From Isolation to Connection: How Dialogue Strengthens Student Mental Health

Across higher education, campuses are rethinking how to build communities where students feel seen, supported, and connected. Dialogue across lines of difference is emerging as a powerful but overlooked strategy for doing so, helping students develop empathy, resilience, and a sense of belonging through meaningful engagement with people who hold different experiences and perspectives. This session explored how dialogue programs can be integrated into campus well-being efforts to achieve two goals at once: reducing campus polarization and strengthening student well-being.

Speakers shared data and examples from campuses that have made dialogue a core part of their well-being strategy, showing how cultivating empathy and understanding across lines of difference can reduce isolation, improve campus climate, and foster student resilience.

What You'll Discover

In this session, CDI staff and campus leaders shared:

• Evidence linking perspective-taking and dialogue to student well-being outcomes

• Case studies from institutions that have implemented dialogue programs within broader well-being initiatives

• Stories of how dialogue strengthened belonging and connection

• Practical guidance for integrating dialogue into well-being programming

Expert Panel

Moderator: Kaleigh Mrowka, Director of Campus Culture Transformation, Constructive Dialogue Institute

Featuring:

• Dr. Gina Abrams, Associate Professor, International Institute for Restorative Practices; Social Work Faculty, Tulane University and Boston University

• Jazmin Jurkiewicz, Assistant Director, Inclusive Well-being, Virginia Tech

• Dr. Samantha Smith, Associate Vice Provost for Health and Well-Being, Indiana University Bloomington