The Ayn Rand University: ARI’s Expanded Educational Program

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Aaron Smith, Ben Bayer and Keith Lockitch discuss ARI’s ambitious plans for growing the Ayn Rand University, an alternative educational institution encompassing the existing undergraduate programs of the Objectivist Academic Center plus new graduate course offerings.

Among the topics covered:

Trends toward tribalism and intellectual conformity in the culture and particularly in academia;
The need to disrupt education by creating alternative institutions, especially in the humanities;
The vital role of philosophy and professional intellectuals in changing the course of a culture;
A history of ARI’s efforts to provide intellectual training in Objectivism to improve the culture;
The Ayn Rand University as a new educational institution incorporating student outreach, undergraduate, graduate and alumni programs;
How ARI’s new focus on the Ayn Rand University guides choices about its other programs, including the cultural issues it comments on;
ARI’s plans to grow the faculty, offerings, and student body of the ARU in the future;
How the Objectivist Graduate Center will build on the offerings of the Objectivist Academic Center for both students and auditors;
The difference in motivation between students in academia and students in ARI educational programs;
Types of intellectual career that the Ayn Rand University prepares students to pursue.

You can view the ARU course catalog and sign up to audit courses here. Also mentioned in the discussion are Tal Tsfany’s talk “Spreading Objectivism: A Vision for ARI’s Future,” the James McConnell interview with Ayn Rand, and the talks from AynRandCon–Global 2021.

The podcast was recorded on October 6, 2021. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here.