The Aspen Institute encourages the Roaring Fork Valley community to take part in its year-round programming. If you enjoy Institute events by attending in person, by listening on the radio, or by watching on local television, please consider making a gift to the Institute and joining our Aspen Community Donors or Society of Fellows Programs. You can find out more about the programs we offer and see some highlights from last year below.
Ways to Support Our Aspen Community Programs:
Aspen Community Friends ($500-$2499) receive, in addition to the benefits listed below and a complimentary invitation to the Aspen Institute Holiday Reception.
Aspen Community Subscribers ($150-$499) receive The Aspen Idea magazine, mailings of all Institute programs, and priority access to and discounts on select Aspen Community Programs and events.
Aspen Community Scholarship Fund
With over 50 days of programming per year, Aspen Community Programs offer a variety of ways for locals and visitors to experience the Aspen Institute. This fund allows us to recruit students from 8th grade through high school, local college students, young adults, teachers, and staff from other non-profits; and anyone in our community who will add to the richness of our programs.
Our year round programs include:
Aspen Community Programs
The Institute hosts dozens of affordable and inspiring public events in Aspen that attract a cross-section of community members, from high school students and year-round residents to part-time residents and visitors.
Programs include:
- The Hurst Student Seminars
- Great Books and Great Decisions Discussion Series'
- Teen Socrates,
- Great Ideas Seminars, Greek and Epic Tragedies, and Sharing Shakespeare
- Fireside Chats, The Great Conversation: Engaging Young Aspen
- New Views Documentaries
- Arts & Ideas Series, which featured a seminar on Renaissance Rome and a seminar in Italy on Florence.
Download the 2013 Summer Calendar (PDF)
McCloskey Speaker Series
This summer program, held in Aspen, features talks by leaders who have a far-reaching impact on society.
Past speakers have included:
- Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen,
- Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan,
- documentary filmmaker Ken Burns,
- journalist and author Fareed Zakaria,
- Senator and Presidential Candidate John McCain
The series is made possible by a generous donation from the McCloskey Family Charitable Foundation.
Hurst Community Fund
The new Hurst Community Fund will enable the Institute to expand its seminars for young people in Aspen and throughout the Roaring Fork Valley. By introducing a Great Ideas Seminar for middle school students, and by growing the program for 11th grade students we will reach more teens than ever.
In addition, the Hurst Community Fund will establish a new Hurst Lecture Series, enabling the Institute to take advantage of opportunities to present talented, high-profile leaders in conversation for a public audience. These events will be open to everyone at a modest ticket price.
