Adelphi, Md. (July 15, 2024)—University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) President Greg Fowler joined three other college presidents on a panel at the National Governors Association (NGA) summer meeting in Salt Lake City last week to detail for the nation’s governors training programs designed to help Americans disagree better.
Panel members lead institutions that are part of the Presidents Forum, a group of some of the most innovative institutions of higher education in America with missions to educate adult students in the workforce and the military. Fowler is also a member of the Forum’s Executive Board.
President Fowler, along with Becky Takeda-Tinker, president of Colorado State University Global (CSU Global), Ivy Tech Community College (ITCC) President Sue Ellspermann, and Purdue Global University Chancellor (PGUC) Frank Dooley, presented collaborations to create training around the NGA’s Disagree Better initiative.
"In the modern workplace, the ability to manage disagreements is vital, and we need to equip our students with the skills they need to succeed,” said Fowler. “Courses like those we have designed will effectively foster this essential skill, benefiting our communities in numerous ways. I’m grateful for the governor's leadership on this important issue.”
Why it matters
Governors have expressed concern about the rising level of vitriol in public and private discourse, including on college campuses.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox made the issue the primary policy initiative of the NGA, which he chaired for the past year.
“Americans disagree about a lot of things, and that’s reasonable, as long as we can debate issues without attacking individuals,” said Governor Cox. “The Presidents Forum has been an incredible partner in collaborating with our governors to create compelling training to help learners develop the skills to disagree productively. I know the governors are eager to implement this work in their respective states.”
How it works
In Maryland, UMGC is working to educate learners, including their military students occupying positions overseas and on the front lines of world stages, to navigate complex issues and conversations. UMGC has approached Disagree Better as part of their institution's more extensive learner experience redesign process. They plan to integrate the principles of productive disagreement and concepts into their general education curriculum based on an explicit framework of 25 skills across five competency areas. This process will help people acquire and deploy these skill sets in various contexts of their lives.
In Colorado, CSU Global led the way and collaborated with Governor Jared Polis to create a fully online, instructor-facilitated course designed to equip learners with healthy conflict styles, tools, and strategies for resolution. The four-module, four-week course available at $175 provides a college credit that can be applied to CSU Global’s undergraduate programs and has garnered positive feedback from course completers. Learner data to date reflects that before the course, 44 percent of students self-reported feeling very uncomfortable or uncomfortable having conversations where they disagreed. After course completion, 100 percent of students self-reported feeling comfortable or very comfortable having conversations where they disagreed.
In Indiana, Ivy Tech and Purdue Global joined Governor Eric Holcomb’s office, state agencies, and business and community leaders to create a four-week, four-module course. The course will be delivered as a micro-credential and piloted in the fall by faculty at both institutions, then students. At the end of the training, students will earn a badge they can add to their Indiana Achievement Wallet. By partnering and co-teaching the course, this micro-credential will reach dual credit, traditional, and working learners.
What’s next?
These trainings and activities will continue to be refined, and it is anticipated that this new focus will remain critical in higher education moving forward.
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