-sponsored with the Center for Politics at UVA

April 3rd, 2024

In the second installment of our “I Changed My Mind” series, journalist James Bennet discusses how his feud with his former employer, The New York Times, freed him up to think about things differently.

April 2nd, 2024

Former U.S. Ambassador to monitor and combat human trafficking John Richmond presented on the injustice of modern day slavery, forced labor, and human trafficking. He shed light on unknown areas of modern slavery… and showed why we need justice.

April 2nd, 2024

Can blockchain democratize access to scientific research? Erik Van Winkle, Head of Operations at Desci Labs, discussed the concept and future of “Open” Science.

Co-sponsored with Blockchain Club at UVA

March 27th, 2024

Federal Judge Chad Readler serves on the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. He also served briefly as an Acting U.S. Attorney General of the United States. He discussed his experiences and fielded questions about a career as a federal judge.

Co-sponsored with Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity at UVA

March 25th, 2024

Juliette Sellgren and Chase Huffman interviewed UVA’s A. Willis Robertson Professor of Political Economy, Charlie Holt on behavioral economics. Holt addressed how economics works… when we aren’t rational actors.

Co-sponsored with Econ Club at UVA

March 20th, 2024

Kevin Vallier, a prominent classical liberal, weighed in on the debate between post-liberalism and classical liberalism.

March 20th, 2024

“Can Americans build things anymore?” To answer this question, Adam White of AEI and GMU Law discussed energy projects and Salim Furth of the Mercatus Center addressed housing policy in this panel. The obstacle interfering with both of these fields? The permitting process.

March 18th, 2024

How do we get a roof over the head of every American? Is public housing really the solution to America’s record-high homelessness, or does more public housing do more harm than good? AEI’s Howard Husock weighed in.

February 27th, 2024

Originalism and living constitutionalism: these conflicting philosophies produce radically different judicial interpretations, which significantly impacts American law. UVA Law professor and constitutional law expert Lawrence Solum made the case for Originalism.

Co-sponsored with Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity at UVA

February 26th, 2024

The national debt may not be the topic on your mind, but the National Review Institute’s Dominic Pino thinks it should be. Why? Pino posed an answer in the form of a question: who do you think will be paying?

Co-sponsored with the EconClub of UVA

February 20th, 2024

President Jim Ryan, Abundant Life Ministries’ Eddie Howard, and Cato Institute’s Walter Olson described how their lives were transformed by people and organizations motivated by faith.

February 15th, 2024

One of America’s most innovative constitutional thinkers discussed the fate of U.S. Democracy… when its leaders (and its voters) aren't good people?

Co-sponsored with the AEI Collegiate Network

February 13th, 2024

Bassem Eid is a Palestinian of East Jerusalem who has criticized Israeli human rights abuses and now focuses on the need for democracy and better government for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. He presented on these issues.

February 12th, 2024

Is the Electoral College undemocratic or does it serve a noble purpose? Should it be preserved or done away with? Lawyer Tara Ross and UVA Politics Dept. Chair Jennifer Lawless debated these questions and more.

February 6th, 2024

In the wake of December’s congressional hearings which put a spotlight on university speech policies, UVA Law (and fmr. Harvard Law) professor answered the question: when does speech become incitement, harassment, or threats?

Co-sponsored with UVA Student Affairs

January 30th, 2024

Philosophers have long debated the morality of market capitalism. Given the historic progress that system has delivered, do the ends justify the means? Are markets moral, immoral, or amoral? UVA’s Prof. Elzinga gave his perspective.

Co-sponsored with the Economics Club at UVA

November 28th, 2023

Can the U.S. government successfully direct investments in the economy, or is industrial policy doomed to fail? Chris Griswold is policy director at the American Compass think tank. Scott Lincicome is vice president for economics at the free-market Cato Institute. They discussed these questions in a good-spirited debate.

Co-sponsored with the Economics Club at UVA

November 27th, 2023

Top pollster Patrick Ruffini, fmr. VA Delegate (and UVA BOV member) Paul Harris, and director of race and ethnicity research at Pew Research Center Mark Hugo Lopez talked voting trends among minority Americans and the subsequent effects on our politics.

Co-Sponsored with the UVA Center for Politics

November 15th, 2023

A leading expert on China's space program discussed the U.S.-China rivalry in space.

November 14th, 2023

Best-selling author, columnist, and editor of The Dispatch discusses key themes from his best-selling book The Suicide of the West. He explained how he believes a rebirth of tribalism, populism, nationalism, and identity politics is hurting American democracy.

