Save the Date
The 10th Annual COA Summer Institute
Toward a More Perfect Union
July 27 - 31, 2026
2026 Speakers
Stacey Abrams
Former Minority Leader of the Georgia House and Founder of Fair Count
Jeanine Abrams McLean
President of Fair Count
Ken Burns
Documentary filmmaker
Rhiannon Giddens
Musician, composer, and Artistic Director of Silkroad
Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
Marine biologist, Co-founder of Urban Ocean Lab
Enes Freedom Kanter
Human rights activist and former NBA player
Robin Wall Kimmerer
Plant ecologist and educator
Elizabeth Kolbert
Pulitzer Prize-winning Staff Writer at The New Yorker
Nicholas Kristof
Pulitzer Prize-winning Op-Ed Columnist for The New York Times
John Palfrey
President of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Samantha Power
Former US Ambassador to the United Nations and Former Administrator of USAID
Jeffrey Rosen
CEO Emeritus of the National Constitution Center
A.O. Scott
The New York Times Critic at Large
Kara Swisher
Journalist, Host of the On with Kara Swisher podcast and Co-host of Pivot
Nicholas Thompson
CEO of The Atlantic
Jia Tolentino
Staff Writer at The New Yorker
Thanks to everyone who attended the
2025 COA Summer Institute: Path Breaking
If you missed or would like to rewatch any sessions, please visit the COA YouTube Channel.
About
The Summer Institute is College of the Atlantic's week-long convening of ideas that welcomes experts from around the world to share their perspectives on the most pressing issues of our time.
The event is held under a tent on the North Lawn of College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine. The beautiful coastal campus is home to a vibrant and diverse community of students, staff and faculty. The 2026 Summer Institute kicks off with an evening session on Monday, July 27, followed by morning and evening sessions, Tuesday - Friday.
Ways to Give
COA's summer calendar of events is free and open to the public thanks to the generosity of our supporters.
If you’d like to support these events or COA, you can do so here. If you’d like to join The Champlain Society or renew your membership, please click here.
Not sure whether your membership is current? Please contact Amy Morley at amorley@coa.edu or 207-801-5627.
