University of Utah Announces Initiative on Federalism, Law, and American Governance

SALT LAKE CITY, Jan. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Utah is launching a new presidential initiative on federalism, law, and American governance.

As the nation approaches the 250th anniversary of its founding in 1776, the initiative situates the university's work within a broader moment of national reflection on the constitutional principles, governing institutions, and civic responsibilities that have shaped the American experiment.

The initiative reflects President Taylor Randall's commitment to innovating the university of the future and the institution's long-standing legacy of socially impactful scholarly engagement with questions of human dignity, freedom, responsibility, and civic life—questions that remain central to education and public leadership in the 21st century.

"Universities exist to pursue enduring questions and to prepare students to lead in moments of uncertainty and change," Randall said. "At their best, they provide space for rigorous inquiry into the ideas, values, and institutions that have defined the American experiment and will guide its future."

The initiative will focus on advancing knowledge and understanding of federalism, law, and governance, including the study of how free societies organize authority, balance power, and sustain democratic institutions over time. Key academic work of the center will include public engagement, resource development, development of student programs and experiences, and support for platforms that program open and healthy dialogue.

Former West Virginia University President Emeritus Gordon Gee and former American Enterprise Institute (AEI) president and Harvard Kennedy School Professor Arthur C. Brooks will serve as inaugural external advisory board members.

"At a time of rapid technological change, global instability, and growing civic fragmentation, there is increasing demand for educational environments that foster careful reasoning, respectful discourse, and deep engagement across difference," said Gee, who will serve as chair of the external advisory committee. "This initiative aims to address that demand by fostering inquiry into classical traditions and the human values that inform individual and collective decision-making."

Two S.J. Quinney College of Law professors—Paul Cassell and Jason Iuliano—will serve as co-directors of the initiative. Cassell and Iuliano will focus on shaping the initiative's scholarly agenda and coordinating research and engagement activities.

University leaders say the effort will build on the university's legacy in teaching the classics, particularly the Honors College's decades of focused "Intellectual Traditions of the West" courses, as well as the Hinckley Institute of Politics' public forums and Washington D.C. and Capitol Hill internship programs. The initiative also intersects in a collaborative way with recent related efforts to expand viewpoint diversity on campus, including the president's Viewpoint Representation and Expression Task Force.

Contact:
Rebecca Walsh, director of communications, 801-550-4930, [email protected]

SOURCE The University of Utah