Cultivating a Laboratory for Democracy
The Conversation promotes constructive dialogue at Trinity University and creates intentional spaces to engage different perspectives with courage and humility, all within Trinity’s signature Liberal Arts + experience.
All upcoming events in The Conversation
Engage in meaningful conversations and explore challenging topics through events promoting open dialogue and deeper understanding.
Resource Library
Developed by a working group of the American Colleges of the South, these classroom guides, co-curricular tools, and resources are designed to support your conversations. Living documents are updated regularly as new insights and opportunities emerge.
Community Partnerships
We believe meaningful engagement extends beyond our campus borders. Through partnerships with local universities, organizations, civic leaders, and educators, Trinity fosters open conversations that reflect and serve our broader community.
“Corrymeela opened my eyes to how vital it is to recognize everyone's humanity.”
Student Experience
With the University’s commitment to serving as a laboratory for democracy, Trinity empowers students to listen deeply. An interdisciplinary listening course, co-taught by President Beasley and senior leaders, models respectful discourse at the highest level. Workshops on expressive activities and conflict resolution equip students with real-world skills for navigating complex conversations.
Past Events
Trinity brings civic discourse to life. Recent highlights include the Distinguished Lecture Series with Paul Begala and Michael Steele and the Tinker Memorial Lecture with alumni Simran Singh ’06, Ph.D., and Dave Levy ’05, M.D. Public debates tackled timely national topics from immigration to AI personhood.
What's Next
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Coming soon: Trinity expands its dialogue toolbox with the CDI’s Perspectives Program, empowering students to navigate tough conversations with evidence-based strategies and empathy.
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Building on the success of our Unify America College Bowl pilot in 2024-25, we're continuing to support participation and partnerships to help students build bridges, not walls.
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By embracing new voices, fresh formats, and diverse entry points into civic and community conversations, we will widen the aperture to include topics beyond politics and U.S.-based divides.