Gov. Ron DeSantis to deliver Center for Citizenship and Constitutional Government lecture
Gov. Ronald D. DeSantis, the 46th governor of Florida, will speak at the University of Notre Dame at 4 p.m. Nov. 8 in Room 101 of DeBartolo Hall.
Sponsored by Notre Dame’s Center for Citizenship and Constitutional Government, the talk will serve as the center’s 2024 Jeanie Poole O’Shaughnessy Memorial Lecture and is titled “Conservative Leadership on the Eve of America’s Semiquincentennial.”
Vincent Phillip Muñoz, director of the Center for Citizenship and Constitutional Government, said, “One of our aims at the center is to inspire Notre Dame students to become leading citizens who serve the public good. We do that, in part, by introducing them to our nation’s current leaders, especially leading Catholic politicians. We are privileged to host Gov. DeSantis and look forward to learning about his experiences governing one of the largest states of the Union.”
In addition to his public lecture, DeSantis will participate in a seminar with the center’s undergraduate Tocqueville Fellows. The seminar will allow students to ask the governor questions and engage with him one-on-one.
Alejandra Ricardo, a junior student in the Tocqueville Fellowship Program, said, “As Tocqueville Fellows, we are uniquely privileged to directly engage the leading speakers and officials the center brings to campus. These exchanges enrich our student colloquia and seminars at the center on what constitutes a decent and just political regime. It is incredibly valuable to discuss political virtues within the American system with someone with such extensive and valuable experience.
“I’m looking forward to Gov. DeSantis’ lecture as well as the opportunity to discuss with him what he recognizes as the virtues of American political life, especially from the perspective of his gubernatorial responsibilities and as the chief executive officer of the state of Florida,” Ricardo said. “I’m deeply grateful to the center for this opportunity, which will be memorable and one of many blessings I’ve enjoyed during my time here.”
All tickets have been allocated, but the talk will be livestreamed on the Center for Citizenship and Constitutional Government’s YouTube channel.
DeSantis was sworn in as governor of Florida on Jan. 8, 2019. He was first elected to Congress in 2012 as the U.S. representative for Florida’s 6th District. Prior to his Congressional service, DeSantis served as a federal prosecutor.
DeSantis attended Yale University followed by Harvard Law School and earned his baccalaureate and law degrees with honors. While at Harvard, he earned a commission in the U.S. Navy as an officer in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. During his active-duty service, DeSantis supported operations at the terrorist detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. DeSantis also deployed to Iraq as an adviser to a U.S. Navy SEAL commander in support of the SEAL mission in Fallujah, Ramadi and the rest of Al Anbar province. His military decorations include the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service and the Iraq Campaign Medal. He still serves in the U.S. Navy Reserve.
Launched in 2021, the Center for Citizenship and Constitutional Government seeks to cultivate thoughtful and educated citizens by supporting scholarship and education concerning the ideas and institutions of constitutional government.
Originally published by at constudies.nd.edu on Nov. 4.
Contact: Tracy DeStazio, associate director of media relations, 574-631-9958 or tdestazi@nd.edu
Latest University News
- Notre Dame in 2024As the University of Notre Dame stands on the threshold of its next bold iteration, we celebrate breakthroughs in research and the launch of key strategic initiatives in mental health, democracy, poverty, and more. We celebrated the start of a new era of leadership while making bold commitments to…
- Reasons to serveHistory, West Point, and 9/11 memorial inspire ND ROTC students in New York About two dozen seniors in the Notre Dame Army ROTC program were impressed with the mealtime rituals at the United States Military Academy at West Point: the corps formations…
- Notre Dame faculty, students and administrators reflect on experiences in the Middle EastSeveral distinguished experts from the University of Notre Dame gathered Dec. 4 at the Eck Visitors Center Auditorium to discuss their personal and professional connections to the ongoing conflict in Israel and Palestine. This was the third event in the Israel-Palestine Series of the 2024-25 Notre Dame Forum on “What Do We Owe Each Other?”
- Assistant VP Dennis Brown retiring after three-plus decades at Notre DameDennis Brown, assistant vice president in the Office of Public Affairs and Communications at the University of Notre Dame and its spokesman from 2008 to 2023, will retire at the end of December after a 33-year career at the University.
- Notre Dame Stadium becomes first outdoor university venue to move to Wi-Fi 6E standardWhen nearly 80,000 fans gather for the college football playoff game between the University of Notre Dame and Indiana University on Dec. 20, they will enjoy an improved overall gameday experience, thanks to the implementation of Wi-Fi 6E standard power. Notre Dame Stadium became the first outdoor college venue to implement Wi-Fi 6E this fall. To do so, the University of Notre Dame’s Office of Information Technology partnered with PIER Group to overhaul the stadium’s wireless network.
- Notre Dame surpasses 87 percent for undergraduate study abroad participationThe University of Notre Dame has once again received national recognition for its commitment to internationalization and global education in newly released rankings from the Institute of International Education. For the 2022-23 academic year, study abroad participation among Notre Dame undergraduates increased by more than 10 percentage points from the previous year — from 77 to 87.5 percent, according to new data published in the Open Doors report.
