Freedom, Happiness, and the Common Good
Free your mind
Freedom, Happiness, and the Common Good is a free, yearlong educational program for Tulsa Public School high school students who are entering their senior year. Students admitted to the program take part in a full year of programming, which includes two essential components:
Component 1
Summer Seminar on UTulsa Campus
May 26-June 13, 2025
During the summer seminar, students live in dormitories on UTulsa’s beautiful 209-acre campus during the week and take part in a discussion-based course that will inspire them to ask big questions, to think critically, and explore new perspectives. Working with university professors, students experience college life, make new friends, and expand their academic horizons. Students return home on the weekends to spend time with family. Participating students also receive a $1,500 stipend (paid out over the course of the year) to support education goals and expenses.
Component 2
Personal and Civic Leadership Program
August 2025-May 2026
Following the summer semester, the program holds twice-monthly meetings throughout the students’ senior year and provides leadership workshops and extensive college/scholarship application support. They will also work on a civic engagement project that directly impacts the Tulsa community.
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Letter from a Birmingham Jail (speech)
Reading List
Seminar texts include selections from many of history’s greatest thinkers:
- Sophocles, Antigone
- Plato, Apology
- Plato, Republic
- Aristotle, Politics
- Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics
- Thomas Aquinas, Summa theologiae
- Thomas Aquinas, De regno
- Machiavelli, The Prince
- Hobbes, Leviathan
- Locke, A Letter concerning Toleration
- Locke, First Treatise
- Locke, Second Treatise
- The Declaration of Independence
- The Constitution of the United States of America
- Madison, “Vices of the Political System of the United States”
- Calhoun, “Speech on the Reception of the Abolition Petitions”
- Calhoun, “Speech in the Senate on the Oregon Bill”
- Stephens, “Cornerstone Speech”
- Taney, Dred Scott v. Sandford Decision
- Douglass, “On the Dred Scott Decision”
- Douglass, “The Meaning of the Fourth of July for the Negro”
- Lincoln, “Gettysburg Address”
- King, “Letter from Birmingham Jail”
- Adams, “Oration at Plymouth in Commemoration of the Landing of the Pilgrims”
- Canasatego and Tecumseh, Speeches
- Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions
- Jane Addams, “Why Women Should Vote”
- Waite, Minor v. Happersett Decision
- Lewis, The Abolition of Man
- Shakespeare, King Lear
Program Agenda
Kick off with Summer Seminar
During the residential summer seminar session, students enjoy daily faculty-facilitated discussions about classic texts with peers and special guests; reading hours and small-group discussions with Honors College teaching assistants; personal and academic development workshops; and recreational time that includes activities, field trips, and games. Meals are communal, and the schedule also provides time for students to explore campus, visit the fitness center, or relax and unwind in their dorms. Participants return home during the weekends to spend time with family and share their experiences from the week.
Sample Daily Schedule
- Group breakfast
- Daily seminar discussion
- Group lunch and free time
- Reading hours
- Workshops, field trips, and special programming
- Group dinner and recreational activities
- Library, reflection, and writing time
Personal and Civic Leadership Program
Beginning in August, program participants return to campus twice each month to reunite with their cohort and Honors College faculty. During these meetings, students not only participate in practical workshops to learn about college applications, time management, and goal setting, but they also continue their exploration of the themes of the seminar.
Topics planned for 2025/26 Cohort
- Life design coaching
- Civic engagement and community service
- Traits of good leaders
- First generation college student support
- Project management
- Gratitude
- Mentorship
- Networking
- College preparedness
Frequently Asked Questions
——————————
-
What is the application deadline?
February 19
-
How much does this program cost?
Nothing! This program is free to admitted students, who also receive a $1,500 stipend, paid over the course of the program.
-
How many students are accepted into the program?
11-15 students will be admitted to this program.
-
What are the admission criteria for the Freedom, Happiness, and the Common Good Seminar?
This program prioritizes students of lower-income households and first-generation college students. We expect students to display academic success in high school and a deeper desire to learn and engage with questions regarding a purpose-driven life and civic engagement.
-
What materials are required to complete my application?
You must submit the application form, an up-to-date transcript from a Tulsa Public high school, and the name and contact information of one recommender (a teacher or a guidance counselor).
-
When will I hear back on my decision?
Students accepted into the program will be notified at the end of March.
-
What will an average day look like?
Participants spend their mornings with an Honors faculty member in seminar addressing the big questions raised by classic texts. Their afternoons and evenings are spent with current Honors College students, who lead reading and writing groups, as well as recreational activities on and off campus.
-
Will I get materials ahead of time or when I arrive?
Reading materials will be mailed to you ahead of time.
-
I'm graduating from high school this spring. Can I still apply?
No. This is a yearlong program beginning the summer before and continuing throughout the student’s senior year of high school.
-
Do I get college credit by attending the Freedom, Happiness, and the Common Good Seminar?
No. Instead, students who successfully complete the year-long program gain automatic admission to the Honors College at UTulsa.
-
Is housing gender-specific or co-ed?
All students stay in Lottie Jane Mabee Hall, but are separated by gender on different floors. Students will only stay in dorms and share bathrooms with students of the same gender.
-
Are meals covered for the summer portion program?
Yes! Students will receive free course materials, housing, dining, and transportation to off-site programming during their residential time on UTulsa’s campus.
-
Can I commute to the program from home?
No. Students are expected to stay on campus Sunday-Thursday nights for this partially residential program. Students spend the weekends with their families.
-
Can I participate in the summer camp but opt out of the fall and spring semester sessions?
No. Students must commit to the full, year-long program to successfully complete the program.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
Declaration of Independence
Ready to get started?
Applications open Feb. 1 and are due Feb. 19. Students admitted to the program will be notified in March. Priority will be given to students who are the first generation in their families to attend college in the United States and/or from low-income families.