Undergraduate Academic Affairs

March 26, 2025

Progress report on the UW Dialogue Initiative

Undergraduate Academic Affairs

In this video, Megan Kennedy, director of the UW Resilience Lab and project lead for the UW Dialogue Initiative, provides some background and a progress report on the first year of the Initiative.

Launched by Provost Serio in summer 2024, the UW Dialogue Initiative empowers students with the tools and mindsets to engage in skilled and productive dialogue across differences. Universities hold the promise, potential and track record of making meaningful contributions to solving some of society’s most persistent challenges. Coming together to solve complex problems is possible through respectful dialogue. This Initiative explains that expectation for students and teaches foundational skills for respectful dialogue.

Notable results so far include:

  • 9,000 first-year students on the Seattle campus participated in the dialogue workshop in autumn and winter quarter orientations.
  • 97% of autumn quarter participants agreed or strongly agreed to the statement: I understand how curiosity, critical thinking, communication, active listening and dialogue support me as a UW student.

Academic year 2024-25 is the first year of this initiative and UW Dialogue Initiative colleagues look forward to building on these early successes.