Civil Discourse program will host post-election conversation series

Following what has been a divisive presidential election, the Padnos-Sarosik Civil Discourse Program will host a series of conversations for the campus community.

Lisa Perhamus, director of the program and associate professor of education, said the idea to host the series stemmed from conversations around campus with people “seeking spaces for honest, robust, yet constructive conversations during these turbulent times.”  

Each of the conversations will be facilitated by Perhamus and Jeffrey Kelly-Lowenstein, assistant professor of multimedia journalism and current endowed Padnos-Sarosik Civil Discourse professor. Details about the series are below; RSVP online and participants will be sent the Zoom meeting link.

Staff Conversation - November 4, 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Faculty Conversation – November 6, noon-1 p.m. (in partnership with Pew Faculty Teaching Learning Center)

Student Conversation – November 9, 4-5 p.m.

Kelly-Lowenstein said his goal as endowed professor is to take the program from its classroom-symposium model into a more active presence on campus and in the community.

“We’re offering three separate conversation times in order to respond to the specific needs of people on campus and in an effort to keep the group size manageable,” he said.