Intercollegiate Civil Disagreement Fellowship

Applications for the 2024-25 Cohort are now open.   Applications are Due May 20th, 2024.  APPLY HERE.  

Dates for Summer Retreat: August 12-16th.

The Intercollegiate Civil Disagreement Fellowship (ICDP) is a year-long hybrid experience, beginning in the summer, that develops students' abilities to engage in and lead conversations about difficult, important topics across political difference at their respective universities and beyond.  These skills are important for developing students' capacity for leadership, civic engagement, and personal development.  

The mission of the ICDP is to advance fundamental democratic commitments to critical inquiry, freedom of expression, equality, and agency; to develop students’ skills to facilitate conversations across political difference; and to create spaces for civil disagreement to flourish on college campuses. 

The ICDP is a cross-institutional program led by a consortium of five colleges and universities located throughout the United States: 

  • St. Philip's College, San Antonio, TX 
  • California State University Bakersfield, CA 
  • Santa Fe College, Gainesville, FL 
  • Stanford University, Stanford, CA 
  • Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

A group of 6-8 fellows are chosen by application from each partner school for a total of 40 fellows. Fellows will receive training in facilitation, engage in deliberative conversations within the fellows’ group, and have opportunities to interact with speakers from across the country during the year. 

For more about the program approach and experience, please see the ICDP Handbook. 

Organization 

As its name suggests, the ICDP is truly a partnership. Leadership of the program is distributed among its members equally, with primary contacts at each school working in concert to plan, adapt, and execute a collaborative vision of the program.  The ICDP reflects an awareness that we can be more effective together than on our own. 

The partner institutions are intentionally and purposefully diverse. They include a mix of public and private institutions; two-year and four-year institutions; a historically Black college with a strong focus on education for military veterans; those that are primarily Hispanic-serving; and two institutions known for high research activity.

The Cohort Experience 

In addition to acquiring real-world skills to become practitioners in facilitating civil disagreement, Fellows will have special opportunities to interact with the community of scholars, leaders, and fellowship alumni connected to the ICDP.  

The program begins with an intensive summer experience where fellows build community and practice skills of dialogue through several days of in-person activities.  Then, there are 3 capstone experiences during the academic year which consist of a civil disagreement panel with experts, as well as meeting the panelists for an intimate discussion afterwards (virtually).  There will also be a handful of sessions throughout the year which will provide opportunities to connect with ICDP alumni, engage with other fellows, and discuss important issues related to your individual college campuses.

Eligibility

  • Undergraduates from all fields of study and political identities are encouraged to apply.
  • Willingness to engage in dialogue with others across a diversity of opinions and experiences is essential. 
  • An interest in learning how to lead productive and enriching conversations about challenging topics.
  • Part- or full-time enrollment as an undergraduate during the 2024-2025 academic year at one of the five sponsoring institutions is required (with eligibility determined by each institution’s enrollment/funding policies).

Program Requirements

  • Ability to participate in a hybrid program (with both remote and in-person sessions). 
  • Attendance is mandatory and critical to achieving program goals
  • Participation in the summer in-person experience from August 12th-16th at the Prindle Institute for Ethics at DePauw University in Indiana
  • Students are expected to attend 3 civil disagreement panel discussions over the academic year, typically held on Thursday evenings, and participate in a Friday afternoon dialogue with the panelists and other fellows <dates and times will be announced before each Semester/Quarter beings>
  • Prior to the summer session, students will be asked to complete 1-2 hours of preparatory work.

Funding Awards 

  • Students who are selected as ICDP Fellows will receive a $1,000 stipend for their year-long participation (disbursed on a schedule set by students’ home institution).
  • Funding for travel and accommodations at the Prindle Institute for Ethics is also provided.

How to Apply

Students interested in this program should complete an online application here, which includes the following:

  1. A couple of paragraphs explaining why you are interested in participating and what skills you hope to gain from the program.
  2. A couple of paragraphs desribing your background and/or any experiences you have had that have shaped your perspectives on political issues.
  3. A few discussion topics that you would like to explore during the year-long fellowship.
  4. A resume/CV.

Questions about the program can be sent to Collin Anthony Chen at canthony [at] stanford.edu (canthony[at]stanford[dot]edu)