Teaching and Scholarship Hub

Equity-minded dialogue support for faculty and staff  

In today’s environment of escalating political and social divisiveness and shrinking opportunities for building community, it is imperative to develop and practice “skills for engaging in dialogue across differences of experiences and perspectives.”[1] As a university, we are also committed to “preparing students to contribute to, and succeed in, a complex world.”[2] In pursuit of these important areas of the University’s strategic plan and vision, we offer this new dialogue series as a forum to share, discuss, and practice equity-minded skills for navigating difficult discussions. During these dialogues, we will explore complex topics using equity-minded practices to better equip us and our students to contribute to this complex world, both in and out of the classroom. 

While the series centers the perspective of faculty and staff who may lead student discussions, the dialogues are open to any University employee who would find value in practicing these skills. Dialogues will take place two to three times a semester in the Faculty Hub (3^rd Floor of Boatwright Library) from 12:00-1:15 p.m. Additional sessions may be convened in the event of a campus crisis.

This series will...

·      Provide time and space for sharing, discussing, and practicing skills for leading equity-minded dialogues on challenging or controversial topics

·      Cultivate mutual support among participants, drawing on the group’s collective wisdom and personal experiences

·      Provide resources related to individual dialogue topics that can be accessed after the forum

Monday, Sept. 25  On Leading Values-Based Dialogues      

   What role can dialogue play in today’s environment of escalating    political and social divisiveness and shrinking opportunities for building community? What might we hope that dialogue can do? What values can best guide efforts to dialogue?