Words as a Shared Journey: Strengthening Dialogue Across Differences at Pomona

Pomona College has launched a campus-wide dialogue initiative in partnership with the Sustained Dialogue Institute to strengthen the community’s capacity for constructive conversation across differences. Framing dialogue as a shared, practice-based process rather than debate, the initiative provides ongoing training in listening, empathy, self-awareness, and conflict resolution, informed by Gallup Survey findings and supported by monthly virtual sessions and tailored workshops. By embedding civility, inclusive leadership, and respectful exchange into institutional culture and partnering with organizations such as Bridging the Gap, the program aims to equip students, faculty, and staff with the skills needed for democratic participation, collaborative problem-solving, and thoughtful engagement with complex social, political, and cultural issues beyond campus.

---

---

Pomona College has launched a comprehensive dialogue initiative in partnership with Sustained Dialogue Institute to strengthen campus capacity for constructive conversation across differences. The college frames dialogue not as debate between two positions but as a shared journey carried out through words, emphasizing that meaningful participation in discussions about politics, race, faith, and campus culture requires active practice and institutional support. Informed by Gallup Survey findings, the initiative provides intentional, campus-wide training in dialogue and conflict resolution while weaving civility and respectful exchange into institutional culture. The program aims to position graduates as critical thinkers and societal changemakers equipped with skills for navigating complex conversations and diverse perspectives. Monthly virtual sessions led by Sustained Dialogue Institute focus on core competencies, including listening, curiosity, self-awareness and regulation, and empathetic perspective-taking, meeting on the third Friday of each month and open to all campus community members.

Sustained Dialogue Institute brings students, faculty, and staff together who might not otherwise interact to engage with topics they might typically avoid, creating conditions for open exchanges that deepen understanding over time through ongoing conversation. The partnership offers tailored workshops and skill-building pathways addressing conflict management, inclusive leadership and facilitation, circle processes, intercultural respect, social and emotional learning, civic participation, community organizing, and equitable environment creation. This comprehensive approach recognizes that dialogue capacity develops through sustained practice rather than one-time interventions, with programming designed to meet diverse needs across student groups, academic units, and administrative departments. The initiative also includes partnerships with Bridging the Gap, which teaches how to truly listen, understand, be heard, and seek common ground without compromising deeply held values.

Pomona's campus-wide commitment to dialogue infrastructure represents recognition that democratic participation and inclusive community-building require systematic skill development and institutional prioritization. For practitioners working to embed dialogue practices in educational settings or create pathways for sustained engagement across social and political differences, this model demonstrates how institutions can combine external expertise with internal culture change initiatives. The focus on equipping all community members with foundational skills supports both immediate conflict navigation and long-term capacity for collaborative problem-solving and civic leadership beyond campus.

​Learn more about Pomona College's dialogue initiative and register for Sustained Dialogue Institute sessions at https://www.pomona.edu/administration/dialogue.