The Chronicle of Higher Education recieved a grant of $265,540 to support the publication of the newspaper’s Fostering Difficult Conversations Series (FDCS) and promote the content to its audience of faculty members and administrators as it seeks to cultivate classrooms and campuses that support open inquiry, civil dialogue, and viewpoint diversity. The Chronicle will work in collaboration with the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) and its Campus Free Expression Project to pursue rigorous journalism that highlights important timely issues and profiles noteworthy efforts.
Between January 1, 2026, and October 31, 2026, The Chronicle will analyze current perceptions of faculty members across disciplines at a wide range of colleges and universities on what it takes to teach students to have thoughtful and productive conversations about divisive topics through a nationwide survey and Research Brief. The project will then showcase strategies and courses that help students navigate challenges in fostering difficult conversations through 4 case studies. This project will contribute to the national conversation around campus free expression and civil discourse and will reach a wide audience of campus leaders, academic administrators, and faculty members.