Colleges and universities play a vital role in preparing students to engage thoughtfully with complex ideas and with people who hold different perspectives. Yet many campuses today are searching for ways to better support meaningful dialogue across differences. The Deliberative Citizenship Network (DCN) is a new national initiative designed to help meet that need.
Led by the Deliberative Citizenship Initiative (DCI) and housed within the Martin Institute for Public Good at Davidson College, the DCN will support a diverse cohort of institutions as they build or expand campus programs focused on civil discourse and deliberative learning. Participating institutions will receive training, resources, and first-year funding to support faculty development, student leadership, and public-facing dialogue initiatives, while joining a national community of peers working to strengthen these efforts across higher education. The network is supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE).
We invite institutions of higher education across the United States to apply to join the DCN. The full invitation, which outlines the program, expectations, and timeline, is available below. You can also learn more about the Deliberative Pedagogy (DeeP) Collaborative, a core component of the network’s faculty development work, at the link below.
DeeP-Collaborative-Invitation-2026-27Applications to be a member of the first cohort of institutions are due April 13, 2026. We encourage you to share this opportunity with colleagues who may be interested in advancing civil discourse and deliberative learning on their campuses. An informational webinar and Q&A session was held April 1 for anyone who would like to learn more about the DCN (click this link to watch a recording of the webinar).
