A new partnership between the Dartmouth Dialogue Project and the Institute for Multipartisan Education will equip student leaders with skills to help reduce polarization on campus.
The only student-run organization working to reduce polarization and strengthen American democracy, the institute launched its Multipartisan Leadership Training Initiative (MLTI) to foster a curious approach to difference and disagreement on college campuses.
The nine-month fellowship program builds campus-based cohorts of student leaders from different universities, teaches an interdisciplinary method of approaching difference with curiosity, and empowers participants to create and implement programming promoting this approach in their own communities.
“The Multipartisan Leadership Training Institute’s focus on student empowerment make it a perfect fit for the Dialogue Project and our mission to equip the Dartmouth community with essential collaborative dialogue skills,” says Kristi Clemens, executive director of the Dialogue Project. “I am excited for our students to take advantage of this innovative fellowship, and for the ways they will strengthen our campus community upon completion of the program.”
“We are so excited to launch this fellowship with Dartmouth College,” says Shira Hoffer, founder and executive director of the Institute for Multipartisan Education. “Dartmouth has been a leader in the dialogue space over the past number of years, and we are so fortunate to partner with them to further curious engagement with difference and disagreement in higher education.”
Students from Dartmouth and Elon University will be the first to participate in the pilot program, which will expand across the U.S. in the coming years.
The MLTI fellowship focuses on three questions: Why is it hard to have a curious approach to difference and disagreement? Why is it worthwhile and important nonetheless? How can we cultivate such an approach in student organizations and on campus?
The program begins with an all-expenses-paid retreat in the fall, led by fellow students and featuring workshops, mentorship, opportunities for reflection and individual growth, and collaborative activities focused on constructive disagreement, emotional resilience, tools for community building, narrative storytelling, networking opportunities, and more.
After the retreat, fellows will identify an aspect of the training that would benefit their student organization. With a student mentor, they will then design and lead a custom program, tailored to their organization. For instance, a newspaper editor may choose to design a workshop for her interviews team, inspired by the fellowship module on active listening and intentional questioning, to help the team produce stronger interviews and engage subjects from a wider range of perspectives. Similarly, a fraternity leader may be inspired by a workshop on narrative storytelling to create a storytelling evening event for his fraternity to strengthen their understanding of each other.
The cohort will then participate in a winter retreat, where they will reflect on their projects, learn from each other, and begin to design campus-based capstone projects to engage the broader community in their learning. Institute mentors will work with students to identify an ambitious project, such as a student conference or curricular supplement, and work with them as well as key campus stakeholders to make it a reality in the spring.
Fellows will receive a $1,000 stipend for their participation, and may return as trainers the following year.
Ideal candidates for the fellowship program are sophomores or juniors in the 2025-26 academic year who serve as student organization leaders and possess a desire to improve leadership skills and constructive dialogue on campus.
Students are invited to apply for the MLTI fellowship by March 1. Fellows will be notified of their selection in April.