Want to get students to talk to one another? Train peers to facilitate these conversations. Want to give students real-life skills beyond the classroom? Create a living-learning community where meaningful exchanges thrive. At James Madison University, Better Conversations Together: Deliberation is required for all new students. It starts before they even arrive, with virtual sessions laying the groundwork. At orientation, small-group discussions push them to listen, understand, and engage across differences.
And it’s working: the initiative is showing double-digit improvement in students’ willingness to listen to opposing viewpoints and recognize today’s issues as more complex than they did before.
Hear from JMU’s Vice President and Chief of Staff David Kirkpatrick on how students are learning to collaborate across differences, practice intellectual humility, and develop skills that prepare them not only for college but also for the workplace and everyday life:
“This speaks to the heart of our mission—the shared pursuit of truth, foundational to everything we do in higher education, and something we also do very well.”
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