Announcements

Thank you to those of you who shared topics ideas for our Deliberative Forums and D Teams next year. We have organized the 60(!) topics that were submitted into 15 broad themes and questions, and we would love your feedback on which ones you find most interesting and compelling for our 2026-27 programs. If you complete this short survey by next Wednesday (May 20), we’ll take your responses into account as we decide on what topics to cover in the coming academic year.

2026-27 DCI Topics Survey

Thanks in advance for your input!

The Deliberative Citizenship Initiative (DCI) at Davidson College is expanding, and we’re hiring three key team members to help lead this next phase of growth.

Based in the D.G. and Harriet Wall Martin Institute for Public Good, the DCI works to foster thoughtful, constructive engagement across differences through dialogue, deliberation, and civic learning. With the launch of the Deliberative Citizenship Network (DCN), a new national initiative supporting 100 colleges and universities across the country, this is an exciting moment to join a dynamic and mission-driven team.

We are currently hiring for three positions:

• Program Director – This role serves as the chief operational leader for the DCI and DCN, overseeing network implementation, grant management, program operations, evaluation processes, and strategic coordination across partner institutions nationwide.
• Assistant Director for Civil Discourse Programs – This position focuses on designing and implementing deliberation-based programming, including deliberative forums, small group discussions, speaker events, and other initiatives that bring diverse perspectives into meaningful conversation.
• Assistant Director for Training Programs – This role leads the development and delivery of training programs that equip faculty, staff, students, and community members with the skills to facilitate respectful engagement across differences and embed more deliberation into courses and campus life.

Together, these roles will help advance Davidson’s national leadership in civil discourse, deliberative pedagogy, and advancing the public good. All positions are part of a multi-year, grant-funded initiative aimed at building capacity for meaningful deliberation across higher education.

If you are passionate about fostering open inquiry, bridging differences, and creating a more deliberative culture, we encourage you to apply.

Learn more and apply at davidson.edu/jobs (click on Academic Support Roles).

On April 1, 2026, Graham Bullock, Faculty Director of the DCI and PI/Project Director of the Deliberative Citizenship Network (DCN) hosted an informational webinar about the DCN. He discussed the motivations for creating both the DCI and DCN, the meaning of deliberative citizenship, and the experience of the DCI over the past six years. He also walked through the design of the DCN, what participating institutions will receive as DCN members, and the application process to join the network. Dr. Bullock also addressed a wide range of questions that came in from audience members who joined the webinar.

If you are interested in learning more about the DCN, please check out the recording of the webinar below. We welcome all accredited higher education institutions to apply, including liberal arts colleges, public and private universities, community colleges, minority-serving institutions, religiously affiliated institutions, tribal colleges, and military academies. Institutions do not need to have existing civil discourse programs in order to apply. The DCN is designed to support both institutions that are launching new initiatives and those seeking to expand existing work.

Questions about the application process may be directed to Graham Bullock at grbullock@davidson.edu or dci@davidson.edu.

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-2026-27

Applications 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).