Bridgewater College advances life skill of civic pluralism with $25K grant from state nonprofit

A $25,000 grant from the Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia will enable Bridgewater College to advance civic pluralism on campus and the college’s ongoing work to create a campus culture of inclusion and community.

Bridgewater College works to create a campus where groups and individuals with distinct identities can live and learn in community. According to Dr. Leslie Frere, Vice President for Student Life, the college has always had a mission that included an emphasis on collaboration, truth, harmony and community. However, an opportunity came up last fall for the college to apply for the grant to specifically focus on civic pluralism, which BC leadership defines as “a way of being where multiple groups with distinct identities can coexist peacefully.”

“This grant is giving us the opportunity to expand on our current efforts to teach students how to engage with people who hold different perspectives. This is a life skill that our students need to have. And now is a good time for them to learn it,” Frere said.

Grant funds will be used for enriching academic courses and expanding student life programming to help students develop empathy, engage in respectful dialogue and work with others who hold different beliefs and perspectives. One student life program took place last week when facilitators from the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities (VCIC) led a training session for student leaders on how to think about their identities, navigate differences and foster meaningful conversations. The student leaders then facilitated a workshop on the topics during Welcome Week, the orientation for new students.

Frere explained that college students are at a developmental stage where they are exploring their emerging identities and figuring out who they want to be in the world. She said that students often come to college without knowing how to debate a controversial topic in class or have a respectful dialogue about a conflict with a roommate. Understanding the difference between debate and dialogue, and when each is appropriate, was part of the training provided by VCIC.

In the classrooms, Bridgewater faculty will develop instruction and assignments that will encourage students to examine cultural, ideological and/or religious diversity and learn strategies for communicating across divisions. Professor Skip Burzumato, Senior Instructor of Sociology and co-author of the grant application, said that he expects faculty in a variety of disciplines to find ways to integrate the lessons into their curriculum.

“We believe it is more important than ever to give young people the tools to be able to communicate respectfully and appreciate difference. The college has always been committed to civic dialogue, but it is important in this particular moment in time to help our students learn to talk across divides,” Burzumato said.

Founded in 1880, Bridgewater College is a private, four-year liberal arts college in the Central Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Bridgewater College is home to approximately 1,450 students pursuing degrees in more than 60 undergraduate majors and minors and four graduate programs housed within three distinct schools.