Launched in 2023, Community Dialogues is Lewis & Clark President Robin Holmes-Sullivan’s signature initiative. The initiative builds empathy and viewpoint diversity by facilitating discussions among students, faculty, and staff and helps the campus community address pressing societal issues head-on. Community Dialogues bridges divides and strengthens campus community bonds in a time of deep division.
President Robin Holmes-Sullivan
Hear from President Holmes-Sullivan on Lewis & Clark’s Community Dialogues Initiative:
No matter the issue, colleges and universities must always be places that welcome an open exchange of ideas. This principle is central to the educational mission. At the same time, we must strive to be places that model respectful disagreement that builds community. It is a challenging balance. There are no easy answers. What I know is that as a community of scholars, we must practice the skill of listening and speaking across differences. It is the path to greater understanding and to making the world a better place. The Community Dialogues initiative is just one way we are working toward creating this better world. We must teach it, model it, live it—no matter how difficult the road.
Photo credit: Nina Johnson, Lewis & Clark College
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