Driver, Norris Help Lead Constructive Dialogue Curriculum Initiative

The Volcker Alliance recently launched the Constructive Dialogue Curriculum Initiative, a partnership with the Constructive Dialogue Institute (CDI) to help schools of public service implement innovative curricula that prepares the next generation of public service leaders to bridge divides and work collaboratively across differences.

Dr. Nichola Driver, Executive Director for the Office of Field Service, and Rachel Norris, Director of Domestic Programs, will serve as leads for the Clinton School of Public Service for the initiative.

“We have long been a school that has valued dialogue and conversing across differences,” Driver said. “But, through CDI, the Office of Field Service will be able to think through and plan strategically for integrating these important concepts across our students’ field service experiences. We are excited for this honor and opportunity.”

In addition to the Clinton School, the initiative includes 13 schools of public service that are members of the Deans Summit, a collaborative network of schools that confer degrees in public policy, public administration, public affairs, and related fields.

The Deans Summit, which is supported by the Volcker Alliance, launched the Constructive Dialogue Curriculum Initiative in direct response to the alarming growth of political polarization on campuses across the nation and out of a belief that schools of public service have a unique role to play in preparing university students to discuss topics and policies that reach across society’s divides.

The Constructive Dialogue Curriculum Initiative helps schools of public service implement innovative curricula that prepare the next generation of public service leaders to bridge divides and work collaboratively across differences.

Over a period of 18 months, participating schools will develop a new course or adapt an existing course to teach the skills for collaborating across difference, embedding CDI’s signature Perspectives program within their larger curricula.

Participants include:

• Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University
• Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy, Cornell University
• Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University
• The John Lewis Public Administration Program, Tulane University
• Clinton School of Public Service, University of Arkansas
• Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley
• College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs, University of Illinois Chicago
• Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan
• Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota
• Truman School of Government and Public Affairs, University of Missouri
• Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh
• School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences, University of Texas Dallas
• Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, University of Virginia
• The Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs, University of Wisconsin

“As schools of public service, we are in a unique position to equip our future leaders with the tools needed to lead across difference,” Dean Victoria DeFrancesco Soto said. “I am confident that the curriculum we develop through this initiative will bolster our faculty, staff, and student’s ability to have productive conversations on campus and in their respective communities.”