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Educating for a Democracy in Question

Fostering Student Civil Discourse Skills at Liberal Arts Institutions: Campus-Tested Strategies

Thursday, January 22, 2026
2:00 PM - 3:15 PM East Coast USA Time
Location: Catholic University - Level M1

    Co-Presenter(s)

  • Jeff Frank

    Professor of Education
    St. Lawrence University, United States

  • JD

    Julie Dolan

    Professor of Political Science
    Macalester College, United States

    • Primary Presenter(s)

  • Jacqueline Pfeffer Merrill

    Senior Director, Civic Learning and Free Expression Projects
    Council of Independent Colleges
    Washington, District of Columbia, United States

    • Co-Presenter(s)

  • Ty Seidule

    David H. and Ann L. Hinchcliff Professor of History and Executive Director of Common Ground
    Hamilton College, United States

In today’s polarized national environment, liberal arts colleges and universities must teach their students to approach opinions that differ from their own with curiosity and tolerance, providing them with skills for dialogue across differences.

Hear from three faculty leaders who have held senior roles in campus-wide civil discourse initiatives and led components of those initiatives. They will describe how they launched, tested, and improved curricular and cocurricular programs to build students’ capacity for dialogue across differences—and how these programs fostered cohesiveness in the campus community, prepared students to engage productively with local communities, and equipped students for citizenship in a pluralistic democracy and entry into a diverse workforce. Panelists will share lessons learned for attendees to adapt to their own campuses.