Founded in 1989 in the Department of Political Science, the LeFrak Forum on Science, Reason, and Modern Democracy is a center for research and debate on the theory and practice of modern democracy.
But LeFrak’s newly appointed director, Assistant Professor Raúl Rodríguez, is taking the initiative in new directions in its fourth decade.
Rodríguez’s vision is for LeFrak to serve as a place where not just fellow academics but also students — graduate and undergraduate — can come together to discuss real-world issues and the most pressing questions of modern democracy.
Since Rodríguez took over as forum director in fall 2025, he has brought opportunities for students to reflect on those issues in a surprising range of spaces, whether it be meeting at MSU’s Beaumont Tower for smoothies, dining in a fancy restaurant, or viewing art at the Art Institute of Chicago.
This variety of opportunities engages students.
Political Theory is "not meant to be stuffy or boring,” Rodríguez said.
In celebration of the semi-quincentennial of the signing of the Declaration of Independence this summer, this year’s theme for the forum was the “Pursuit of Happiness.” LeFrak programming focused on examining the question of happiness by giving students opportunities to engage with great texts from the history of political philosophy and contemporary scholarship and thought.
Starting with a handful of students he had personally taught, Rodríguez started the LeFrak Fellows Program to create a place of strong intellectual discussion and debate with social interaction.
“I am young enough to remember what a vibrant intellectual community meant to me as an undergraduate student. It was one of my fondest memories of my college days, and I wanted MSU students to have the same experience,” Rodríguez said. “This is my way of paying forward the opportunity I had.”
He brought serious scholars to campus to meet and discuss the theme with students, including writings by Aristotle and the Pursuit of Happiness and “The Modern Pursuit of Happiness.”
Rodríguez and the LeFrak fellows also traveled to Austin, Texas, to participate in a joint conference, where they presented their original research.
“I have found my best friends for life here. We bonded over serious questions and invaluable discussions,” said fellow Chloe Carter, a political science and Chicano/Latino studies student.
At a year-end celebration at MSU’s Broad Art Museum, Rodríguez summarized his busy first year and reminded the Fellows and others of the reason behind the forum.
“Prominent scholar Robert Bartlett [a Boston College professor who visited the Forum this Fall] raised an unsettling truth — happiness depends on good luck,” Rodríguez said. “Sometimes people have bad luck or tragedy hits. And Aristotle commonsensically tells us that one cannot be called happy in the face of tragedy.
"Nevertheless, he gives us hope — happiness depends much more on good character than good luck, on learning how to be excellent and content no matter the circumstances."
Rodríguez thanked Assistant Director James Guest, who joined the forum for the 2025-2026 academic year, and presented several awards to students, including:
- Tristan Williams received the Arthur Melzer Award on the modern pursuit of happiness.
- Chloe Carter received the Ethel LeFrak Award for her paper on death and happiness.
- Abigail Garrett received the Samuel J. LeFrak Award for “a her paper on happiness and the question of religious faith.
- Laila Ismail, student director of undergraduate programming for LeFrak, won the Montaigne Award for her commitment to the Forum and her pursuit of self-knowledge.
Garrett, a psychology major, found her time as a LeFrak fellow to be an educational experience and more.
“This is one of the better experiences of my life — the people I’ve met and all that I have learned,” she said. “I’ve always had an interest in political thought in terms of psychology, and the question of happiness made it all more relevant to me.”
Rodríguez is planning even more events and expansions. This summer, LeFrak is hosting a K-12 Professional Development program focused on teaching the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution in engaging and meaningful ways.
He hopes to grow the fellows program beyond the current group of more than 200 students. He also plans to begin a more exclusive LeFrak Scholars program, with 40 to 60 students.
“I want to help these students not just grow interested in the material but to keep advancing their knowledge and their interest,” he said.
This fall, he is coordinating a conference on the topic of education and the pursuit of happiness, where he hopes attendees and students will explore the ultimate purpose of higher education and what universities stand for.
