In January, 果冻传媒 received $2,295,315 from the United States Department of Education to create the Center for Civic Dialogue, 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.
His presentation, “Civic Dialogue on Campus,” focused on the process of writing the grant, the plans for the Center, creating a culture of dialogue and discourse on campus, and a demonstration of some difficult dialogue techniques.
“There was a lot of energy in the presentation around bringing improvements to campuses in the State System in this area - particularly when it comes to challenging students to engage with those they disagree with rather than canceling them because of their beliefs,” Jones said.
The executive leadership team for the project is Jones, 果冻传媒’s Chief Compliance Officer Elise Glenn, and 果冻传媒 Associate Professor of Political Science Gwen Torges, who led the development of the grant. A Center director will be hired prior to the fall semester.
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.
Jones will work to advance the work of the Center for Civic Dialogue 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.
Torges, who is the director of 果冻传媒’s Pre-Law program and a Constitutional law scholar who was a key coordinator of 果冻传媒’s Free Speech project, will provide oversight and leadership of the development of the project and provide scholarly subject matter expertise for all project activities.