Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community

Life Together Initiative to Expand in the Spring 2025 Semester

Monday, January 13, 2025, By Kelly Homan Rodoski
Share
academic affairsEngaged CitizenshipHuman ThrivingMaxwell School of Citizenship and Public AffairsNewhouse School of Public Communications

The “Life Together: Seeking the Common Good in a Diverse Democracy” initiative will expand in the Spring 2025 semester, building on the success of its October 2024 facilitated community conversation. The initiative focuses on developing essential skills for civil dialogue and engagement, such as active listening, critical reasoning, inclusive advocacy and advancing the common good.

The inaugural event, “Life Together: A Community Conversation for Election Season and Beyond,” was held on campus on Oct. 22. Hundreds of University community members, including students, staff and faculty representing diverse backgrounds and perspectives, engaged in facilitated dialogue on important issues related to democracy, civic engagement, economic opportunity and the political climate. The event featured a moderated discussion among experts, followed by small group conversations led by trained facilitators who also were members of the campus community.

University community members engage in conversation during the October 2024 Life Together event

University community members engage in conversation during the October 2024 Life Together event (Photo by Chuck Wainwright)

The Life Together initiative is led by Gretchen Ritter, vice president for civic engagement and education; Margaret Talev, Kramer Director of the Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship; and Tina Nabatchi, director of the Maxwell School’s Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration (PARCC).

This next phase of the Life Together initiative includes several events planned for the Spring 2025 semester:

  • Life Together Leadership Fellows: Ritter, in collaboration with PARCC, will lead a four-part training session for students, faculty and staff interested in developing the civic skills needed to promote democratic engagement in a diverse community. There will be four, two-hour required training sessions that focus on active listening, critical reasoning, inclusive advocacy and advancing the common good. Applications are currently open for the Life Together Leadership Fellows program and are due by Jan. 31.
  • “Civic Stories” Digital Storytelling Project: The project will collect and share personal and community-driven stories in the form of short video and audio recordings and reflective writing. “Civic Stories” aims to deepen our understanding and practice of civic engagement by humanizing complex issues, promoting empathy and connection, amplifying voices from marginalized communities, challenging assumptions and stereotypes, encouraging reflective dialogue, highlighting shared goals and collective action, and building civic identity and agency.
  • Life Together Online Community Conversations Modules: Building on the fall’s facilitated community conversation, and in collaboration with PARCC and the College of Professional Studies, online modules will be developed that can be used to facilitate community conversations for members of the Syracuse community who are not in residence in Syracuse. The modules can also be used by instructors in various settings, such as part of the First Year Seminar curriculum for non-residential first-year students.
  • Life Together Lecture Series: The series will bring speakers to campus who will deepen campus conversation and understanding around the initiative’s four critical civic engagement skills. Four colloquiums are expected to be offered in the spring.

 Further details on how the University community can participate will be shared early in the spring semester.

  • Author

Kelly Rodoski

  • Recent
  • Chancellor Kent Syverud Honored as Distinguished Citizen of the Year at 57th Annual ScoutPower Event
    Thursday, May 8, 2025, By News Staff
  • New Maymester Program Allows Student-Athletes to Develop ‘Democracy Playbook’
    Thursday, May 8, 2025, By Wendy S. Loughlin
  • From Policy to Practice: How AI is Shaping the Future of Education
    Thursday, May 8, 2025, By Christopher Munoz
  • Kohn, Wiklund, Wilmoth Named Distinguished Professors
    Thursday, May 8, 2025, By Wendy S. Loughlin
  • Major League Soccer’s Meteoric Rise: From Underdog to Global Contender
    Wednesday, May 7, 2025, By Keith Kobland

More In Campus & Community

Chancellor Kent Syverud Honored as Distinguished Citizen of the Year at 57th Annual ScoutPower Event

Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud was recognized by Scouting America, Longhouse Council, as the Distinguished Citizen of the Year at the organization’s 57th annual ScoutPower dinner. The annual fundraiser is one of the biggest scouting events in the nation and…

Kohn, Wiklund, Wilmoth Named Distinguished Professors

Three Syracuse University faculty members have been named Distinguished Professors, one of the University’s highest honors. The designation is granted by the Board of Trustees to faculty who have achieved exceptionally distinguished stature in their academic specialties. The newly named…

Syracuse Athletics Records Highest APR Score in 4 Years

Syracuse University Athletics continues to demonstrate its commitment to academic excellence, as shown in the latest release of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Academic Progress (APR) data. The University earned a single-year score of 989 (out of 1,000) for the…

SOURCE Enables School of Education Undergraduates to Research, Explore Profession

Through a research project funded by the Syracuse Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Engagement (SOURCE), School of Education (SOE) seniors Denaysha Macklin ’25 and Emma Wareing ’25 are continuing research to investigate barriers women of color face in advancing…

Commencement 2025: What You Need to Know

It’s time to celebrate, Syracuse University Class of 2025! Bring your family and friends and join in all the excitement and pomp and circumstance during Commencement Weekend 2025. The University’s Commencement exercises will be held in the JMA Wireless Dome…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2025 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.