08-18-2026
As the United States celebrates its 250th birthday, business leaders, scholars, policymakers and students will gather at Purdue University’s Mitch Daniels School of Business to examine the ideas that have shaped the nation’s economic success — and explore their relevance to the future.
The 2026 Cornerstone for Business conference, Spirit of 1776: Advancing Opportunity, Innovation, and Free Markets, will be September 29-30 on Purdue’s West Lafayette campus. Through keynote presentations, panel discussions and conversations with nationally recognized thought leaders, the conference will explore the political, philosophical and historical foundations of freedom and capitalism while examining their influence on entrepreneurship, innovation, opportunity and principled leadership.
The conference serves as the signature annual event of Cornerstone for Business, a collaborative initiative between the Daniels School and the university's Cornerstone Integrated Liberal Arts program. Cornerstone for Business integrates the humanities into business education to help students become principled leaders who understand business within historical, ethical and social contexts.
Scenes from the 2025 Cornerstone for Business Conference: Markets and Moral Sentiments
The conference reflects the Daniels School’s commitment to fostering thoughtful dialogue around the role of business in society. Sessions will examine topics including entrepreneurship as a driver of prosperity, how businesses contribute to thriving communities and civic life, and the relationship between free markets, individual liberty and human flourishing.
“This conference offers a framework for inquiry, not an ideology,” said Jim Bullard, the Dr. Samuel R. Allen Dean of the Mitch Daniels School of Business. “We want to examine when markets work, when they fail, and how institutions, policies and norms shape outcomes for different people and communities.”
Bullard said the conference affirms the school’s belief that business is a powerful force for solving problems and expanding opportunities. The event is a signature expression of the school’s Freedom and Capitalism initiative, one of its defining strategic pillars.
“At the Mitch Daniels School of Business, we believe business is a noble profession capable of improving lives, and that free people, free markets and free enterprise generate exceptional prosperity and innovation,” he said.
Yuval Levin
Director, Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies, American Enterprise Institute
Mitch Daniels
Two-Term Governor of Indiana
Interim President of Purdue University
Kristin Silverberg
President & Chief Operating Officer, Business Roundtable
Ashish Bhatia
Clinical Professor of Entrepreneurship and Management, NYU Stern School of Business
Victoria Prowse
Professor of Economics, Purdue University
The conference will feature keynote speaker Yuval Levin, director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute and editor of National Affairs. Levin is widely recognized for his scholarship on American political thought and institutions and is the author of several books, including American Covenant: How the Constitution Unified Our Nation — and Could Again .
Additional featured speakers include Purdue interim President Mitch Daniels; Kristen Silverberg, president and COO of Business Roundtable; Ashish Bhatia of NYU Stern School of Business; and Victoria Prowse, Daniels School Marge Magner Chair and professor of economics.
Kelly Blanchard, associate dean of student experience and undergraduate programs and clinical professor of economics, said the conference is designed to engage anyone interested in understanding business beyond the bottom line.
“This conference will explore both the value that business brings to communities and the values of principled business leadership that are essential for sustaining a free and flourishing society,” Blanchard said.
“Our goal is that the collection of speakers and activities throughout the conference will leave participants with a clearer understanding of how freedom and economic opportunity are intertwined and how business contributes to innovation and prosperity, particularly when business is led by individuals who have a solid foundation in philosophy, history and economics.”
The Cornerstone for Business conference welcomes business professionals, entrepreneurs, educators, students and anyone interested in the ideas that continue to shape commerce, leadership and society.
Learn more about the conference >>
Cornerstone for Business is a collaborative initiative between the Mitch Daniels School of Business and Purdue’s Cornerstone Integrated Liberal Arts program. The program connects business education with enduring ideas, ethical leadership, and human-centered thinking to prepare students to lead with both competence and character.
Learn more about Cornerstone for Business.
