In his celebrated 1916 book Democracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education, philosopher and author John Dewey articulated his vision for the role of education in functional societies. “Democracy must be reborn every generation, and education is its midwife,” Dewey wrote. Dr. John Reiff, Director of Civic Learning and Engagement at the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, quoted Dewey to start a daylong conference on civic discourse in action that drew hundreds of educators to Fitchburg State University. The program was sponsored by Fitchburg State’s Crocker Center for Civic Engagement. Through keynote talks and breakout sessions, educators from colleges and universities across Massachusetts and beyond engaged in thoughtful deliberation on the role of civic discourse in a healthy democracy. The conference explored how faculty and staff can build students’ capacity to engage in three critical forms of civic discourse: principled debate drawing on evidence; dialogue across differences; and deliberation that examines advantages and consequences of proposed actions in response to public problems. “The university is the home of civic discourse,” said Massachusetts Deputy Commissioner for Academic Affairs and Student Success Richard L. Riccardi, who encouraged the attendees to take the lessons from the conference forward in shaping better dialogues tomorrow. “Higher education has long been recognized as the marketplace of ideas—the place where the fundamental questions of our time are debated, discussed, and ultimately, redefined,” Fitchburg State President Donna Hodge said in her welcoming remarks. “Yet, in an era marked by increasing polarization and complexity, our commitment to teaching students how to engage across differences is more critical than ever. This forum is dedicated to advancing three foundational pillars of engagement: debate, dialogue, and deliberation. Perhaps more than ever before, it is our duty to prepare students to engage in the vigorous, evidence-based exchange of ideas, where we test the strength of our own convictions. We must do this while maintaining genuine, empathetic listening, so we may truly understand other perspectives, even those we don’t share. And we must work to strengthen the ability to collectively weigh alternatives in search of common ground.” In his morning keynote, Dr. Martin Carcasson, professor of communication studies and the founding director of the Center for Public Deliberation at Colorado State University, said combating the reality and the perception of “toxic polarization” was one of the biggest challenges facing public discourse. “We’re not nearly as divided as we think,” he said. “The problem is, the perception of polarization is more important than the reality.” College campuses can play a significant role in improving the discourse, he said, by equipping communities to tackle “wicked problems” like our current political dynamic. “Every single issue we deal with, we have to learn how to understand opposing values,” he said. “Campuses need to be the place where the conversation is at its best.” These effective conversations must simultaneously tackle the challenges of polarization, information disorder, and those who seek to profit off conflicts, Carcasson added. The afternoon’s keynote address, “Meeting the Moment: Talking, Teaching, and Uniting in a Democracy in Question,” was given by Dr. Nancy Thomas, Founding Director of the Institute for Democracy in Higher Education with the American Association of Colleges and Universities.