Summer Institute 2023: The James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation Summer Institute will be held in the Washington, D.C. area from June 10-July 7, 2023. Details are forthcoming and will be posted on social media and the Foundation website.
Learn and Experience in Washington, D.C.
As part of the James Madison Fellowship program, each Fellow attends the four-week Summer Institute on the Constitution held in June-July in Washington, D.C. Fellows attend the Institute after they have matriculated in an approved graduate program and commenced coursework.
The academic focus of the Institute is a graduate course entitled, "The Foundations of American Constitutionalism." Taught by constitutional scholars, this course is a study of the principles, framing, ratification, and implementation of constitutional government in the United States.

One of the classroom buildings used by students at the Summer Institute

A discussion group being held in between classroom lectures.
A feature of the Institute is the occasional trips to sites associated with the Constitution, in and around Washington. These sites include Mount Vernon, Montpelier, Monticello, and Arlington Cemetery. Participants frequently have a private meeting with a sitting Supreme Court Justice.

James Madison Fellows, faculty, and staff at James Madison's Montpelier during the 2019 Summer Institute.
One of the informal benefits of attending the Institute is the opportunity for interaction with a wide range of individuals whose varied interests can lead to enduring friendships and professional associations.
Expenses for the Summer Institute are paid for out of the $24,000 fellowship.
Current Summer Institute Professors
- Dr. Guy F. Burnett, James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation
- Dr. Daniel Dreisbach, American University
- Dr. Terri Halperin, Independent Scholar
- Dr. Kevin Hardwick, James Madison University
- Dr. Jeffry Morrison (Director), Christopher Newport University
- Dr. Abbylin Sellers, Azusa Pacific University
Past Summer Institute Faculty
- James Banner (1993–1995), Independent Scholar
- Lance Banning (1993), University of Kentucky
- Herman Belz (1996–2012), University of Maryland
- Roger Brown (1993–1995), American University
- Susan Hansen (2008), University of Dallas
- Jerome Hanus (1998–2001), American University
- Suzette Hemberger (2001–2007), Johns Hopkins University
- Gordon Lloyd (2013), Pepperdine University
- Marion Nelson (2009–2014), Virginia Commonwealth University
- R. Kent Newmyer (1993), University of Connecticut Law School
- Whitman Ridgway (1996–2001), University of Maryland
- Sandra Van Burkleo (1993), Wayne State University
- Rosemarie Zagarri (1994–2000), George Mason University