 |
SDCN page
*******************************************************************
Report on the Sustained Dialogue Campus Network’s 2010 National Summit
"Dialogue provides a way of learning that cannot be accomplished solely in the classroom. Administrators and professors count on Sustained Dialogue to do what they cannot do.” President Shirley Tilghman, in her address during the SDCN Summit
In February, Princeton’s Class of 1952 allocated $15,000 to support SDCN’s 7th Annual National Summit. The Summit, held at Princeton the last weekend of March, celebrated the 10th year since Princeton students, led by Teddy Nemeroff ’01 and David Tukey ’02, collaborated with Hal Saunders to bring the Sustained Dialogue (SD) process to campus to address racial tensions. The Summit’s success would not have been possible without ‘52’s generous support. This report details the Summit’s accomplishments and how they have impacted SDCN’s plans for the future.Overview of Summit Events Over 150 students, administrators, and alumni from 12 campuses gathered for the Summit. For many of those from other campuses, this was their first trip to Princeton, and the Princeton students did a wonderful job making them feel welcomed. Attendees participated in workshops that introduced facilitation skills and strategies to move from dialogue to action, as well as practices to strengthen the management of campus dialogue programs. Student leaders and administrators also discussed how to work together to create more inclusive campuses. Highlights included:
Shirley Tilghman’s Speech.
On Saturday afternoon, Princeton University President Shirley Tilghman, who participated in Sustained Dialogue for two years, applauded attendees’ efforts to strengthen civil discourse on campuses. In addition to the quote above, she said "colleges are places intended… to stimulate capacity for civil discourse in our society and to allow students to discourse with individuals whose fundamental experiences are different from your own.” She noted that "issues centered around race in this country are still profoundly vexing” and praised the student leaders for working "to be able to have the imagination, the creativity and also the experience to, in the words of scholar Cornel West, ‘imagine yourself in someone else’s skin.’”
Dr. Ande Diaz’s Presentation. Dr. Ande Diaz, former Assistant Dean of Students at Princeton, presented her recently completed research on the impact participation in Sustained Dialogue has on post-college civic life. Diaz’s research provides evidence that Sustained Dialogue participation produces what she calls a "restringing" effect, based on participants’ descriptions that they were changed or transformed in subtle, complex, and pervasive ways, similar to the way the sound changes on a stringed instrument with a new set of strings, although the rest of the instrument remains the same.
Saturday Evening Banquet. Everyone gathered at Prospect to celebrate the 10th anniversary. Hal Saunders presented awards to SD co-founders, Teddy Nemeroff and David Tukey, for their commitment to strengthening community at Princeton. SDCN staff and students also honored Princeton’s Vice President for Campus Life, Janet Dickerson, h’52, who will retire in June after ten years at Princeton and 40 years as a university administrator. She is a long-time supporter of Sustained Dialogue, as well as
Impact on SDCN’s Plans for the Future A group of administrators and students met with Amy Lazarus (SDCN Executive Director), David Tukey (SDCN Advisory Board Chair), and Hal Saunders to discuss how the relationship between the institutions and SDCN can be leveraged to improve the impact and sustainability of students’ work across the country. Administrators agreed to increase their financial support for SDCN, given the progress the organization has made and its potential to continue to grow and become a nationally recognized organization. Administrators also discussed creating a training program for advisors of Sustained Dialogue programs as a way to get more involved in supporting students. SDCN staff will pilot a training program this year as a key to expanding SDCN to new campuses in the future.
Reengaging Alumni. A dozen Princeton alumni who participated in Sustained Dialogue attended the Summit. They reflected on their dialogue experience in college, how it impacted the campus community, and how they have taken dialogue skills and experiences with them into their current professions, including law, business, and government. This was the first time many of them reengaged with Sustained Dialogue. It was clear that SDCN has an opportunity to mobilize its 3,500-member alumni base to continue to support the organization and take their dialogue skills to all corners of the country and world. SDCN staff are currently researching how the organization could best engage alumni and under what timeline an Alumni Network could develop.
Media and Communications. The Summit is the one event annually where a large number of students and administrators come together. Leaving Princeton, the Summit attendees expressed interest in developing new communications channels to stay in touch throughout the year. SDCN staff will be working this summer to develop a communications plan and activities to meet these needs of the network. Additionally, the Summit provided an opportunity to capture student, alumni, and administrator video testimonials, which have been edited into a few short videos. We have already shared the student video with the Class of ’52 via email, and will be updating you all when the alumni video is also on our website. These videos are strong examples of our story and will help us raise awareness of our work with new audiences.
We hope this brief report conveys the success of the Summit and the impact it has had on SDCN as we enter a crucial organizational phase. We stress again that this success would not have been possible without the generous support of the Princeton Class of ’52. Our relationship with your great Class has been and continues to be extremely rewarding. We are excited and honored that you’ve seen investing in this youth movement as a way for the Class to continue to impact the world and future generations. We look forward to continuing to update you on our progress and involving you in our work. We close with a quote from Robin Stennet ’01, co-moderator of the first dialogue group, which sums up the type of impact SDCN is having on young leaders:
"The Summit was a great opportunity to reflect on the impact SD had not only on my college experience but also the last ten years of my life. It was wonderful to share memories with old friends and advice with current students working to expand SD on today's campuses. SD became part of the way I think about solving conflicts and the weekend helped remind me of the significant role it has played in my life, work, and interactions with others.”
[Photo] Members of the Class of ’52 with Janet Dickerson, h’52, Hal Saunders, President Shirley Tilghman, and Amy Lazarus, SDCN Executive Director SDCN Staff outside of Campus Club, where many Summit events took place |
BirthdaysUpcoming EventsFeatures |