JMU and NIFI Launch National Fellowship Program to Embed Deliberative Dialogue on College Campuses

James Madison University's James Madison Center for Civic Engagement and the National Issues Forums Institute have launched the Centers for Civic Life and Faculty Fellows program, a federally funded four-year initiative inviting colleges and universities nationwide to build campus deliberation hubs and develop faculty expertise in deliberative pedagogy and nonpartisan issue guide creation. Selected institutions receive up to $19,000 in combined campus and fellowship support, along with training, assessment tools, and integration into a growing national network of deliberation-centered campuses. The program draws on JMU's proven Better Conversations Together model, which has embedded deliberative forums in the first-year student experience, and extends that approach to campuses across the country. For NCDD members in higher education, this fellowship offers a rare, well-resourced opportunity to institutionalize the skills and practices of dialogue and deliberation at the heart of the undergraduate civic experience.

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James Madison University's James Madison Center for Civic Engagement and the National Issues Forums Institute (NIFI) have opened applications for the inaugural cohort of the Centers for Civic Life and Faculty Fellows program — a four-year, federally funded initiative designed to establish deliberative dialogue as a core practice at colleges and universities across the country. Funded through a U.S. Department of Education grant under the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, the program invites campuses to build deliberation hubs, train faculty in deliberative pedagogy, and integrate structured public dialogue into the undergraduate experience. Applications for the 2026–2027 cohort are open through May 29, 2026. The program builds directly on JMU's own Better Conversations Together initiative, which has made deliberative forums a required component of every first-year student's experience on campus.

Selected institutions will receive $5,000 to support the development of a campus deliberative center and $14,000 in fellowship support for a faculty fellow who will lead the work, including $5,000 per semester and $4,000 for summer activity. Faculty fellows will receive training in deliberative pedagogy and the naming and framing of public issues, robust assessment tools specific to deliberative forums, and ongoing support from JMU and NIFI throughout the fellowship year. Crucially, fellows will develop original, nonpartisan issue guides on pressing public questions — contributing new resources to the broader NIFI network for use by campuses nationwide. The program is designed not just to support individual institutions but to build a connected national network of deliberation-centered campuses, expanding the infrastructure for civic discourse in higher education at a moment when free speech, campus dialogue, and democratic habits of mind are all under heightened pressure.

​For NCDD members working in higher education, this fellowship represents one of the most substantial and well-supported opportunities to institutionalize deliberative practice at the campus level in recent memory. Empirical research affirms that participation in NIFI-style deliberative forums builds listening and reasoning skills, increases intellectual humility, and reduces polarization — outcomes that align directly with what campuses, communities, and the broader civic field urgently need. Faculty and administrators at colleges and universities are strongly encouraged to review the program requirements and submit applications before the May 29 deadline. Full program details, FAQ, and application materials are available at https://www.jmu.edu/civic/programs/better-conversations-together/centers_for_civic_life_and_faculty_fellows.shtml