The Intercollegiate Studies Institute

Introduction

The Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) is a nonprofit organization with the aim of promoting conservative thought within college campuses. ISI engages in various activities to advance its mission, including organizing lectures, debates, and conferences on college campuses. It also publishes books and journals, provides financial support and editorial assistance to a network of conservative and libertarian college newspapers, and offers graduate fellowships.

History

ISI was founded in 1953 by Frank Chodorov under the name Intercollegiate Society of Individualists. Its inaugural president was William F. Buckley Jr., a recent Yale University graduate. E. Victor Milione, who succeeded Buckley, played a significant role in establishing ISI’s publications, membership network, lecture and conference programs, and graduate fellowship program. Since its inception, ISI has been dedicated to promoting various forms of intellectual conservatism within college campuses. 

T. Kenneth Cribb, a former Reagan administration official, served as ISI’s president from 1989 to 2011, overseeing a significant expansion in the organization’s revenue from one million dollars to $13,636,005 in 2005. Christopher G. Long assumed the presidency after Cribb’s tenure until September 2020 when John A. Burtka IV took over as the current president.

Programs

The Intercollegiate Studies Institute operates several programs on college campuses, including student societies and student papers. It publishes a series of books called “Student’s Guide to…” and hosts conferences and events featuring conservative speakers and academics. ISI also provides funding for students to attend these events, and it is affiliated with the Liberty Fund in this capacity. ISI oversees the Collegiate Network, which supports conservative and libertarian student journalists through editorial and financial outreach.

Funding

ISI has received funding from various sources, including foundations and charitable organizations. Some of the notable funders include the Allegheny Foundation, Carthage Foundation, Castle Rock Foundation, Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, Collegiate Network, Donors Capital Fund, Donors Trust, and the John M. Olin Foundation. Other supporters include the John Templeton Foundation, Media Research Center, Sarah Scaife Foundation, Vernon K. Krieble Foundation, and the William H. Donner Foundation, among others. These funding sources contribute to ISI’s initiatives and help sustain its programs and activities.

Publications

The Intercollegiate Studies Institute publishes several periodicals including The Intercollegiate Review, The Academic Reviewer, and The Political Science Reviewer. In 2006, ISI conducted a survey on the teaching of America’s history and institutions in higher education, revealing a “coming crisis in citizenship.” ISI Books, an imprint of ISI, focused on publishing books on conservative issues, including topics in the humanities, Western culture, American history, and conservative political themes. Notable among their publications was Rick Santorum’s It Takes a Family: Conservatism and the Common Good, which generated controversy during his political campaigns. In 2023, ISI Books was acquired by Regnery Publishing.