Six Organizations Every Conservative College Student Should Know

To the student tired of politically correct speech, whose soul longs for the free pursuit of truth, take heart! There are support networks that bring together like-minded students around conferences, seminars, reading groups, scholarships, and grants. Take a look at a sampling below.

1. The Intercollegiate Studies Institute inspires students to discover, embrace, and advance the principles and virtues that make America free and prosperous. ISI-supported Reading Groups receive free books and help in bringing speakers to campus, while the Collegiate Network supports liberty-minded student newspapers and campus publications. The ISI Honors Program brings 50 undergraduates to an all-expenses-paid week-long conference and numerous colloquia, offers free books and resources, and pairs each Honors Fellow with an academic mentor. ISI also offers grants and fellowships to graduate students and sponsors essay contests.
2. The Foundation for Economic Education‘s mission is to offer the most consistent case for the “first principles” of freedom: the sanctity of private property, individual liberty, the rule of law, the free market, and the moral superiority of individual choice and responsibility over coercion. FEE hosts seminars for both high-school and undergraduate students (most expenses paid), and FEE’s online library provides video and audio lectures.
3. The Institute for Humane Studies seeks to advance liberty by supporting undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in individual freedom. While the institute is based at George Mason University, registration is free and open to all students. Each year, IHS awards over $750,000 in scholarships, in addition to sponsoring seminars and fellowships for graduate students and outstanding juniors and seniors. With the Koch Foundation, IHS also offers paid internships in journalism and public policy.
4. Hertog Political Studies Program, held in D.C., is a six-week seminar investigating political theory and public policy, with a subsequent two-week fellowship that delves deeper into a particular topic. Each session is guided by an academic scholar or policy expert. Students receive a stipend to cover all expenses.
5. The Publius Fellowship, sponsored by the Claremont Institute for the Study of Statesmanship and Political Philosophy, is awarded yearly to college seniors, recent graduates, and graduate students pursuing careers in politics, scholarship, or journalism. For two weeks, Publius Fellows meet to read and discuss great works of political philosophy. The fellowship includes a stipend, travel expenses, and housing.
6. FIRE (the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education) seeks to defend and sustain individual rights at America’s colleges and universities, including freedom of speech, legal equality, due process, religious liberty, and sanctity of conscience. FIRE works with college administrators to ensure that school policies protect and do not violate individual rights, using media campaigns and, when necessary, legal means. Through FIRE’s website, students can submit reports on violations of individual freedom.