{"689553":{"#nid":"689553","#data":{"type":"news","title":"\u2018Dialogue Across Difference\u2019 Launches Georgia Tech Institute for Technology and Civic Leadership ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOn April 2, Georgia Tech launched its new \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/civicleadership.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EInstitute for Technology and Civic Leadership\u003C\/a\u003E with a symposium built around a simple idea. Society benefits when people are willing to listen, especially to those who disagree with them.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe Institute will serve as a space to share ideas, learn from one another, and discover common ground,\u201d said Amanda Murdie, dean of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis is especially important in a moment when technology is rapidly altering how we encounter information, form beliefs, and relate to one another.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe Institute creates opportunities for students to examine the civic and social implications of technological innovation,\u201d said Aaron Levine, associate dean for research and outreach in the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts and interim executive director of the Institute for Technology and Civic Leadership.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt will support leaders who can approach difficult questions thoughtfully, drawing on evidence, expertise, and an understanding of diverse perspectives.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat focus was reflected in the symposium\u2019s keynote dialogue between Robert George and Cornel West, eminent scholars, longtime friends, and coauthors of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Truth-Matters-Dialogue-Fruitful-Disagreement\/dp\/B0DBR1PYWL\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ETruth Matters: A Dialogue on Fruitful Disagreement in an Age of Division\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe keynote conversation modeled the kind of thoughtful dialogue across deep differences that the new Institute aims to cultivate. George and West do not expect to change each other\u2019s minds.For them, persuasion isn\u2019t the point.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe don\u2019t often completely change each other\u2019s minds about things, but that\u2019s not the goal,\u201d said George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cYou can have 100% agreement and be wrong. My goal isn\u2019t to persuade him, but to learn what I can from him.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EListening with care and humility to someone who is coming from a very different place, George added, can offer new ways of seeing an issue.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor West, that process begins with resisting easy labels.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe don\u2019t look at the world through the lens of -isms,\u201d said West, who is the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Chair at Union Theological Seminary.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cYou try to listen to a particular argument, put forward by a specific person, and to stay in contact with their humanity. Embrace their humanity.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe two-day event also included panel discussions featuring insights from peer institutions and breakout sessions inviting the campus community to contribute feedback and ideas about the new institute.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe new Institute aims to give students the chance to explore a broad range of ideas about how innovation shapes communities, the economy, and public life. It aims to be a place where people can exchange ideas freely, learn from one another and find common ground \u2014 all anchored in open debate, scientific inquiry and evidence-based problem-solving.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt will also serve as a hub for bringing together leaders from government, industry, academia and other sectors to tackle pressing challenges and pursue science- and data-driven solutions.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"The new Institute aims to be a place where people can exchange ideas freely, learn from one another, and find common ground."}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe new Institute aims to be a place where people can exchange ideas freely, learn from one another, and find common ground.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The new Institute aims to be a place where people can exchange ideas freely, learn from one another, and find common ground."}],"uid":"36418","created_gmt":"2026-04-07 20:47:48","changed_gmt":"2026-04-07 21:05:13","author":"sgagliano3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-04-07T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-04-07T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"679887":{"id":"679887","type":"video","title":"Perspectives on Technology and Civic Leadership An Inaugural Symposium","body":"\u003Cp\u003EIvan Allen College of Liberal Arts Dean Amanda Murdie moderates a conversation with Robert George, director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University, and Cornel West, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Chair at Union Theological Seminary, on the themes of their recent book \u0022Truth Matters: Fruitful Disagreement in an Era of Rapid Technological Change.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1775594853","gmt_created":"2026-04-07 20:47:33","changed":"1775594853","gmt_changed":"2026-04-07 20:47:33","video":{"youtube_id":"ygiaJAOmLjY","video_url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ygiaJAOmLjY"}},"679888":{"id":"679888","type":"image","title":"\u2018Dialogue Across Difference\u2019 symposium","body":"\u003Cp\u003EAmanda Murdie, dean of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts at Georgia Tech, moderates a discussion between Robert George and Cornel West, eminent scholars, longtime friends, and coauthors of Truth Matters: A Dialogue on Fruitful Disagreement in an Age of Division.\u0026nbsp;Photo by Joya Chapman.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1775595358","gmt_created":"2026-04-07 20:55:58","changed":"1775595358","gmt_changed":"2026-04-07 20:55:58","alt":"\u2018Dialogue Across Difference\u2019 symposium","file":{"fid":"264108","name":"DSC_1935.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/07\/DSC_1935.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/07\/DSC_1935.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":8057052,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/04\/07\/DSC_1935.jpeg?itok=MRO8xWvZ"}}},"media_ids":["679887","679888"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/civicleadership.gatech.edu","title":"Institute for Technology and Civic Leadership"}],"groups":[{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"},{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"42901","name":"Community"},{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"132","name":"Institute Leadership"},{"id":"151","name":"Policy, Social Sciences, and Liberal Arts"}],"keywords":[{"id":"183059","name":"civic leadership"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39511","name":"Public Service, Leadership, and Policy"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:megan.mcrainey@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EMegan McRainey\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EIvan Allen College of Liberal Arts\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}