COA Summer Institute celebrates visionaries who redefine possibility
BAR HARBOR — The 2025 College of the Atlantic Summer Institute: Path Breaking celebrates exceptional individuals whose work and beliefs have changed how we see the world. Brilliant, brave, and defiant, institute speakers exemplify the power of commitment and the need to seek new solutions. The institute includes 11 sessions over five days, July 28–August 1. The sessions are free, but registration is required at coa.edu/si. Registration opens June 1.
Speakers include The Honorable George Mitchell, elephant conservationist Dr. Winnie Kiiru, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Dr. Doris Kearns Goodwin, and former director of the National Institutes of Health Dr. Francis Collins. Former Literary Director of the Library of Congress Marie Arana, Democratic National Committee Vice Chair David Hogg, Ford Foundation Director and Chief Curator of the Studio Museum in Harlem Thelma Golden, co-founder of the Carlyle Group David Rubenstein, and others join the 20+ pathbreakers taking the stage at the institute.
Sessions will explore scientific leadership in times of crisis, principles of equality in a democracy, the promises and threats of artificial intelligence, and much more.
“This year’s Summer Institute is designed to help us understand how good ideas and good works break through. We will look to historical examples, grapple with current issues, and look forward to challenges we see on the horizon” says COA Dean of Institutional Advancement Shawn Keeley. “We believe that bringing folks together in conversation is so important today, and keeping the event free and open to the public is a way we can invite everyone in and give back to the MDI community.”
The institute begins on Monday evening, July 28, with "Changing Culture through Art," featuring Golden and Director of the Museum of Modern Art Glenn Lowry. Morning and evening sessions continue through Friday, August 1. The schedule includes morning talks at 9:30 a.m. and evening sessions at 5 p.m., followed by nightly cocktail receptions in the Geier Oval. Several days feature bonus daytime panels.
The Summer Institute is College of the Atlantic’s week-long ideas festival that welcomes experts from around the world to share their perspectives on the most pressing issues of our time. The Summer Institute is supported by the generosity of COA Champlain Society members. The event is held under a tent on the North Lawn.