Anticipating More Unrest, Colleges Prioritize Civic Dialogue

The fallout from last spring’s campus unrest over the Israel-Hamas war, combined with anxieties about this fall’s presidential election, have pushed many colleges and universities to prioritize promoting civil discourse and civic engagement as they head into the new academic year. Such programs have been available on many college campuses for years, but they’re often siloed, and experts say they aren’t as effective as they could be. Survey results have shown that students, particularly those who lean right politically or who belong to certain religious groups, feel like campus is no longer a place where they can speak freely.