There are some ideas that only grow more urgent with time.
Each February, Adler University will mark Founders’ Days, a new annual tradition to bring the Adler community together to recognize the thinkers who shaped our beginnings and invite them to invest in the work those ideas make possible today.
Held Feb. 7-8, Founders’ Days align with the birthdays of Alfred Adler, whose vision reframed mental health as a shared social responsibility, and Rudolf Dreikurs, whose leadership helped transform Adlerian philosophy into a living institution committed to education, practice, and community impact.
Founders’ Days celebrate our past and recognize Adler University’s future and its ability to serve communities facing complex challenges. These days remind us that our mission is anchored by a philosophy that demands action, partnership, and courage.
Why These Founders Still Matter
Alfred Adler believed that well-being is shaped not in isolation, but through belonging, contribution, and responsibility to others. His concept of social interest challenged psychology and education to move beyond theory and toward systems-level change.
Rudolf Dreikurs brought that challenge into practice. As an educator, clinician, and co-founder of Adler University, he helped build structures that connected graduate education directly to community needs, preparing professionals to lead in real-world conditions with accountability and care.
That model continues to define Adler today: community-rooted education, courageous leadership, and partnerships designed to advance well-being.
This year’s Founders’ Days carry added significance as the Adler community remembers Eva Dreikurs Ferguson, Ph.D., daughter of Rudolf Dreikurs and a lifelong steward of Adlerian scholarship. Her passing reminds us that legacies endure not because they are preserved, but because they are carried forward.
Why Founders’ Days Are a Call to Act
A commemoration of Founders’ Days connects Adler University’s origins to its future.
It marks a time when alumni, students, faculty, staff, and partners are invited to invest in the work Adler was created to do.
Founders’ Days philanthropic investments provide:
- Access to opportunity for people prepared to lead with purpose.
- Partnerships that ground learning in lived systems and real needs.
- Leadership, advancing Adlerian principles through education, practice, and systems-level transformation.
Giving during Founders’ Days is an investment in people, purpose, and partnership — and in a global dissemination of Adlerian philosophy to a world that needs them now more than ever.