The Center for American Dialogue is a service-focused hub enabling students, faculty, staff and the public to directly challenge issues faced by society in an era dominated by polarization and eroding civic trust. President Domenico Grasso announced the center in 2025.

At a moment when increasing political divisions threaten the well-being of society, public universities have a responsibility to deliver results-based programs and environments that yield measurable outcomes.

Connected to U-M’s Look to Michigan strategic vision, the Center for American Dialogue takes an immersive approach to this charge. More than just a collection of ideas, the center will offer events, classes and funding that encourage community members to better understand and work with a wide range of perspectives.

The center will have a presence on U-M’s campuses in Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Flint, as well as Washington, D.C., and locations across the state and the country that offer productive opportunities for constructive dialogue.

Mission

The Center for American Dialogue will be a catalyst for positive change by providing accessible resources that:

• Expand the domain for civil discourse and empower people to work effectively across
• differences;
• Enable students, faculty, staff and community members to develop vital civic skills;
• Create opportunities for public engagement and collaborative problem-solving; and
• Model principled, evidence-based approaches that can be shared and scaled nationally.

Evaluate Everything

What sets U-M’s approach apart from similar efforts across the country is the center’s “evaluate everything” approach, which will analyze each program to ensure goals are achieved more effectively. Data will also help scale the center’s impact by offering a national resource for others to use to “convene with purpose.”

For questions, please contact us at dialoguecenter@umich.edu.

Center for American Dialogue Year One Programs

Proposals can be submitted for Year One Programming June 15 to July 27. Check back for details on June 15.

Center for American Dialogue Certificates & Micro-Credentials
Short courses and badges teach civic skills, collaborative problem-solving, and dialogue techniques.

Interactive Role-Playing Simulations
Interactive, game-based simulations and role-playing activities (in person and online) help participants practice intentional listening, humility, and teamwork in meaningful scenarios.

Partnering for Impact through Cooperative Extension
Field-based projects and facilitated convenings, in partnership with Michigan communities and organizations, tackle local challenges through constructive dialogue.

Connection-Building Games
Apps that are designed to foster collaboration, open-mindedness, and creative problem-solving among diverse groups.

Convene with Purpose Speaker Series
Regular events feature speakers who bring together audiences of differing viewpoints to address urgent, real-world challenges.

Innovation Accelerator Competition
Grants are awarded to U-M PIs to design and pilot new ideas that advance the center’s goals.

America’s Dialogue Lab
A dedicated lab will collect and analyze data from all center activities, evaluate program impact, and publicly share results to improve dialogue practices nationally.

Preview Day

Record: Center for American Dialogue announces programming, next steps