Community Dialogues
This ongoing program is intended to make healthy, constructive dialogue a part of our identity as an institution, and the foundation of how we relate to each other in community in both informal and formal settings. Community Dialogues is President Holmes-Sullivan’s signature initiative, launched in January 2023.
The ultimate goal of this initiative is for our community to learn and practice dialogue in both formal and informal settings to build our capacity to listen, speak, and learn with each other about topics central to our collective wellbeing, even when those topics are contentious.
Dialogue in Action EventsDialogue Topics
Since January of 2023, 71 members of our community—faculty, staff, and students from all three of our campuses— have been prepared by Essential Partners to facilitate meaningful dialogue across differences. Dialogues have been held in both formal and informal settings, inside and outside of the classroom, on a range of topics that matter to our community. The purpose of learning and practicing dialogue at LC is for all community members to build our capacity to listen, speak, and learn with each other about topics central to our collective well-being.
Small group Reflective Structured Dialogues have been held in the Lewis & Clark Community on a range of topics, including: race and identity, public forests, belonging, the L&C values and mascot, making change in the world, the College’s environmental work, the impacts of current events in Israel/Palestine, gender, and social media. Our trained practitioners are also involved in integrating dialogic practices into their varied contexts and work across campus.
Upcoming Events
Past Events
Employee Appreciation Picnic
It’s time to celebrate your hard work at L&C! The Office of the President invites all employees to a global fútbol-themed picnic—packed with food trucks and lawn games!
Soul Walk North
Soul Walk North invites you to visit historic landmarks where music thrived in Portland’s Black community. Learn about Albina’s past, listen to the music that built its legacy, and hear from those helping to shape its future.
Community Dialogue on AI: GSEC Student Perspectives
What do you think about the role of AI in your life? Are there aspects of its potential that sound both promising and terrifying? What does it mean for us at Lewis & Clark? From creative opportunities to ethical dilemmas, AI is changing the way we live and learn. And we want to hear your take on AI at Lewis & Clark.
In the News
Save Your Spot! Community Dialogues Series on AI
The President’s Office Community Dialogues initiative is working with the L&C AI Advisory Group to understand our community’s perspectives and direction when it comes to the future of AI on our campus. Join us!
An Unlikely Debate Stage
Inside the Oregon State Penitentiary, a group of Lewis & Clark students compete in a debate tournament that challenges assumptions about justice, communication, and community.
Requesting your Thoughts on Dialogue at L&C
Please take 10 minutes to complete this survey to share your thoughts about dialogue at L&C!
Dialogue Across Difference
No matter the issue, colleges and universities must always be places that welcome an open exchange of ideas.
Good Talk
Have Americans lost the ability to have civil conversations about controversial issues? Is meaningful discussion disappearing in an era of increased political polarization? Whether it’s a tense conversation over a holiday meal, a fiery exchange with a stranger on social media, or a heated political argument with a neighbor, many people in today’s world are adamant about their opinions and disinclined to listen to other viewpoints.
Shaping the Future of Oregon’s Forests
L&C environmental studies students gained some real-world experience last month when they visited Tillamook Forest Center to attend the center’s annual Rain Festival, a celebration of the Tillamook Forest and its waterways. They spent the afternoon gathering input from rural community members on what they value most about Oregon’s forests.
Seeking Students to Lead Important Campus Conversations
Seeking students to become trained Dialogue Practitioners and hold important conversations on campus!
This program is designed to equip student leaders with the skills to facilitate meaningful dialogue on campus. In this role, you’ll be trained in dialogue facilitation and learn techniques for fostering constructive conversations across a variety of perspectives. Following the initial two-day training, students will work with other trained practitioners to develop and facilitate a dialogue project on a topic that matters in our campus community.
Championing the Tenets of Democracy
As a new member of College Presidents for Civic Preparedness, President Robin Holmes-Sullivan is joining 91 other college presidents from across the country to advance higher education’s pivotal role in preparing students to be engaged citizens and to uphold free expression on campus.
Essential Partners
Essential Partners has over 30 years of experience helping campus communities large and small become more inclusive and resilient by learning to respectfully engage on sensitive topics such as:
- Race and ethnicity
- Gender and sexuality
- Religious differences
- Economic inequality
- Climate change
- Intellectual diversity
- Political partisanship
Learn more about their higher ed–specific approach and how they create what they call the Dialogic Campus.
We are always happy to organize dialogue sessions on these or other topics in a way that will best fit your group’s needs. We can also provide workshops and trainings to your team. To inquire, please contact communitydialogues@lclark.edu.