Join us on August 14-15, 2025 for the Heterodox Academy (HxA) Mountain West Regional Conference at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. 

This in-person event on the theme, “What is a University for?” offers an opportunity for discussions about the mission of a University.  The conference will begin Thursday, August 14th at 5:00 PM with a keynote address and conclude by 5:00 PM on Friday, August 15th. 

Confirmed Session highlights:

• Keynote address on  A University the World has Never Seen - John Tomasi, Heterodox Academy President
• Panel discussion on University Leadership - Colorado State University President Amy Parsons and University of Wyoming president Ed Seidel
• Panel discussion on Activism in the Academy - Alice Dreger, Heterodox Academy managing editor, Martha McCaughey, University of Wyoming, and other local campus faculty

We invite faculty, staff, students, and community members from across the Mountain West region. The conference is open to HxA members as well as non-members who are curious about the HxA values of open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement. We welcome individuals with a wide variety of perspectives on the topic of ‘What is a University for?’. We hope that the event will provide an opportunity to engage intellectually on this important topic and will connect people across the region who are invested in the future of universities.

Register for the conference here

Registration Rates:

We are pleased to offer dynamic pricing for this conference. 

• Students: $25
  • This category includes all current graduate and undergraduate students
• Adjunct Faculty, Instructor, or Post-Doc: $40
  • This category includes all adjunct professors, lecturers and instructors, and academic post-docs.
• Full time Faculty and Professionals:  $60
  • This category includes everyone else such as tenure-track faculty, staff and administrators, and non-higher ed professionals.

Hotel Accommodations

Visiting from out of town? We recommend booking accommodations directly at the Fort Collins Hilton, right across the street from CSU's campus.

The event is co-organized by the HxA Campus Communities at The University of Denver, University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado Mesa, Colorado State University, and the University of Wyoming.

Please reach out to events@heterodoxacademy.org with any questions.