Involving Alumni in Civil (Campus) Discourse

This is a post by Shane Dunn (he/him) , vice president and senior consultant at CMAC.

It should come as no surprise that there is a lot of anxiety permeating college and university campuses – and their affiliates – across the United States this year. The tragic terror attacks in Israel last October followed by the war in Gaza that has killed thousands of Palestinians has fueled campus protests in ways we haven’t seen in decades. Some of these protests have become very public and divisive, while others have been less public and remained within campus communities. We've seen many public cases of prominent and wealthy alumni threatening to withhold significant donations from their alma maters in response to their institution’s approach to handling these activities.?

Regardless of the nature of the protests on campuses and in other settings across the country, it feels like many colleges are at a unique inflection point regarding how to handle these scenarios, and it is important to point out that there is an alumni component to prepare for.?

Campuses across the country are working diligently to articulate values and policies regarding free expression, protest, neutrality, and dialogue. For years, many colleges have invested in creating specific programs, classes, and curricula intended to foster open dialogue, respectful disagreement, civic dialogue, and inclusive engagement among students, faculty, and staff – reinforcing some of the hallmark principles of higher education. Some of these campuses have also included alumni in their programming as a way of engaging alumni in interesting, complex topics and further reinforcing institutional values that are core to the academic enterprise.?

At a recent virtual roundtable hosted by CMAC and Washburn & McGoldrick, we heard from several alumni leaders who highlighted that one of the number one issues they are dealing with and preparing for this fall has to do with managing the fallout from campus protests and institutional neutrality debates. Alumni offices are hearing from passionate, affected alumni who want their voices heard and who may want to influence official university responses. It turns out, today's alumni office doesn’t always look that different from the office of the past – alumni want to be heard and need a conduit that will listen!

As campuses continue to grapple with this issue on campus, it’s important for alumni to feel connected to what’s happening on their campuses and how they may also contribute to the conversation. Here is a sampling of programs at a number of institutions that we are aware of:

• Meeting the Moment: Community in Dialogue (Haverford College)
• Deliberative Citizenship Initiative (Davidson College)
• Critical Conversations (Brandeis University)
• Better Arguments (William & Mary)
• Life Together Series (Syracuse University)
• Engaged Pluralism (Vassar College)
• Civic Dialogues (Marquette University)

What other programs and initiatives are out there? Which institutions have successfully identified ways to involve alumni in these conversations? We’d love to hear from you!?

Regardless of the approach that a campus takes to foster more inclusive, civil dialogue around difficult topics, the role of academia in keeping democracy alive remains a crucial part of the mission. Alumni invariably have a role to play and a lot to say.