Right now on campus, our newest Scots\u2014the Class of 2028\u2014are beginning their Macalester journeys. They\u2019re participating in preseason athletics training, unpacking suitcases, making Target runs, and meeting new friends whose world views are very different from their own. Collectively, the Class of 2028 holds citizenship in sixty countries and speaks forty-nine languages. Among our first-year students, 21 percent are international, 16 percent are first in their families to attend college, and 40 percent of domestic students identify as people of color. The entering group of students also represents a broad variety of faith traditions, political viewpoints, and cultural practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Across 150 years of Macalester history, creating an intentional community of thinkers and doers has been woven into the fabric of our identity. We believe we are stronger because of the diversity of perspectives on our campus. We aspire to cultivate an environment at Macalester to which every person brings not only their life experiences but also the individual spark that makes them unique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As I reflect on the turbulence experienced on college campuses across the country over the last year, I\u2019m thinking deeply about what our students need from Macalester this fall and beyond. We know we will continue to face significant challenges as we strive to affirm the importance of freedom of expression, prepare students to engage actively in civic life, and uphold our responsibility to ensure that campus spaces are respectful and welcoming\u2014especially when we passionately disagree with one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Forming a supportive campus environment doesn\u2019t happen by accident. Living and learning together in community requires open-mindedness, patience, compassion, courage, humility, and kindness. It sometimes involves navigating vehement disagreements about important issues. To make it work, we ask every member of the community to accept the personal obligation to practice deep listening, extend grace, and consider multiple perspectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sadly, it seems these are not tools that students consistently acquire in the K\u201312 system, nor are they seeing them modeled in society. More and more, students arrive on campus without meaningful experience practicing how to work through disagreements in healthy and productive ways. It\u2019s our goal to help the Class of 2028 understand the responsibilities we all share in creating the community we want for ourselves and for others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Effective and respectful communication across ideological and other differences is vital to a quality liberal arts education\u2014 and to success in life. At Mac, we believe teaching these skills is as important as teaching students how to write papers or present capstone research. So, we\u2019re building opportunities for our newest Scots to explore and develop these skills, in and out of the classroom, as soon as they arrive on campus. This year, Orientation sessions include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To make sure Macalester is a leader in this work to build skills for dialogue across differences, we are involved in numerous national and regional programs. Last spring, we joined the College Presidents for Civic Preparedness national initiative, which brings together campus leaders who are committed to preparing today\u2019s young people for effective participation in our democracy. Several faculty members are engaged in deepening their skills on how to best support students in these efforts, and how to incorporate this work into their pedagogy. We\u2019ll continue our Critical Dialogue Series (led by the Lealtad-Suzuki Center for Social Justice), and our Congress to Campus program, which brings former elected officials to campus to discuss issues from different perspectives. In a new initiative this fall, we\u2019ll partner with the University of Northwestern in a Reduce the Rancor project, a statewide campaign led by Braver Angels to reduce hostility and increase respect in public and private life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our goal through these initiatives is to create pathways for every member of our community to practice the messy, uncomfortable, and crucial work of advancing pluralism. I believe we are capable of having complicated conversations, with both courage and kindness\u2014this fall, and for years to come\u2014as our students carry their Macalester experiences with them into communities and workplaces around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n