On October 19-20, higher education leaders from across the nation gathered at UC San Diego Park & Market for the 2025 Center for Civility Conference, Building Next-Gen Leaders: Empowering Students to Navigate a Divided World, hosted by the Applied Research Center for Civility (ARCC) at UC San Diego and the National Conflict Resolution Center (NCRC).
The two-day event brought together educators, researchers, and civic leaders to explore how colleges and universities can prepare the next generation to engage across difference and lead with purpose in an increasingly divided world.
A call for collaboration and change
“Hate, division, and conflict affect every level of our society—from workplaces to government,” said Steve Dinkin, President of NCRC. “We’re only going to succeed as a nation if the next generation is equipped with the skills and strategies to collaborate and work with those who disagree.”
The conversation underscored the vital responsibility colleges and universities carry in this moment: to create learning spaces where students can practice civil discourse, build confidence in navigating disagreement, and deepen their understanding of diverse perspectives.
Elizabeth H. Simmons, Executive Vice Chancellor at UC San Diego, reaffirmed the university’s enduring mission to drive positive social innovation. “UC San Diego remains steadfast in our commitment to advancing positive social innovation and developing future generations of changemakers,” she said. “The world needs changemakers to build a possible future.”
Research-driven insights for a divided era
Karina Shklyan, Senior Research Analyst at UC San Diego’s Center for Research and Evaluation within the Division of Extended Studies, shared new findings from a national study exploring how higher education institutions are fostering civility and dialogue. “In a moment marked by deep polarization and eroding trust in institutions,” she explained, “our goal was to understand how colleges and universities are preparing the next generation of leaders to lead with civility and dialog across difference.”
Her message to educators: progress matters more than perfection. “Programs do not need to be perfect to be making a difference,” Shklyan said. “Rather than waiting for ideal conditions, launch a program, iterate as you go, and embrace uncertainty.”
Building a hopeful future
Keynote speaker Jennifer L. Mnookin, Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, emphasized the shared responsibility to create bridges across divides.
“Creating pathways to bring people together across their differences is crucial for our collective future,” she said. “Even in divided times like these, we can, we will, and we must forge the connections and opportunities to help our students grow and flourish.”
Civility at the heart of higher education
As the conference concluded, participants aligned around a central truth: universities must collectively champion respectful engagement as a guiding purpose.
“Together, we can ensure that civil discourse is not peripheral, but central to the mission of higher education,” said Becky R. Petitt, Vice Chancellor for Organization Transformation at UC San Diego, “and in so doing, we prepare a generation of leaders ready to build a more connected and hopeful future.”
Learn More
Over the past year, the Center for Civility conducted in-depth interviews with 70 leaders across more than 55 institutions, including students, faculty, nonprofit partners, and campus leaders, who are at the forefront of equipping the next generation with the skills to engage across differences, lead with empathy, and collaborate in diverse settings.
To learn more about the impact paper produced from these interviews, view the panel conversation.
Extending the impact
At UC San Diego Park & Market, this vision continues through the presentation of programs that foster leadership, communication, and civic engagement, equipping learners at every stage of life to lead with integrity and empathy.
By supporting initiatives like the Applied Research Center for Civility (ARCC) and partnerships with organizations such as the National Conflict Resolution Center (NCRC), Park & Market advances the university’s public mission: creating spaces where dialogue, discovery, and understanding drive lasting social progress.