In the 2025 State of the University Address Chancellor King said, "It is all too easy to fall for divisive rhetoric, or to believe we're so hopelessly fractured that civil discourse isn't worth trying. But I think this is one of the highest callings of public higher education: that it summons our wisest minds and most generous selves, teaches us to listen openly, embrace arguments informed by nuance, disagree respectfully, and probe not only our opponents' assumptions but also our own."
Fostering constructive dialogue skills is one of the methods to achieving effective civil discourse and this past summer Krissie Barsema, Associate Director of Student Life, successfully completed an in-depth 20 hour training in facilitation of Constructive Dialogue.
This Constructive Dialogue Institute program prepared participants to 1) Facilitate campus conversations with clarity and confidence; 2) Lead structured dialogue across lines of difference; and 3) Create environments of trust, inclusion, and mutual respect.