Meet the Speakers: Innovators Transforming Campus Dialogue at NCDD's Inaugural Higher Education Dialogue Summit

The inaugural Higher Education Dialogue Summit from the National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation takes place on Friday, September 27, 2024, from 12–4 PM ET. This gathering showcases visionary educators and practitioners shaping the future of campus conversations. From using art as a bridge for empathy, to advancing facilitative leadership, to motivating civil discourse across political divides, each presentation highlights innovative strategies for cultivating constructive dialogue in higher education. These leaders offer practical models, reflective practices, and institution-wide approaches that prepare students to engage across differences and strengthen democratic culture.
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Read more in the blog post below.

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​The National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation's inaugural Higher Education Dialogue Summit brings together a remarkable collection of educators, researchers, and practitioners who are pioneering new approaches to civil discourse on college campuses. These presenters represent the cutting edge of dialogue work in higher education, each offering unique perspectives on how to foster meaningful conversation across difference in academic settings.

​Canvas of Conversation: Art, Conflict, and Common Ground

​Janett Cordoves and Rachel Piontak from the Institute for Citizens & Scholars are breaking new ground by exploring how creative expression can transform campus dialogue. Their interactive workshop demonstrates how visual, literary, and performance art can open pathways for engaging with challenging topics around identity, power, and perspective. In an era where traditional dialogue approaches sometimes fall short, their work shows how artistic inquiry can invite participation rather than deepen divisions, creating space for empathy and democratic engagement in both classroom and co-curricular settings. Through participatory exercises and case studies, they'll explore how art can reveal difficult truths while cultivating shared understanding within campus communities.

​Facilitative Leadership

​Lori Britt from James Madison University and Lisa-Marie Napoli from Indiana University address the urgent need for new leadership capacities in navigating today's complex public problems. Their presentation on Facilitative Leadership focuses on constructive engagement across differences, rebuilding trust, and finding solutions that uplift our shared humanity. Rather than becoming paralyzed by complexity or trapped in argument culture, their framework offers hope for gathering in community to address challenges in ways that are both solution-focused and relationship-building. Drawing from their upcoming book, they provide a roadmap for leaders seeking to counter divisive discourse with facilitative approaches.

Exploring How to Motivate Civil Discourse on Campus

​James Coan from More Like US brings a strategic lens to dialogue work by focusing on motivation rather than just skill-building. His presentation tackles the often-overlooked question of how to inspire civil discourse across the political spectrum, addressing both how to increase interest and reduce hesitancy around difficult conversations. By focusing on correcting misperceptions between different groups, his approach offers benefits that extend far beyond campus boundaries, including increased resistance to authoritarianism and misinformation. His work provides repeatable strategies that help students easily recall key dialogue skills when they need them most.

Critical Reflection: Exploring Power and Language in Public Dialogue

​Renee Heath and Jen Borda, co-directors of the University of New Hampshire Civil Discourse Lab, offer crucial insights into the nuanced challenges of creating truly inclusive dialogue spaces. Their presentation tackles contemporary challenges around DEI backlash, affective polarization, and student self-censorship by examining their own design choices and facilitation practices. Through the concept of "critical reflexivity," they share how they navigate questions of belonging and participation in dialogue events, always asking who feels they belong in the conversation and how particular practices can foster discursive opening rather than closing down possibilities for engagement.

The Promoting Democracy Teaching Series

Bethany Morrison and Megan Stowe from the University of Michigan present a replicable model for preparing faculty across disciplines to integrate civic skills-building into their courses. Their innovative approach addresses common challenges: limited curriculum flexibility, varying faculty experience with potentially polarized discussions, and institutional silos that prevent collaboration. Through their partnership between the center for teaching and learning and the center for community and civic engagement, they demonstrate how cross-departmental collaboration can thread dialogue capabilities throughout students' university experiences, particularly during high-stakes periods like election seasons.

Scaling Discourse Project

​Laura Weaver from Campus Compact will share insights from their work on scaling dialogue and deliberation initiatives across higher education institutions. While details are still forthcoming, this presentation promises to address one of the field's most pressing challenges: how to move beyond individual programs to create institution-wide cultures of constructive dialogue.

Curriculum Design for Teaching Dialogue and Deliberation

Larry Schooler from the University of Texas, Austin, brings years of practical experience in undergraduate education to explore fundamental questions about dialogue pedagogy. His presentation will guide participants in examining how their current courses help students acquire dialogue and deliberation skills, identifying gaps in learning, and improving teaching methods. Drawing from his coursework at both UT Austin and Southern Methodist University, Schooler offers concrete strategies for educators seeking to strengthen their students' capacity for democratic participation.

These innovative practitioners exemplify NCDD's commitment to strengthening democracy through inclusive, equity-centered dialogue work. Their diverse approaches—from artistic expression to facilitative leadership, from motivation strategies to curriculum design—demonstrate that there are multiple pathways to creating campus cultures where difficult conversations can flourish. By bringing together these voices, the Higher Education Dialogue Summit creates unprecedented opportunities for cross-pollination of ideas and collaborative learning.

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​Ready to join this transformative conversation? Register for NCDD's inaugural Higher Education Dialogue Summit at https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/MjM0Njkw and be part of building dialogue-rich campus cultures that prepare students for democratic citizenship.