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 Colleges & Schools
- Notre Dame’s theology department ranked best in the worldThe University of Notre Dame has been ranked as the world’s best theology, divinity, and religious studies program by the influential QS World University Rankings. This is the fourth time since 2020 the Department of Theology has received the No. 1 distinction.
- Record-tying four Notre Dame students named 2025 Goldwater ScholarsA record-tying four University of Notre Dame students have been named 2025 Goldwater Scholars in recognition of their exceptional promise as future leaders in the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics.
- In memoriam: Elizabeth Nanovic, founding benefactor of the Nanovic InstituteElizabeth Nanovic, a founding benefactor and advisory board member of the Nanovic Institute for European Studies, part of the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame, passed away on March 30. She was 90.
- ‘Quiet eye’: Notre Dame psychologist identifies links between a steady gaze and elite performanceIn a recent study supported by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory and the Army Research Institute, Notre Dame psychologist Matthew Robison documented a phenomenon in eye movement — or “oculomotor dynamics” — that links a steady, focused gaze with superior levels of performance.
- ‘Who the messenger is matters’: Cultural leaders can positively influence population growthFertility rates across the world have been steadily dropping since 1950. Pinpointing the reasons is at the heart of Lakshmi Iyer's work as a professor of economics and global affairs. Her research exemplifies the kind of population-level research that Notre Dame Population Analytics (ND Pop), a new research initiative at the University, seeks to foster.
- ND Expert on tariffs and trade policy: ‘How should the US be engaged with the rest of the world?’To make sense of the new administration's recent tariff announcements and policy changes, Robert Johnson, the Brian and Jeannelle Brady Associate Professor of Economics at Notre Dame, explains how tariffs affect global economies and what this means for U.S. engagement in global trade.
