The Role of Student Leaders in Facilitating Constructive Dialogue

“Students are so well positioned to be front and center when it comes to moving some of these important conversations forward with their peers,” said Rachel. At CUNY, this peer-to-peer dynamic is central to their strategy for fostering dialogue across all 25 colleges.

M. Cristina echoed the importance of empowering student leaders at Miami: “Students want to be change makers... they want to be advocates, but they don’t necessarily have the tools.” That realization drove Miami’s investment in a pilot program that trained 100 student leaders—across academic disciplines and student organizations—based directly on student input.

Addressing the Challenges of Dialogue

Student leaders often care deeply about leading meaningful conversations, but many encounter roadblocks that make those discussions difficult to navigate. One of the most common challenges, as noted by both Rachel and M. Cristina, is the fear of saying the wrong thing. “More than half of our students reported feeling uncomfortable sharing their opinions—not because of faculty, but because of their peers,” M. Cristina shared, referencing Miami University’s campus climate data. This sense of discomfort can cause students to stay silent, even when important topics arise.

Rachel added that uncertainty about how to handle difficult moments can also lead to silence. “We found that when conversations got complicated, students—and sometimes even staff and faculty—weren’t sure what to do next.” She described a kind of paralysis that sets in—not for lack of care, but for lack of confidence.

Jake Fay pointed to a solution: training that helps students respond instead of retreat. “They need skills to show up when it matters, not just when it's easy.”

Building Dialogue Skills: Training for Student Leaders

To meet that need, both CUNY and Miami have built layered, multi-audience training programs.Jake explained that CDI’s model focuses on equipping student leaders with practical skills—like managing tension, listening with curiosity, and helping others engage productively. “It’s not about changing minds,” he noted. “It’s about how we have conversations.”At CUNY, training began with senior leadership—presidents from all 25 colleges and members of the Chancellor’s cabinet—before expanding to student-facing staff, 100 faculty, and 50 student leaders. A university-wide committee now helps adapt the program across campuses.At Miami, M. Cristina described a more intensive track focused on student credentialing. After the pilot’s success, Miami formalized its offerings with a two-day certification training in dialogue facilitation. The training is rigorous—and effective. “That credential gives students something concrete to carry with them into their future careers,” she said.

Creating Giving Student Leaders Space to Lead: Opportunities to Practice Dialogue

Learning the theory is only the beginning. Cristina and Rachel both stressed that students need opportunities to lead conversations in real-time.

At Miami, that meant pulling in students from government, Greek life, social impact orgs, and academic groups. “They were ready to lead—they just needed tools and a chance to use them,” M. Cristina said. Students applied their training in student org meetings, community discussions, and even a leadership trip to D.C.—navigating real conversations, in real contexts.

Rachel described a different application: CUNY’s President’s Listening Learning Community—a space where students meet directly with campus leaders. “These aren’t formal hearings—they’re spaces for honest conversation,” she said. The sessions allow students to voice their experiences, and apply their skills in spaces where decisions get made.

Jake shared one especially powerful moment from a Miami training:

“There was this one moment at the end… a student stood up and said: ‘We are a drop in the water. So my challenge is—what are we all going to do to go out and make this bigger?’”

Long-Term Change: Embedding Dialogue into Campus Culture

Miami and CUNY are taking complementary, yet distinct, approaches to cultivating a dialogue-rich campus environment. While CUNY is weaving dialogue into the fabric of university-wide leadership and culture-building efforts, Miami is prioritizing in-depth student leader training—offering certification-level programs that equip students to lead conversations with confidence.

At Miami University, M. Cristina explained that their focus has been on building depth among student leaders. “We launched a faculty learning community, a staff leaders cohort, and trained over 100 students across a wide range of organizations,” she said. Many of those students have since gone on to earn formal certification in dialogue facilitation—a credential that not only signals readiness to lead but also gives students tangible skills they can carry forward into professional settings.

CUNY, on the other hand, has taken a broader approach. Rachel described how their initiative began with the university’s senior-most leaders: 25 college presidents and the Chancellor’s cabinet. From there, the training expanded to student-facing staff, faculty, and a cohort of student government leaders. “This is about embedding dialogue into how our entire community operates,” Rachel shared. CUNY has also created a university-wide dialogue committee to support long-term integration across all 25 campuses.

Together, these approaches point to one key insight: embedding dialogue into campus culture isn’t about a single training—it’s about ongoing investment, institution-wide coordination, and giving students and staff alike the tools to lead with clarity and care.

Practical Strategies for Supporting Student Leaders

1. Provide comprehensive training programs that equip student leaders with the skills to navigate difficult conversations, including empathy, active listening, and conflict resolution.
   
   

2. Create opportunities for practice by offering real-world platforms where student leaders can facilitate and participate in conversations with their peers.
   
   

3. Ensure broad support by involving faculty, staff, and administrators in training programs, ensuring that constructive dialogue becomes a campus-wide effort.
   
   

4. Offer credentialing and certifications to recognize student leaders’ expertise in constructive dialogue, adding value to their learning and leadership development.
   
   

5. Make dialogue a continuous effort by embedding it into both formal and informal campus activities, ensuring that it remains a central part of campus life.

A Call to Action for University Leaders

The conversation ended with a clear message: building a dialogue-rich campus begins with investing in student leaders.

Whether through foundational training or advanced certification, students need the skills and the space to lead. As Rachel put it, “This work can’t live in one office. It needs to live everywhere.”

By equipping students to guide their peers through challenging conversations, institutions can create cultures that are more resilient, responsive, and ready for the world students will enter after graduation.

Watch the full webinar recording.

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