Constructive Dialogue Scaling Initiative
Constructive Dialogue Scaling Initiative
The Constructive Dialogue Scaling Initiative helps campus leaders take constructive dialogue from a single course or program to an institution-wide commitment.
Schools of public service prepare the next generation of government leaders. Their students will negotiate budgets, design and implement policy, and lead diverse teams. That work demands the ability to engage productively with people who see the world differently, and schools of public service are uniquely positioned to teach and model those skills for their broader universities.
Yet on campuses nationwide, nearly half of students fear sharing their views, and 40% of educators worry about reputational damage from misunderstandings. This climate of self-censorship undermines the civic purpose of higher education. The Constructive Dialogue Scaling Initiative brings together universities that seek to address extreme polarization through institution-wide programming and culture change.
How It Works
This initiative helps campus leaders embed constructive dialogue programming more deeply and expansively across campus. Supported by the Volcker Alliance, in partnership with the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Ithaca Initiative at the University of Delaware, participating universities will engage in structured convenings, a community of practice, and facilitated peer-to-peer exchange over the 2026-27 academic year. Collective lessons will be captured in a white paper for other campuses looking to do this work.
Participating Universities
Rutgers University, New Brunswick
Rutgers University, Newark
University of California, Riverside
University of Colorado Denver
University of Delaware
University of Houston
University of Kentucky
University of Minnesota
University of Pittsburgh
University of Virginia
Building on Proven Results
This initiative builds on an earlier phase of collaborative engagement, in which 14 schools of public service piloted constructive dialogue curricula with support from the Constructive Dialogue Institute (CDI). The report "Preparing Public Leaders for Polarized Times" captures the lessons from that work.
To learn more about the Constructive Dialogue Scaling Initiative, contact Maggie Mello, Senior Director of Public Service Education at [email protected].