Co-sponsored with the AEI Collegiate Network

November 6th, 2023

International relations scholar John Owen weighed the threat posed by authoritarian forces to the world’s democracies and considers their future.

November 3rd, 2023

New York Times journalist and podcaster kicked off our new speakers series on "I Changed My Mind"

Co-Sponsored with UVA’s Karsh Institute of Democracy

October 25th, 2023

Leading political and legal thinker and Notre Dame professor answered the question: does U.S. law make exceptions for religious Americans?

Co-sponsored with Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity at UVA

October 23rd, 2023

One of America's leading economic historians presented on the causes for the explosion of growth and wealth that's dramatically reduced poverty and liberated human energies in the last 150 years.

Co-sponsored with the Economics Club at UVA

October 9th, 2023

Alexis Gregorian (U.S. Department of Justice) and Leah Gould (UVA Law Assistant Dean for Public Service) explained what government and public-interest lawyers do.

Co-sponsored with Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity at UVA

October 5th, 2023

Religious liberty litigator Will Haun and UVA Law professor Micah Schwartzman debated the issue of accommodations for religious Americans.

October 3rd, 2023

Ken Seiff is the founder and head of an innovative venture fund that invests in early-stage blockchain projects. He discussed his investments and projects.

Co-sponsored with McIntire's Center for Investors and Financial Markets

September 28th, 2023

Goldman Sachs vice chairman of global client coverage discusses the strengths of those who succeed in their careers in U.S. finance.

September 21st, 2023

Georgetown Law professor and one of America's most prominent and influential legal thinkers answered the loaded question: "Was the Constitution pro-slavery?"

September 11th, 2023

Clifton Iler, UVA's top lawyer, and Richard Naddeo, UVA's associate counsel, explained what lawyers do in civil litigation and transactional law.

Co-sponsored with Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity at UVA

April 25th, 2023

Brookings fellow Richard Reeves and AEI's Ian Rowe on whether we need to renew marriage in order to strengthen fatherhood.

Co-Sponsored with the National Marriage Project

April 24th, 2023

Based on the best selling book, “The Coddling of the American Mind” confronts what's going on on college campuses today and proposes ways we can right the ship.

April 18th, 2023

UVA Prof. Aynne Kokas and Hudson Institute scholar Rebeccah Heinrichs on whether the U.S. should ban TikTok.

April 17th, 2023

The first in a multi-part series. C’ville Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Nina-Alice Antony and Assistant Federal Public Defender Abigail Thibeault on the work of prosecutors an defense attorneys.

This series is co-sponsored with Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity at UVAgoes here

April 12th, 2023

Wall Street Journal columnist and think tank scholar on how our politics and public policy should (and should not) address inequality.

April 3rd, 2023

Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) commissioner on how controversial and cutting-edge policies regarding finance, ESG, and blockchain projects.

Co-sponsored with Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity at UVA, the Economics Club at UVA, and UVA Blockchain

March 29th, 2023

Great Britain's back against the wall. Professors Mary Kate Cary and Gerard Alexander on how the UK fended off Nazi Germany with courage, firepower, and the English language.

March 20th, 2023

Prof. Elzinga fuses economics and theology in a talk titled “Adam Smith Meets C.S. Lewis.”

February 27th, 2023

One of UVA's most popular economics professors on public choice theory and why crony capitalism isn't capitalism.

Co-sponsored with the Economics Club at UVA

February 20th, 2023

Manhattan Institute scholar on how crime imposes its heaviest cost on low-income Americans.

February 13th, 2023

UVA's most esteemed economist on the economics behind anti-trust policies and how that could affect big tech.

Co-sponsored with the Economics Club at UVA

February 8th, 2023

Founder of the Bitcoin fork Zcash and pioneer of zero-knowledge proofs on how regulators can stifle tech innovation.

Co-Sponsored with UVA Blockchain

February 6th 2023

UVA law professors and students on the most important cases before the Supreme Court, the impact they could have, and cases yet to be argued, including affirmative action at universities.

Co-sponsored with Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity at UVA

November 2nd, 2022

Senior partner at Goldman Sachs (and "Are You Destined to Deal?" speaker) on how investment banks and American finance add value to the U.S. economy.

October 12th, 2022

Acclaimed journalist on the history and the future of hedge funds and the venture capital industry.

Co-sponsored with the McIntire Center for Investors and Financial Markets.