The Bucknell Initiative for Dialogue & Democracy

Bucknell has always believed in the power of independent thought. Today, that means preparing students to form their own views while thoughtfully engaging with those who hold different ones. The Bucknell Initiative for Dialogue & Democracy will give students the skills to listen, think critically, navigate disagreement and lead with civic responsibility. Our ambition is clear: to help shape a generation of Bucknellians who can bridge differences and strengthen the communities they serve.”

— Lauren Baillie, Director of the Bucknell Initiative for Dialogue & Democracy

EVERY GENERATION INHERITS ITS ARGUMENTS. THIS ONE IS LOSING THE ABILITY TO HAVE THEM.

Bucknell students meet complex, contested issues in the classroom, in their communities and in public life — a task made more challenging by the intense polarization of our current political moment. The Bucknell Initiative for Dialogue & Democracy (BIDD) ensures they know how to work through these issues together.

Thinking independently is no longer enough.

The next generation must also know how to listen across differences, weigh competing claims and communicate clearly. They must learn to stay in the room when the conversation gets hard and how to bring down the temperature.

Without those skills, disagreement deepens division. With them, it becomes the starting point for understanding.

Bucknell has the opportunity — and the responsibility — to lead.

A NATIONAL MODEL. BUILT AT BUCKNELL.

Bucknell is building a university where dialogue across difference is a defining strength of its academic and civic life.

BIDD puts that conviction into practice. A conviction rooted in the honest and just pursuit of the greatest good. In the independence of mind that has defined Bucknell since 1846.

BIDD is a university-wide, interdisciplinary initiative. It is nonpartisan by design. Every perspective at the table. No perspective in charge.

Where civil discourse meets innovative thought.

Where opposition becomes opportunity.

Where students learn to lead in an interdependent world.

Most universities host conversations about dialogue. Bucknell is building it into the whole student experience, across all three colleges, from first-year orientation to the locker room to the lab to residence halls.

DIALOGUE IS A SKILL. IT TAKES PEOPLE TO TEACH IT.

• A culture of dialogue doesn’t happen by accident. It is built by exceptional leaders, dedicated faculty and student leaders ready to model the way. 
• With initial support, the director is setting the strategic vision and leading campus-wide programming.
• This initiative relies on a multi-tiered support system: five faculty fellows across Bucknell’s three colleges will develop interdisciplinary programs and integrate dialogue into the curriculum. Student fellows will study and lead difficult conversations and leave Bucknell with emotional intelligence, active listening and research skills that carry into every career they choose. An experiential learning coordinator will connect students with skill-building workshops and community placements. 
• Visiting fellows and scholars will bring outside voices aligned with seasonal themes to give students the full spectrum of thought from which to form their own views.

THEORY MEETINGS PRACTICE

• Before students step into public debate, they step into someone else’s shoes.
• In structured simulations, they take on real-world issues, like a proposed local data center or a new environmental facility. One student argues as the developer. Another as the conservationist. Another as the local official. 
• They break bread together, discussing issues over meals. Each leaves with a deeper understanding of the view they didn’t hold.
• They get hands-on training in active listening, spotting media bias and staying composed in intense disagreement. With Student Affairs, BIDD makes sure students working through contentious issues have emotional and academic support. And it brings dialogue into First-year Orientation, Greek life, Athletics and student clubs.
• BIDD students study how dialogue itself is changing. Fellows innovate new approaches to dialogue, shaping future generations of thought and leadership. With on- and off-campus partners, BIDD fellows research everything from generational dialogue styles to how AI tools are used in online dialogue. 

DEMOCRACY DOESN’T HAPPEN ON CAMPUS ALONE.

The center is housed on campus, but its reach extends well beyond it: into local communities, regional government and national public-good initiatives.

Real-world Application and Community Outreach

• Speaker Series: BIDD brings political figures, practitioners and scholars to campus to discuss complex policy challenges and model productive dialogue for students.
• Community Internships: BIDD works with partners like the Center for Community Engaged Leadership, Learning & Research and the Bucknell Institute for Public Policy to support internships and summer experiences at organizations whose missions serve the public good.
• Career Treks: Trips to Washington, D.C., Harrisburg and New York City give students a front-row seat to democratic leadership, and connect them with alumni who navigate hard conversations for a living.

INVESTMENT BREAKDOWN & NAMING OPPORTUNITIES

BIDD supporters and co-founders are helping build a model for all of higher education. One that sends Bucknell graduates into the world with the civic skills to strengthen democratic institutions and serve their communities.

Every gift to the Bucknell Initiative for Dialogue & Democracy funds what makes it necessary: programs equipping our students with the skills they need in the world, and the people who lead them.

• Name the Initiative — $10 million
• Director — $6 million
  • Funds and names the position in the Office of the Provost that leads BIDD’s campus-wide vision and speaker series.
• Professorship — $5 million
  • Funds and names academic leadership and teaching in civil discourse.
• Experiential Learning Coordinator — $3 million
  • Funds and names the role that connects students to skill-building workshops and community placements.
• Faculty Fellows — $1.25 million
  • Funds and names faculty who research, develop courses and facilitate interdisciplinary dialogue.
• Student Fellow Program — $1 million
  • Funds named student leaders, peer mentors and dialogue facilitators.
• Training, Community Internships and “Breaking Bread” Fund — Current use or endowed funds
  • Funds public-good internships and nonpartisan career treks, skill-building, simulated debate, media bias training and shared meals.

BECOME A CO-FOUNDER.

Commitments of $250,000 or more made by December 31, 2027, will be recognized as co-founders of the Bucknell Initiative for Dialogue & Democracy.

Gifts may be made through cash, multi-year pledges, planned gifts or a blend of all three.

BUCKNELL HAS ANSWERED DEFINING MOMENTs SINCE 1846. THIS IS ONE.

For more than 180 years, Bucknell has answered history with leadership and courage. A permanent academic home for dialogue and democracy is the next answer. It cements Bucknell’s belief in independence of mind.

BIDD helps send graduates into the world who bridge the divide with analytical rigor, emotional intelligence and the capacity to navigate deep ideological differences. They are prepared to lead in every sector, in every room, with anyone across the table.

As BIDD earns national distinction, so does Bucknell. Its reach and reputation grows, and its relevance is secured for the generations to come.

The world needs Bucknellians who can disagree, and still move forward together.