Middlebury College

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. - Shared civic values are under threat, authoritarianism is on the rise, and communities are losing their ability to debate constructively in the United States and around the world. Leading political thinkers, like those in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, make the case for rebuilding the common good by investing in civic education. Middlebury has now received substantial support that will enable it to further its long-standing, institutionwide efforts in this arena, and allow it to work with other institutions in the private and public sectors that are aiming to heal our divides.

The largest programmatic grant that Middlebury has ever received, this fund will enable Middlebury to apply its intellectual resources and global reach to create a cross-disciplinary collaborative devoted to conflict transformation. All of Middlebury’s entities—the College at the center, the Institute of International Studies at Monterey, the Bread Loaf School of English, the C.V. Starr Schools Abroad, and the Language Schools—will be involved in coursework and programming designed to impact education at the high school, undergraduate, and graduate levels. In addition, the grant will fund research projects throughout Middlebury to help faculty, staff, and students understand the dynamics of conflict and develop effective ways to teach and learn in this area.

“There is no bigger issue that exists than the growing divisiveness undermining freedom and equality everywhere,” Middlebury President Laurie Patton said. “It is harder and harder to participate in the public square. Teaching the skills to address this challenge aligns with our mission of preparing our students to make meaningful change in the world.”

The $25 million grant, from an anonymous donor, will create the Kathryn Wasserman Davis Collaborative in Conflict Transformation. Its name honors the beloved philanthropist and scholar (1907–2013) who founded a program that funds college students’ projects for peace and for whom one of the Middlebury Language Schools, the Kathryn Wasserman Davis School of Russian, is named. The collaborative, which will begin this month, allows Middlebury to deepen and build on the conflict transformation work that is currently being led by faculty and staff throughout the greater Middlebury ecosystem. Funding will be provided over seven years.

“The ability to work across difference that was the cornerstone of Middlebury College’s faculty-led Engaged Listening Project is evident throughout the institution,” Patton said. “It is built into the mission of the Bread Loaf School of English. The Middlebury Institute of International Studies has been having these conversations for years in the context of nonproliferation studies and the combating of terrorism. Our Language Schools regularly welcome those who learn language to bridge seemingly intractable cultural and political divides.

“With grant support, we can do more to strengthen this excellent foundation that began and will continue at the grassroots level. We can also help to build a critical educational effort to teach conflict transformation in higher education in our nation and across the world. Middlebury has the experience and the responsibility to do this.

“I’m very grateful to our donor for recognizing Middlebury’s efforts and our capacity to advance our work with this generous grant, which will fund innovative pedagogy, research, and internships,” Patton said.

Faculty, staff, and students in many parts of the institution have been closely involved in conflict transformation for some time through their teaching, research, work, learning, and community activities. Courses at the College that have incorporated conflict transformation include Can’t We Just Talk about It, led by Porter Bowman ’21.5 with support from faculty, and The Power of Words: Debating Global Issues in Italian, taught by Professor of Italian Sandra Carletti, among others.