Open Dialogue Visiting Fellows

The ability to engage with others in highly divisive times is a particularly timely topic, one that Mónica Guzmán, senior fellow for public practice at Braver Angels, spoke about with first-year students on Tuesday, Sept. 10, at a packed Langford Auditorium. Guzmán delivered the 18th annual Lawson Lecture, named in honor of the Rev. James Lawson, a renowned civil rights activist, professor, theoretician and pastor. Lawson also served as a Distinguished Professor at Vanderbilt from 2006 to 2009. Read More

To ensure student voices are integral in the direction and activities of Dialogue Vanderbilt, a new cross-initiative Dialogue Vanderbilt Student Advisory Board is being established, effective for the fall 2024 semester. Applications are now open for all undergraduate students. Dialogue Vanderbilt is the university’s core initiative to bridge divides,… Read More

In August 2023, the university launched Dialogue Vanderbilt, its core initiative to bridge divides, reestablish a vibrant culture of civil discourse and free expression, and showcase experts from on campus and around the world, leading the charge to build more engaged citizens and communities.  Read More

Pulitzer Prize–winning author and propaganda expert Anne Applebaum will visit Vanderbilt on March 5 for a discussion of the rise of autocracy in today’s geopolitical climate.  Read More

Vanderbilt University’s Open Dialogue Visiting Fellows program is set to host a panel discussion on equity and dialogue in the aftermath of affirmative action on Wednesday, Jan. 31, at 2 p.m. in the Central Library’s Community Room. The event will feature distinguished professor and media commentator Melissa Harris-Perry.   Read More

Hosted by the Open Dialogue Visiting Fellows program as a part of the chancellor’s Dialogue Vanderbilt initiative, Jonathan Rauch, a distinguished Senior Fellow in Governance Studies at The Brookings Institution, will visit Vanderbilt for a a thought-provoking discussion exploring the crucial role free speech plays in safeguarding the interests of minorities and fostering inclusivity and understanding within society. The event will be held on Monday, Jan. 22, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Read More

Launched this fall, the Open Dialogue Visiting Fellows program is a series to equip students for engaged and informed citizenship in a fractured world. The 12 student ambassadors will work closely with faculty and campus visitors to design programs for their peers, host visiting speakers and serve as representatives of the program to the Vanderbilt community. Read More

Vanderbilt will hold a series of high-profile events Oct. 10–17 in observance of the university’s first-ever campus-wide Free Speech Week, part of Chancellor Daniel Diermeier’s recently launched Dialogue Vanderbilt initiative. The event will bring high-profile guests to campus to discuss the current state of free expression and civil discourse. Read More

The program is designed to host a cohort of thought leaders with competing and sometimes conflicting views on policy issues and social problems. These visitors will engage with students, faculty, the public and each other to model reasoned, evidence-based civil debate. The first public event sponsored by the program will be on Sept. 18 at 4 p.m. Read More