The Coolidge Core gives Coolidge Scholars, Senators, and Debaters the opportunity to seriously engage with American history and principles through classes, meetings with master practitioners, discussion and travel. This six-week honors program, taking place entirely in person from June 19 through August 4, places special emphasis on the concepts prized by President Coolidge: enterprise, markets, federalism, respect for the rule of law and advancement of all individuals in American society. Successful entrepreneurs will lead a course on the history of American enterprise, share stories of how they commenced their careers, and outline their view of opportunities for young people. Coolidge believed that “the chief business of the American people is business.” Every Coolidge Core participant will have the opportunity for individual meetings with business leaders who can advise them on their college studies and careers. Federal judges will teach the Constitution in a second segment. A section focusing specifically on Coolidge and the America he lived in will be led by Coolidge historians joined by former state and federal lawmakers.
Core participants will spend their first two weeks of the Core in New England, President Coolidge’s home. In addition to discussing his life and values, we will spend time at Coolidge’s historic birthplace of Plymouth Notch, Vermont. The Core will travel around New England, including stops at local colleges such as Dartmouth College. A highlight of the trip will be a visit to Mount Washington, one of the grandest in the world, and time to hike and explore. After a July 4th celebration to commemorate both Independence Day and Coolidge’s birthday, the Core will move to Georgetown in Washington, D.C. and spend time at Coolidge House, a historic Georgetown home that will serve as the campus for the remainder of the program. In the beautiful rooms of this Federal-style house, participants will study the American founding and the history of American entrepreneurship.
Throughout, Core participants will not only learn crucial–and underappreciated–lessons from American history, but also discuss them intently, and debate them with one another in the classroom, during their free time, and during the regular group activities the Foundation will organize. The adults you encounter in this program care about you. Through them, you will find new worlds open up to you.
You can apply by filling out the form below. Please contact Dean Ball, the Foundation’s Executive Director, with any questions.