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CU Boulder tapped for new network to promote positive culture change through viewpoint diversity, open inquiry, and constructive disagreement

CU Boulder has been chosen by (HxA), a nonprofit that works to increase the values of open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement across higher education, to be a part of HxA鈥檚 new campus community network.听听

The network鈥檚 goal is to change campus culture and institutional practices by empowering HxA members to promote those HxA values. CU Boulder is one of 23 universities (chosen from 43 applicants) across the United States and Canada鈥攁mong them are: Cornell University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Johns Hopkins University and McGill University.听

The president of HxA, John Tomasi, said CU Boulder 鈥渟tood out to us as a great example of HxA's values in practice, and a receptive environment to building a strong campus community. Boulder already has active HxA members on campus with a strong interdisciplinary focus. We can't wait to see their contributions in this new capacity."听听

Each campus community will be led by HxA member co-chairs who may be faculty, staff or graduate students at the university. The co-chairs at CU Boulder are Matthew Burgess, assistant professor of environmental studies; Peter Newton, associate professor of environmental studies; and Pilar Sattler-McQuillan, a staff member at CU Boulder.听 听

While it is still early in the planning process, Newton says CU Boulder鈥檚 HxA community may include at least four types of events and activities:听听听

1. Events that model the values of open inquiry, viewpoint diversity and constructive disagreement. 鈥淭his might include dialogues, debates, panel events, speakers and seminars that tackle contemporary topics in a way that demonstrates the practice and utility of these values,鈥� Newton says.听听

2. Events that explicitly discuss the importance of open inquiry, viewpoint diversity and constructive disagreement.听听

3. Social events for new and current HxA members to get to know each other and to share ideas.听听

4. Contributions to the development of university policies that support HxA values. 鈥淔or example, those that build on CU Boulder鈥檚 already-strong policies on academic freedom, political non-discrimination and free expression,鈥� Newton says.听

Newton says that all members of the campus, including faculty, staff and students, will be welcome to attend HxA events and activities.听

Sattler-McQuillan says she鈥檇 like to see 鈥渁 student community of practice, an initial cohort to hold regular conversations using my dialogue methodology, which promotes open communication across differences of all kinds. Also, we want to orient students to use this approach with their respective groups and in class.鈥澨�

Burgess wants CU Boulder programs to achieve a visible presence on campus where students, faculty and staff promote the HxA values.听听

鈥淚 also want us to provide students, staff and faculty with tools to help them promote those HxA values in their departments and classrooms,鈥� Burgess says. For example, HxA has developed a (which Burgess helped create), syllabus suggestions and other tools. 鈥淔inally, I want us to role model what a healthy campus climate could look like, rather than simply criticizing what鈥檚 wrong with the current climate.鈥澨�听

All three of the co-chairs are HxA members who say they believe strongly in HxA鈥檚 vision of creating colleges that welcome people with diverse viewpoints.听听

Newton, who joined HxA in 2020, says he did so because it aspires to improve universities 鈥渋n a constructive and principled manner. In my view, universities should be places for students and faculty to explore ideas鈥攊ncluding those unfamiliar to us, or with which we disagree鈥攁nd to engage in discussions using evidence, reason and critical thinking.鈥澨�听

Newton says he鈥檚 concerned by trends on college campuses, including at CU Boulder, that seem to indicate that open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement are being challenged or eroded.听听

He points to a which found that 60% of college students expressed reluctance to discuss at least one controversial topic (i.e., politics, religion, race, sexual orientation and gender).听听

At CU Boulder, the latest campus climate survey found that 21% of undergrads disagreed with the statement, 鈥淚 am comfortable expressing ideas or opinions in class without fear it will affect how people in the class treat me.鈥� And 21% only somewhat agreed.听听

鈥淚t seems unlikely to me that a university will flourish to its greatest potential if it鈥檚 characterized by a climate where many people feel reluctant to express sincerely held views or are afraid to engage in difficult conversations about complex topics,鈥� Newton says.听听

Burgess says that while he believes CU Boulder has some of the problems that HxA was founded to address, he also feels the university is a leader in working on those problems. 鈥淭he chancellor鈥檚 State of the Campus speech shows that our university leaders take these problems seriously,鈥� Burgess says. 鈥淥ur free expression and political non-discrimination policies鈥攂oth passed by 9-0 bipartisan votes of the regents鈥攕how that the regents are serious, too.鈥澨�

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