Welcome to the Autumn 2024 issue of the Council of Independent Colleges’ Digest of Recent Research. This issue represents the first under the new editorial leadership team of Bethany L. Miller, associate provost and chief data officer at Macalester College (MN); and Philip T. Dunwoody, social sciences division head and professor of psychology at Juniata College (PA). Under this new editorial team, drawn from CIC member institutions, Digest issues will have a clear theme designed to support members in addressing contemporary challenges.
This issue focuses on skills needed to navigate dialogue and conflict across differences. In thinking about a theme for the fall issue, the goal was to provide campus leaders with timely, relevant, and useful information to help them tackle the most pressing issues that campuses are facing. In addition to summaries of articles, this issue includes resources that span the space of both theory and practice, so that readers not only understand some of the theoretical ideas that underpin the work and can also walk away with practical solutions that can be implemented on campuses in big and small ways.
This article highlights one instructor’s effort to think about how instructors are assessing their own pedagogical practices in handling difficult topics in their classrooms.
A dialogue among senior leaders in higher education from several major colleges and universities to discuss the political tensions on campuses.
Helping students grow in the virtues and skills necessary for listening and dialogue with people who have different experiences and views than their own.
Research on the process and effectiveness of the Braver Angels dialogue program.
Additional resources for navigating dialogue and conflict across differences on independent college campuses.