Discussions, debates, and discovery.

Learn about our upcoming events featuring thoughtful discussions, Firing Line debates, in-depth seminars, and much more. Recordings of past events are also available.

Upcoming Events

On May 24, the Buckley Institute is hosting a reunion weekend panel on higher ed reform
May 24, 2025, 8:30 am

Sledgehammer or Scalpel: Can Trump's Higher Ed Reform Go Too Far?

On May 24, the Buckley Institute is hosting a reunion weekend panel focusing on President Trump's efforts to reform higher ed and whether they go too far.

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ON May 31, Yale alumni are invited to a panel titled,
May 31, 2025, 8:30 am

Too Many Administrators? Curbing DEI and More at Yale and Beyond

Yale alumni returning for reunion weekend on May 31 are invited to join us for a panel titled on administrative bloat, DEI, and more!

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“Professor Collins has fostered the most open intellectual environment I have experienced in an academic setting at Yale. From the first class, Professor Collins encourages students not to self-censor and to engage honestly with the course material.”

— Yale Student

“In my four years at Yale, I never felt as free to speak my mind (both generally and when it came to thorny issues) as I did in Professor Collins’s class.”

— Yale Student

“My favorite experience was the Disinvitation Dinner in NYC. This was what opened my eyes to the essence of the Buckley Institute in the first place.”

— Noah Riley ’25

“I actually have sorority friends who are super liberal but were really excited to come to the Ted Cruz event. And I think that is an exciting part of Buckley, that you can just get people who are interested in politics, liberal or moderate, to just have a place to actually hear these ideas that I never heard before.”

— Julia Zrihen ’24

“The Lincoln seminar was really interesting, and I feel like I’ve appreciated it more as time has passed.”

— Manav Singh’ 25

“I saw these Buckley Program speakers coming through and they clearly represent a totally different worldview. I would just go to these talks and I would meet these incredibly thoughtful people who would be able to defend positions that I had never heard really defended properly before.”

— Alex Hu ’23

“The Buckley Program’s willingness to invite speakers with a variety of viewpoints, even if they identify with the same political party, is intellectually valuable… These types of conversations are helpful for me to construct my own opinions and apply them to the real world.”

— Yale Student’ 25

“It was at the Buckley Program that I found the persuasive and thoughtful defenders of conservative positions. I didn’t get that elsewhere on campus.”

— Alex Hu ’23

“As a liberal, I find it essential to hear counterarguments in a space where they are protected and not shut down by the Yale community immediately, even if I rarely end up changing my mind.

— Yale Student ’24

Our Events

Conferences

The Buckley Institute sponsors an annual conference each fall featuring panel discussions and a gala dinner. These events attract hundreds of students, faculty, alumni, and other members of the community.

Upcoming Conferences

Disinvitation Dinners

The phenomenon of disinviting a speaker from campus or creating such a ruckus during the speech that someone's speech is effectively quashed is one of the most virulent assaults on free speech on college campuses. In 2015, the Buckley Institute decided to turn that practice on its head and instead invite the disinvited to speak in a place of honor. Our annual Disinvitation Dinner has become a favorite event for Buckley Institute supporters, students, and new friends.

Upcoming Disinvitation Dinners

Firing Line Debates

The Firing Line Debate Series seeks to model thoughtful and respectful discourse across political lines by bringing in experts with opposing views to debate a wide variety of policy and political topics.

Upcoming Firing Line Debates

Seminars

As part of our effort to promote thoughtful discussion, the Buckley Institute sponsors seminars on a wide range of topics. We offer these seminars throughout the academic year.

Upcoming Seminars

Speaker Series

Throughout the academic year, the Buckley Institute produces a lecture series, free and open to the public, that brings to the Yale campus notable intellectual leaders, politicians, and professionals from across the disciplines.

Upcoming Speaker Series