Civic discourse is central to the purpose of higher education and fundamental to a healthy democracy. Higher education institutions play a critical role in shaping and modeling a civic space where diverse ideas can be proposed, debated, and tested with rigor and respect. Student affairs professionals have a unique opportunity to both prepare students for civic life and shape the civic culture of their campuses. While the work is hard, the path forward can feel uncertain, and efforts are often politicized, progress is possible. The Kansas Leadership Center (KLC) has a bold vision for a civic culture that is mobilized to make progress on its toughest challenges and thrive. We partner with organizations and communities around the country and across the globe to advance our mission to inspire and equip people, together, to do difficult things for the common good. Join KLC President and CEO Dr. Kaye Monk-Morgan for an engaging dialogue to ignite—or perhaps refuel—your commitment to shaping this crucible moment for our democracy.

When tensions rise on campus, the quality of civic discourse is only as strong as the systems beneath it. This interactive session introduces a Resilience Rubric that helps student affairs professionals assess how their campus environment supports constructive engagement. Participants will examine core resilience indicators based on best practices in global conflict resolution and mediation. Through guided reflection, attendees will map where their institution is strong, where vulnerabilities exist, and how civic discourse efforts can align with broader campus culture and well-being initiatives.

This session will introduce student affairs and higher education professionals to the National Issues Forums Institute’s deliberative model and campus-ready resources. Participants will explore how structured deliberation supports student development by helping students engage complex, values-based issues without shutting down disagreement. Drawing on NIFI issue guides and higher-education partnerships, the session highlights practical strategies for fostering shared sense-making, civic learning, and constructive engagement across difference in residence life, co-curricular programming, classroom forums, and campus dialogues.

In tense moments of protest or conflict, student affairs professionals can find themselves on the line to navigate student demands or concerns against institutional policies. This session will introduce the 3 I's Framework (Invite, Identify, and Initiate) as a structured approach to responding to student demands with clarity, empathy, and direction. The framework focuses specifically on understanding the underlying needs driving student demands and developing responsive action plans. It supports administrators in moving beyond reactive decision-making and toward collaborative, trust-building engagement that honors both student voice and institutional realities.

Sustainable innovation for civic discourse on campus doesn't happen in isolation. This session explores practical strategies for building long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships between staff, faculty, and institutional leadership. Drawing on examples from the Institute for Citizens & Scholars cohort of 41 institutions, we'll look at how to design programs with shared ownership, clear communication channels, and built-in assessment structures that help initiatives grow rather than fade. Participants will leave with frameworks for cultivating cross-campus alliances, securing administrative support, and embedding evaluation practices that make collaborative work both durable and scalable.

Civic leadership requires an attitude of curiosity, a focus on learning, and a skill set to effectively mobilize people to work together on tough civic challenges. Since 2007, the Kansas Leadership Center (KLC) has been equipping individuals, organizations, and communities with the skills and collective capacities to make progress on tough civic challenges. Through our practice and research, we have built a wealth of knowledge and expertise about the skills needed for effective leadership in civic life, and how to build people’s capacity to learn and use those skills. Dr. Jason Bosch, KLC Director of Curriculum Innovation, will introduce participants to KLC's leadership framework and share examples of how KLC has partnered with institutions around the country to build capacity for civic leadership, from the student body to the president's office.

There is an increased focus by policymakers at the federal and state levels on implementing and expanding civic discourse in higher education. These efforts take many forms, from including civic discourse skills in the classroom curriculum to standing up civic discourse offices on campuses. This session will provide an overview of those trends at the state level as well as the federal level and what they mean for campus administrators.

Colleges and universities are increasingly investing in civic discourse and dialogue initiatives, yet many struggle to measure whether these efforts meaningfully impact student learning, belonging, or campus climate. The Constructive Dialogue Institute (CDI) uses research not only to evaluate outcomes but to actively shape how civic dialogue is designed, implemented, and scaled on college campuses. In this session, CDI will share how evidence from social science scholarship, UX research, case studies, and program evaluation informs the development and continuous improvement of its dialogue programs. Participants will explore how research-backed approaches to dialogue can help universities move beyond one-off efforts toward sustainable, campus-wide impact.

Institutions invest in civic discourse initiatives yet often struggle to translate participation data into sustained impact. This session explores how RITA's Center for Leadership & Civic Engagement used assessment findings from Horizons, a deliberative dialogue series grounded in the National Issues Forum Institute model, to redesign civic discourse delivery. Participants will examine how data-informed a shift from one-off dialogues to cohort-based learning and a credit-bearing course, offering a practical framework for measuring impact, closing feedback loops, and scaling civic discourse as a core leadership competency.