Announcing the CLDE17 FRIDAY PLENARY | Dialogue and Deliberation Forum- Safety and Justice: How Should Communities Reduce Violence?

The 2017 Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement Meeting, organized by the American Democracy Project (ADP), The Democracy Commitment (TDC) and NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, will bring together faculty, student affairs professionals, senior campus administrators, students, and community partners to work to ensure that students graduate from our institutions prepared to be the informed, engaged citizens that our democracy needs.

Democratic dialogue and deliberation build civic capacities and consciences to tackle the highly salient and most complex wicked problems facing communities today.  It rejects the expert model of technical expertise and specialization towards a truly democratic framework of accessibility and empowerment. The practice of dialogue and deliberation cultivates student abilities necessary to explore enduring and multidisciplinary questions and solve persistent public problems. Thus, the capacities necessary for productive and meaningful dialogue and deliberation—critical thinking, emphatic listening, creative problem solving, ethical leadership, collaboration, issue framing—are not only essential for sustaining a vibrant democracy, they are the best preparation for our students/citizens/graduates to be successful in the 21st century.

Join us for the Friday plenary session and participate in a dialogue and deliberation forum with a conversation on applications and best practices.  

This plenary session will take place at 9:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. on Friday, June 9, 2017.

Dialogue and Deliberation Forum: Safety and Justice: How Should Communities Reduce Violence?

After falling steadily for decades, the rate of violent crime in the US rose in 2015 and 2016. Interactions between citizens and police too often end in violence. People are increasingly worried about safety in their communities. Many Americans are concerned something is going on with violence in communities, law enforcement, and race that is undermining the national ideals of safety and justice for all. Citizens and police need goodwill and cooperation in order to ensure safety and justice. Any possible option will require that we give up something we hold dear.  Each year the nonpartisan National Issues Forums Institute promotes public deliberations over some of the toughest issues that our communities and the nation face. Using briefing materials prepared by the  Kettering Foundation, this plenary will provide opportunities for people to consider the options and difficult choices that our communities and the nation must make if we are going to make progress together, and how to carry out this form of democratic practice in classrooms, campuses, and communities. This plenary session will provide attendees with hands-on, interactive experience in deliberative democracy that can be applied across higher education.  

Organizers: Kara Lindaman, Professor of Political Science, Winona State University (Minn.); John Dedrick, Vice-President, Kettering Foundation; William Muse, President Emeritus, National Issues Forum Institute; and John J. Theis, Executive Director, Center for Civic Engagement, Lone Star College (Texas).

Trained moderators are needed to assist in small group discussions; email: [email protected] if you are able to serve as a table moderator.  There are also opportunities to be trained as a deliberative dialogue moderator:

  • April 29, 2017- 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at the AASCU offices in Washington, DC.  Click HERE for more information.  Deadline for registration has been extended to April 19, 2017.  
  • June 7, 2017- 9:00 am to 12:00 pm at the CLDE pre-conference workshop.  Click HERE for more information.

Also, there will be plenty of additional engagement opportunities during this year’s meeting such as:

  • CLDE Orientation on Thursday, June 8th prior to the start of the Opening Plenary.  
    • CivEd Talks on Thursday, June 8th during the Opening Plenary.
    • Campus & Friends Showcase at CLDE17 on Thursday, June 8th! Learn more here. Sign up here.
    • Exploratory Session by Bus | Right to the City - Curtis Bay: Community Engagement through a Mobile App Sponsored by Towson University.
    • Walking Tour 1 | Baltimore West Side Sponsored by University of Maryland Baltimore County.
    • Walking Tour 2 | Baltimore “Untour” Sponsored by University of Maryland Baltimore County.

To learn more about the 2017 Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement Meeting and to register by the May 1, 2017 early-bird deadline, visit the conference website.

There is also a discounted hotel rate for meeting participants available at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront (700 Aliceanna St., Baltimore, Md., 21202). To obtain this rate, participants must book their room by Tuesday May 16, 2017. RESERVE ONLINE HERE

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