Civic learning in a divisive era

Creating campus environments that are welcoming to students from broad domestic and international backgrounds is essential to attracting and retaining diverse students and it is also central to preparing all students for the interconnected world in which we live. Carol Geary Schneider wrote an essay on The Equity-minded civic learning all Americans need advocating that "Overcoming long histories of exclusion, estrangement and simmering distrust will further require the creation of curricular pathways - from school through college - that are well designed to build all graduates' capacity and commitment to engage difficult differences, work collaboratively on tough problems and create over time a more just and equitable future."

While Schneider's essay is directed at U.S. educators and confined to the curriculum, those who work outside of classroom settings have much to offer to the conversation. Creating inclusive environments for students who study in other countries, no matter whether the U.S. or elsewhere, is a common challenge throughout the world.