Leo Agnew has been selected to participate as “MU Difficult Dialogues Faculty Fellow for Fall 2009.” The MU Difficult Dialogues program is designed to stimulate rigorous intellectual inquiry, and to empower individuals to express opposing views respectfully and in the spirit of open-mindedness. Program activities focus on teaching and reinforcing knowledge, skills, and awareness of diversity issues in higher education related to race, gender, sexual orientation, and religious literacy that encourage difficult dialogues on important, challenging topics and are essential to democratic citizenship in an increasingly diverse society. The program requires attendance at four day-long workshops held on successive Saturdays.
The University of Missouri has received two Ford Foundation Difficult Dialogues Initiative grants (totaling $200,000) for a project that promotes awareness of campus climate and diversity issues in higher education, academic freedom and constructive dialogue on campus. The implementation of this project, the MU Difficult Dialogues Program, has been in progress for more than 3 years. Faculty development workshops are designed to provide information and skills relevant to conflict resolution, deliberative dialogue, religious pluralism, and awareness of diversity issues, while also providing interactive training opportunities to build efficacy in dealing with difficult dialogues.