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Hello
John,
Vistors to the Russell Kirk Center are often surprised to discover a vibrant hub of intellectual and cultural activity in the rural village of Mecosta, Michigan. And yet, since 1995, the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal has been precisely that, providing a place of educational encounter for students across the nation and around the globe to experience true conservatism in a community setting. The Kirk Center was especially active in 2025.
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This year, we held 31 educational events, reaching thousands of participants. From our seminars at Dr. Kirk’s library, to courses and a new publishing program, the Center teaches young people American conservatism in its historical, philosophical, political, literary, and religious diminsions. One student recently wrote that, “The Kirk Center is a genuinely welcoming and intellectually inspiring place.” It is that sense of intellectual discovery—of finding a living conservative tradition—that we strive to provide for every participant to serve as a foundational influence throughout their lives.
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The year 2025 marked a significant advancement of the Kirk Center’s mission: the launch of the School of Conservative Studies. We began this initiative with an international academic conference on the “Prospects for an Anglo-American Conservatism in the Tradition of Russell Kirk and Roger Scruton." This was followed by a wide range of in-person and online seminars, courses, panels, and lectures exploring the conservative mind and the literary imagination. In an age of polarization and relentless politicization, serious study of conservatism—and the application of that study to our cultural moment—is especially timely.
We also launched Mecosta House, a new publishing imprint of the Kirk Center. Its first release, Teaching the Virtues by David Hein, is already receiving praise and positive reviews for its wisdom on moral formation. A forthcoming volume of Russell Kirk’s own writings on education will bring his enduring insights to a new generation of teachers and students. Meanwhile, The University Bookman, under the editorship of Duquesne University's Dr. Luke Sheahan, continues to thrive, reaching more than 100,000 readers online this year.
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“Conservatism, rightly understood, has never been solely concerned with politics. It is also a philosophical school in its own right, and a literary tradition embodying the best the English-speaking peoples have to offer. The West faces a truly daunting set of challenges, [...] but the conservative humanism Mecosta House and the Russell Kirk Center represent offers the answers that can save us.”
— Michael Lucchese, associate editor, Law and Liberty
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Those who enroll in our in-person and online programs continue to learn from some of the foremost conservative minds of our generation. For instance, we were privileged this year to welcome Dr. Ryan Streeter, executive director of the Civitas Institute at the University of Texas at Austin, who spoke on the topic of conservatism, community, and civil society.
Ryan was a residential Wilbur Fellow at the Kirk Center while writing his doctoral dissertation at Emory University. He has described his time in Mecosta as having “a profound and long-lasting impact” on his life—one of many examples of the enduring influence of the Wilbur Fellowship.
Listen to Ryan Streeter talk about his experience at the Kirk Center:
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Click the image to watch Ryan Streeter describe the "profound and long-lasting impact" of his experience at the Kirk Center.
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The Wilbur Fellowship program continues to provide graduate students and scholars with ideal conditions for completing theses, dissertations, books, and articles. Fellows are supported by the program director and staff and are welcomed into the Center’s broad network of scholars and friends. Frequent in-house seminars, where fellows present their research, create an intimate and stimulating intellectual community and foster friendships that often last a lifetime.
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Throughout the year, the Center welcomed several new fellows, including Madeleine Austin, who recently completed her M.A. in Political Theory at UNC–Chapel Hill. Madeleine read authors such as Russell Kirk, Roger Scruton, and Simone Weil, all while studying the relationship between “love of place” and the environment.
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Thanks to her fellowship, she was able to submit an academic article to a peer-reviewed journal and apply to doctoral programs. She also spent time developing a new course, “Liberalism and Its Critics,” which she will teach at the Virginia Military Institute in the spring.
“Adhering to Dr. Kirk’s principles, I don’t believe in utopia or the perfectibility of man, however…the Kirk Center comes as close as I can imagine possible on earth… Piety Hill has a magic to it that everyone who visits can feel," Madeleine remarked.
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The Kirk Center on YouTube
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The Kirk Center also started a YouTube channel in 2025. Follow us there for lectures, panels, and interviews from the Kirk Center as they are posted.
Luke Sheahan recently hosted a Book Gallery episode with James Panero of The New Criterion and screen writer Adam Simon on the literary theme of the Haunted House and its connection to the conservative imagination. You may enjoy the discussion at the link below.
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Please help us continue our vital work in 2026. Your tax-deductible year-end contribution will preserve Russell Kirk’s library, sustain our educational programs, and extend the reach of his humane vision to thousands more. The Kirk Center’s independence and commitment to enduring truths—not transient causes—continue to shape lives. At a time when many institutions chase fashion, the Russell Kirk Center remains a beacon of continuity, truth, beauty, and hope.
We could not accomplish this work without your generosity. We are deeply grateful for all that you have made possible this year, and we look forward to advancing the conservative intellectual tradition in new forms during 2026. The Kirk Center has a deep well of resources and program ideas to draw upon, and we hope you will join us in this work to redeem the time.
From everyone at the Kirk Center, thank you for your friendship and support of our mission. May this Christmastide bring peace to your home and renewed hope for our country.
Sincerely,
Jeff Nelson
Executive Director & CEO
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