Michigan State University hosted the inaugural panel of its Presidential Speakers Series Tuesday evening, featuring a conversation on the role of higher education in civil discourse.
The speakers included Margaret Spellings, president and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center, former U.S. Under Secretary of Education Ted Mitchell and President of the American Council of Education and former Undersecretary of Education Richard Burr.
To introduce the event, University Distinguished Professor in Education Ann Austin explained that the event was conceived as an overarching university and community event that offers attendees examples of engaging in productive dialogue across a diverse range of thought.
“This series is intended to help illuminate the many ways to view the world and to give us perspectives to help process the unfamiliar and the challenging in very constructive ways,” Austin said. “We’re here to explore the role of higher education and civil discourse and its crucial support for upholding democracy.”
President Kevin Guskiewicz, the moderator of the discussion, explained that universities are a place where students test and debate their ideas, to prepare themselves to be future leaders and active citizens in a thriving democracy. Burr also described institutions of higher education as a “marketplace of ideas.”
Mitchell noted the importance of the faculty in universities challenging the ideas of students in order to enable their leadership skills.
“One of the most important things for a faculty member to do is to challenge students with a bunch of opposing views and generate the kind of critical thinking and analysis of information that's going to suit them well in the world,” Mitchell said.
In addition to the importance of faculty to facilitate civil discourse in classrooms, the panelists noted the importance of fostering an environment where faculty members can thrive in their jobs. Spellings said that faculty members are “starving” for support in being able to productively facilitate civil discourse in a classroom setting where students are comfortable expressing their opinions.
In response, Mitchell took this discussion a step further and suggested faculty divide the epistemological world in order to ask “big questions” that encourage civil discourse amongst students. Allowing faculty to “teach what they want to teach” and ask these questions encompassing a diversity of perspectives would help prepare students for their future in academia. To be inviting of other perspectives, Mitchell suggested that having courses co-taught by faculty from different disciplines and perspectives would create a larger scope for students to analyze.
Burr discussed how faculty can help initiate participation and conversation between students, and take a different approach in encouraging students to discuss with each other and to choose to remain curious.
