University President Ellen Granberg joined a national initiative of university presidents to strengthen civic engagement on college campuses, according to a University release last month.

The release states that the College Presidents for Civic Preparedness will work to develop campus-specific programming including new courses, speaker events and voter education initiatives and will meet regularly to discuss how to help faculty engage with free speech and civil discourse in the classroom. Some faculty said they hope the initiative will foster difficult conversations on topics like the war in Gaza and boost students’ civic engagement.

“In this era of increasing polarization, it is critical that universities continue to emphasize and teach the enduring values of civic engagement, civility, integrity and transparency,” Granberg said in the release.

The Institute for Citizens & Scholars, a nonprofit organization, launched the College Presidents for Civic Preparedness in 2023 to prepare students as “confident” citizens within democratic society through fellowships, higher education and civic learning research, according to the institute’s website. The group’s initiatives include hosting events, promoting democratic themes and centering free speech as a guiding principle on campuses.

Over 100 university presidents are involved with the initiative, according to the College Presidents for Civic Preparedness website. During the 2023-24 year, 88 percent of presidents in the initiative created classes that centered civil discourse, 98 percent hosted debates, speaker series or dinners, 98 percent generated new research initiatives or fellowships and 94 percent held civic and politically engaged events, according to a progress report by the initiative.

The University of Pittsburgh, which GW also considers to be a peer school, designated the 2023-24 academic year as the “Year of Discourse and Dialogue” as part of the initiative, where the school funded 35 proposals for speaker events, activities and workshops about discourse, according to the initiative’s progress report.

Ned Lazarus, a teaching associate professor of international affairs, said he feels optimistic about the University’s involvement with the initiative and believes it will support lasting dialogues and open discussion on campus.

“It seems to support the kinds of values that lead to constructive debate and to a community where people feel that they have the legitimacy to think for themselves and develop their own point of view and express it,” Lazarus said.

Lazarus said he hopes the GW community can continue to engage in difficult national and global conversations while ensuring that people feel their perspectives are acknowledged on campus and not “delegitimized.” He said having difficult conversations will help create constructive conversation and learning surrounding the war in Gaza and future conflict that the upcoming election might cause.

Lazarus said he thinks Granberg joined the initiative in response to the “eruption” of protests last academic year and the “divide rhetoric” surrounding it. He said he hopes initiatives like College Presidents for Civic Preparedness don’t “flame out” once discussions over the protests end.

“It is hard work of learning how to engage in dialogue and also in debate that doesn’t cross over into civil war. That’s going to remain very important,” Lazarus said.

Lazarus said promotion of critical thinking and civic discourse can begin with faculty ensuring that students receive multiple perspectives on a controversial topics. He said he requires his students to conduct conflict analysis, or examining aspects of conflict to find resolutions, in his conflict resolution courses to understand all sides of a conflict through an empathetic and human lens.

“In order to understand what’s happening in a political conflict, you need to understand why some people support views that you may find completely wrong and you can’t do that when you are filled with antagonism towards them,” Lazarus said.

Granberg and Provost Chris Bracey initiated faculty working groups this summer to address challenges to the University community after campus tension surrounding the war in Gaza last academic year, including ones focused on community conversations and free speech.

Lazarus, who was a member of the community conversations working group, said he “hopes” the initiative adds to the work done by the group over the summer, which revealed a larger, ongoing need for faculty-led engagement in difficult community-wide discussions.

The community conversations working group recommended the University provide workshops laying the groundwork for respectful conversation around difficult topics and report back to the University on the outcomes of those conversations to ensure student voices are heard and respected, according to the group’s report.

“We should probably have that all the time, we should probably have faculty engaged in building these kinds of conversations,” Lazarus said. “That should be just a constant part of our work at the University.”

Michelle Kelso, an assistant professor of sociology and international affairs and director of the Human Services and Social Justice program, said Granberg joining the initiative underscores the importance of civic engagement in and beyond academia.

“I’m so excited that she has done that because I think it sends a signal to how important civic engagement is, not only in academia, but more broadly and partnering academia with community and local organizations,” Kelso said.

Kelso said she hopes the initiative will bring more resources for civic education courses and emphasize the importance of service learning for students to boost their civic engagement and promoting their career goals.

“There’s not enough understanding of the pressures that faculty have when you’re teaching fully engaged community service courses,” Kelso said. “I think that that means some more training needs to be done with the administration, and I’m hoping that that’s what this organization will help university presidents understand is that, yes, this is so important for our students.”

Nizar Farsakh, a lecturer of international affairs and a member of the community conversations working group, said he hopes that the initiative informs student activism and conversations and redirects it to be more intentional.

“I would want them to be more active, but active in more productive ways and in ways that are smart,” said Farsakh.

Farsakh said along with the initiative, professors play a vital role in directing civic engagement in the right direction.

“It’s how do you engage with polar opposite ideas and people who are very different from you in ways that are educational and constructive and useful, right?” Farsakh said. “So it’s making space and safe space for that.”