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The Gary L. McDowell Institute presents Lucas Morel, Provost Faculty Fellow and John K. Boardman Jr. Professor of Politics and Department Head at Washington & Lee University, for the presentation "Frederick Douglass Sizes Up Abraham Lincoln: A Debate About the American Promise." Sept. 23, 2026. The Gary L. McDowell Institute is dedicated to its namesake's values and principles: free inquiry, thoughtful deliberation, and rigorous discussion of classical texts and issues in political economy. The Institute welcomes all members of the University of Richmond community and a wide range of political perspectives.

Jepson student JJ Schultzel, '28, sits down with Jepson Leadership Forum speaker Theresa Runstedtler prior to her Jepson Leadership Forum presentation "When the NBA Became Black: Race and Labor in Professional Basketball." A scholar of African American history and professor and department chair at American University, Theresa Runstedtler researches Black popular culture, with a particular focus on the intersection of race, gender, labor, and sport. She is the author of "Black Ball: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Spencer Haywood, and the Generation That Saved the Soul of the NBA." Take 5 is a series of informal interviews with the scholars and experts who present as part of the lecture series. March 23, 2026

Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious by Jepson School of Leadership Studies

The 2025-26 Jepson Leadership Forum presents Dr. Theresa Runstedtler, author and scholar of African American history, and professor and department chair at American University, for a discussion on "When the NBA Became Black: Race and Labor in Professional Basketball." Professor Runstedtler researches Black popular culture, with a particular focus on the intersection of race, gender, labor, and sport. She is the author of Black Ball: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Spencer Haywood, and the Generation That Saved the Soul of the NBA. The 2025-26 Jepson Leadership Forum addresses the significance of sports in American life. We will explore sports in the contexts of ethical and effective leadership, cultural significance, the impact of analytics, and recent changes to the guidelines governing college and professional sports. Speakers will discuss these topics from a variety of perspectives, drawing on their personal experiences, academic research, and industry expertise. March 23, 2026

Jepson student Michael Walz, ’26, sits down with Jepson Leadership Forum speaker Dean Oliver prior to his Jepson Leadership Forum presentation "The Push for Data-Driven Decisions in Sports." Oliver, currently a data scientist at ESPN, pioneered the basketball analytics movement and is the author of "Basketball on Paper" and "Basketball Beyond Paper." He incorporated analytics in his roles in the NBA front offices and as an assistant coach and helped create ESPN’s sports analytics group in 2011. Take 5 is a series of informal interviews with the scholars and experts who present as part of the lecture series. Nov. 17, 2025

The Gary L. McDowell Institute at the Jepson School of Leadership Studies presents Greg Lukianoff, President and CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), for his discussion on "Free Speech & Academic Freedom in Higher Ed." November 18, 2025

The 2025-26 Jepson Leadership Forum presents author and analyst Dean Oliver for his presentation on "The Push for Data-Driven Decisions in Sports." Currently a data scientist at ESPN, Dean pioneered the basketball analytics movement and is the author of Basketball on Paper and Basketball Beyond Paper. He incorporated analytics in his roles in the NBA front offices and as an assistant coach and helped create ESPN's sports analytics group in 2011. The 2025-26 Jepson Leadership Forum addresses the significance of sports in American life. We will explore sports in the contexts of ethical and effective leadership, cultural significance, the impact of analytics, and recent changes to the guidelines governing college and professional sports. Speakers will discuss these topics from a variety of perspectives, drawing on their personal experiences, academic research, and industry expertise. November 17, 2025

The Gary L. McDowell Institute at the Jepson School of Leadership Studies presents Diana Schaub, professor emerita in the Department of Political Science at Loyola University, for a discussion on "The Second Inaugural: Lincoln’s Rhetoric of Reconciliation." September 30, 2025.

The Jepson Leadership Forum presents education writer Natalie Wexler for her presentation "Curriculum Wars: Why K-12 Education Reflects Our Divisions and How It Can Help Us Overcome Them." Wexler is author of "The Knowledge Gap: The Hidden Cause of America's Broken Education System - And How to Fix It." April 15, 2025 The 2024-25 Jepson Leadership Forum invites scholars and experts to discuss how division and polarization affect American democracy. We will explore how and why divisions have manifested historically and currently in the United States, focusing on their impact on justice, education, politics, culture, technology, and class. Are division and the struggle to find common ground making us stronger or tearing us apart?

The Gary L. McDowell Institute at the Jepson School of Leadership Studies presents Brad Wilcox, professor of sociology at the University of Virginia, for a discussion on "Mammon or Marriage? How to Maximize Happiness in Life and Love." March 27, 2025

The Jepson Leadership Forum presents Peter Bearman, founding director of the interdisciplinary institute Incite at Columbia University and Jonathan R. Cole Professor of Social Science at Columbia University, for a discussion on "Class, Status, and Party: Polarization Dynamics and Our Fragile Democratic Experiment." March 4, 2025 The 2024-25 Jepson Leadership Forum invites scholars and experts to discuss how division and polarization affect American democracy. We will explore how and why divisions have manifested historically and currently in the United States, focusing on their impact on justice, education, politics, culture, technology, and class. Are division and the struggle to find common ground making us stronger or tearing us apart?

Jepson student Mariana Panariello, ’27, sits down with Jepson Leadership Forum speaker Eric Klinenberg, author and Helen Gould Shepard Professor of Social Science and director of the Institute for Public Knowledge at New York University, prior to his Jepson Leadership Forum presentation "How 2020 Shaped 2024." The 2024-25 Jepson Leadership Forum invites scholars and experts to discuss how division and polarization affect American democracy. We will explore how and why divisions have manifested historically and currently in the United States, focusing on their impact on justice, education, politics, culture, technology, and class. Are division and the struggle to find common ground making us stronger or tearing us apart? Take 5 is a series of informal interviews with the scholars and experts who present as part of the lecture series. Nov. 19, 2024

The Jepson Leadership Forum presents Eric Klinenberg, author and Helen Gould Shepard Professor of Social Science and director of the Institute for Public Knowledge at New York University, for a discussion on "How 2020 Shaped 2024." The 2024-25 Jepson Leadership Forum invites scholars and experts to discuss how division and polarization affect American democracy. We will explore how and why divisions have manifested historically and currently in the United States, focusing on their impact on justice, education, politics, culture, technology, and class. Are division and the struggle to find common ground making us stronger or tearing us apart? Nov. 19, 2024

The Gary L. McDowell Institute at the Jepson School of Leadership Studies presents Barton Swaim, editorial page writer at The Wall Street Journal, for a discussion on "The Zero-Risk Society." November 13, 2024

Jepson student Kate Chasin, ’26, sits down with Jepson Leadership Forum speaker Christopher Bail, professor of sociology, political science, and public policy at Duke University; associate of the Duke Initiative for Science and Society; and founding director of the Polarization Lab at Duke University, prior to his Jepson Leadership Forum presentation "Bridging Divides with Generative AI." The 2024-25 Jepson Leadership Forum invites scholars and experts to discuss how division and polarization affect American democracy. We will explore how and why divisions have manifested historically and currently in the United States, focusing on their impact on justice, education, politics, culture, technology, and class. Are division and the struggle to find common ground making us stronger or tearing us apart? Take 5 is a series of informal interviews with the scholars and experts who present as part of the lecture series. Oct. 1, 2024