In recent years, increasing numbers of Americans have begun embracing illiberal beliefs, and our political landscape is growing more polarized by the day. Now, more than ever, institutions of higher education have an obligation to equip every undergraduate with the civic skills and dispositions to thrive in a pluralistic society. In particular, there is a pressing need to give college students opportunities to practice civil discourse.
The Institute for Citizens & Scholars is meeting the urgency of this moment through our College Presidents for Civic Preparedness—a consortium of more than 120 higher ed leaders. These presidents hold diverse political views, but they share a desire to equip students for effective citizenship. Together with this consortium, we are pursuing two major initiatives:
Faculty Institute: this program prepares cohorts of faculty members to help their students engage effectively with contentious issues in the classroom. Each Institute begins with a 2.5-day in-person gathering, followed by an 18-month series of virtual learning sessions. Faculty participants commit to create or redesign a course, or lead a peer-directed workshop, that promotes civil discourse on their home campus.
Campuswide Immersion: through this initiative, we assemble cohorts of schools from our larger consortium with the aim of helping them give every one of their undergraduates multiple opportunities to practice civil discourse. The initiative begins with buy-in from the college presidents, who appoint a group of influential faculty, staff, and students to champion civil discourse on their campus. Our team supports these campus leaders in creating and implementing customized action plans for equipping every undergraduate with relevant skills and dispositions.
Our objective with both Faculty Institute and Campuswide Immersion is to revitalize campuses as vibrant hubs of civil discourse and collaborative problem-solving.
