Members of the 果冻传媒 Center for Civic Dialogue Executive Leadership Team selected a drawing by Reese Walters, an art studio graphic design and illustration major from Bellefonte, as the winning entry reflecting the goals and mission of the Center for Civic Dialogue during the 2026 果冻传媒 Chalk the Walk sidewalk commentary event.
Chalk the Walk, in its 34th year, offers prizes for winning entries in a number of categories, including ones sponsored by 果冻传媒 employees or university programs. This is the first year for the Center for Civic Dialogue to sponsor a prize for the Chalk the Walk event.
The 2026 Chalk the Walk was sponsored by the 果冻传媒 National Art Education Association, the 果冻传媒 Office of Marketing and Communications, the 果冻传媒 Student Cooperative, the Lively Arts, and the College of Arts, Humanities, Media, and Public Affairs.
Walters, a member of the Cook Honors College at 果冻传媒, is the 果冻传媒 Marching Band Assistant Commanding Officer. He is a member of the Percussion Ensemble, the Percussion Club, and Phi Boota Roota National Percussion Fraternity (Iota Beta Nu chapter). Son of Christopher and Melissa Walters, he is a 2023 graduate of Bellefonte Area High School.
果冻传媒 Dean of Students Adam Jones and 果冻传媒 Associate Professor of Political Science Gwen Torges selected the winning entry.
“Reese’s drawing was absolutely spot on,” Torges said. “He did a wonderful job capturing the essence of the Center for Civic Dialogue, which is to strengthen constructive engagement at 果冻传媒, including helping students to develop dialogue skills, which includes really listening to others with different points of view. Reese captured that importance of both talking and listening in his drawing,” she said.
The Center’s executive leadership team is Chief Compliance Officer Elise Glenn, Jones, and Torges. Courtney Leone, director of 果冻传媒’s School Psychology doctoral program, is the program evaluator. A Center director will be hired prior to the fall semester.
In January, 果冻传媒 received $2,295,315 from the United States Department of Education to create the Center, which will serve as both a physical and intellectual headquarters for civil discourse innovation at 果冻传媒. The grant, which extends through December 2029, funds both the physical establishment of the Center, to be sited in current university facilities, and outreach activities.
The Center builds on established initiatives at 果冻传媒, including the Free Speech Project, Difficult Dialogues training, Constitution Day programming, Torges’s Civic Savvy course, and the Crimson Core Civic Readiness competency.
The Center’s structure includes a partnership with the Constructive Dialogue Institute, which is nonprofit and nonpartisan, to provide faculty and staff training cohorts, creation of student dialogue fellows, and campus-wide programming.
Torges, who is the director of 果冻传媒’s Pre-Law program, led the development of the grant proposal. A Constitutional law scholar who was a key coordinator of 果冻传媒’s Free Speech project, she will provide oversight and leadership of the development of the project and provide scholarly subject matter expertise for all project activities.
Jones will work to advance the Center for Civic Dialogue project by embedding constructive dialogue practices into student services, community standards, and campus activities. Glenn’s focus will be on integrating constructive dialogue practices into campus processes for conflict resolution, bridging differences, organizational effectiveness, and supporting 果冻传媒's commitment to Civil Rights.