Founding Values: America 250 Years Later
Call for proposals
Founding Values is an event series, to be hosted in Spring 2026 at Arizona State University. The purpose is for us to reflect, as a community, on the values represented in the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution. The semiquincentennial, the 250th anniversary of the nation's founding, offers us a unique and timely opportunity to ask if we are upholding those values, and what we can do as a community to protect those values.
The event series will be open to the public.
Who can apply?
We want this to be a local conversation, so proposals are limited to coming from internal to the state of Arizona. We encourage Faculty, Graduate Students, and Undergraduate Students to propose sessions. Session proposals can include community members outside the university system, politicians, community leaders, civil rights leaders, etc.
What kind of sessions?
We're open to a wide range of formats for sessions including but not limited to:
- Presentations
- Debates
- Panel discussions
- Arts performances
What topics?
We will consider any proposal relating to the values mentioned in the United States founding documents including but not limited to the values expressed in these statements and topics:
- “All men are created equal”
- “Endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights”
- “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”
- “To secure these rights, governments are instituted among men”
- “Deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed”
- Limited government
- Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances
- Habeas Corpus and Due Process
- Freedom of Speech and Freedom of the Press
What support will LCAE provide?
Accepted sessions will be advertised as part of our Spring 2026 Founding Values event series.
The Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics at Arizona State University will support sessions by offering physical event support (reserving space, A&V, etc) and refreshments, as well as support via marketing to ASU and the surrounding community.
How to apply:
Proposal Deadline: October 10
Please keep your proposal under 1,000 words and include:
- Names and affiliations of all presenters
- Proposed format for the session
- Details about the topic
Proposals should be sent to Angela Barnes Rodriguez with the subject line “Founding Values Proposal.”
Accepted sessions will be notified in mid-October. We will then work with accepted sessions to schedule the event series in the spring. The final schedule for the event series will be posted in December 2025.
Any questions can be directed to Angela Barnes Rodriguez at [email protected].