Navigating Conflict
with a Purpose

Photos by Anibal Ortiz and Chad McElroy ’26

On the forefront of viewpoint diversity and freedom of expression, Vince Greer has made it his mission to help CMC students engage in constructive dialogue—whether it’s listening to divergent perspectives at the Athenaeum or introducing responsible leadership principles during New Student Orientation.

Greer, who was named CMC’s Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs for Dialogue and Diversity in 2023, is leading and expanding the College’s efforts to provide a range of opportunities to learn, practice, and reinforce commitments of freedom of expression, viewpoint diversity, and constructive dialogue. His goal is for CMC students to acquire critical skills in difficult conversations while building social connections and community.

You have partnered with campus stakeholders to develop and deliver a four-year comprehensive learning program on constructive dialogue for CMC students. What are some of the core components? Where do you see this practice play out the most on campus?

All incoming students are introduced to the concept of constructive dialogue prior to arriving on campus by taking part in a six-part learning module, Perspectives, created by the Constructive Dialogue Institute (CDI), a nonpartisan organization. The module teaches behavioral science concepts to help learners gain the mindset for constructive dialogue across differences. It also focuses on constructive dialogue skill-building. Students are introduced to the CDI’s five principles of constructive dialogue: let go of winning; get curious; share stories; navigate conflict with purpose; and find what’s shared.

These principles are introduced, practiced, and reinforced throughout their orientation to CMC—including on WOA trips or during class dinners. We place a significant focus on the first year for skill development because the most norm setting occurs here. Furthermore, this heavy emphasis in year one lays a foundation for ongoing work over our student’s remaining years.

Our goal is to have CMC students continually practice and refine these skills, whether formally or informally across campus—such as in the classroom, in organization and club meetings, or at the Ath, a CARE Center event, or an Open Academy salon. We want students to see that there are so many places and opportunities to engage in constructive dialogue on campus.

What gives you hope that CMC’s leadership in constructive dialogue is making a difference?

As we see so many institutions wrestling with how best to navigate important issues and difficult conversations, it is comforting to know that while we haven’t mastered it completely, our students have bought in to our campus-wide approach. One of the most impressive examples from the fall semester involves our students forming a student-run working group in conjunction with our Dean of Students (DOS) office to revisit CMC’s campus demonstration policy. We greatly appreciate how thoughtful the group has been while discussing the various aspects of the policy. Furthermore, seeing DOS as collaborative partners who are equally invested in student safety and success, is another example of how students are willing to do the heavy lifting and have difficult conversations even when there are clearly different opinions and perspectives present.

How do you guide students to engage in conversations where they might not agree with a classmate or a community member?

Much of this starts with normalizing the importance of engaging in a range of values, viewpoints, and perspectives; particularly those you do not personally agree with. We encourage our students to challenge the idea but not the person, no matter how much they may fundamentally oppose their perspective. If you disagree with a controversial Ath speaker, attend an Ath event and sit at the head table and have a conversation with that person in a way you can hear and be heard. Respect should never need to be compromised, even in disagreement. Furthermore, we challenge our students to seek to understand, versus being motivated solely in having their own perspective win out at all costs.

What critical skills are crucial for constructive dialogue across differences?

Over the course of my career, I’ve found that if dialogue is not approached intentionally to ensure there are constructive outcomes, polarizing topics are quickly reduced to nonproductive, narrowly informed arguments or perhaps social media posts. It is usually limited to binary positions that result in cycles of winning and losing, devoid of any real understanding or empathy for opposing perspectives. Those interactions usually lead to harmful assumptions about others’ humanity. Instead, we place an emphasis on curiosity and empathy, as key components for interpersonal engagement and inclusive, responsible leadership.

What does it mean to be a leader for higher education in the important practice of constructive dialogue? How can CMC serve as a model for not just higher education, but communities across the country?

I am incredibly encouraged by the great work we have done as an institution in this regard. The Ath has served as an ideal model of constructive dialogue on a range of topics and opinions for decades. We believe that when students have the motivation and the appropriate skills to engage in meaningful dialogue across differences, they will contribute to a healthy and fully integrated campus culture that celebrates a range of viewpoints on the most pressing issues of our time. The dialogue skills learned will only continue to serve them well beyond their time at CMC if continually practiced and refined.

–Gilien Silsby

Navigating Conflictwith a Purpose

Navigating Conflict
with a Purpose