Bridging the Divide
A page within Menard Family Initiative
The MFI is excited to facilitate the Bridging the Divide (BTD) program at UWL, sponsored by the Tommy G Thompson Center for Public Leadership. The goal of BTD is to foster open, productive, and civil student discussions on timely and contentious political issues. BTD offers students the opportunity to learn and engage with the opinions and views of their peers. By creating this space to listen to and understand alternative perspectives, BTD serves the campus community by promoting civil political dialogue among students in a time when polarization has driven many into silence or ideological bubbles.
Structure
During the 2025-2026 academic year, BTD will be facilitated by MFI Student Research Fellow Joshua Schulze-Reimpell. MFI researcher and lecturer Nicholas McFaden will serve as faculty advisor. The series will consist of four events (see dates below), with each focused on a timely political issue. During the events, attendees will be seated around tables in small groups of 4-6 people and will discuss the meeting topic freely. To encourage fruitful conversations, each group will be provided with discussion guides crafted by Thompson Center staff. These guides will contain important facts and background information relevant to the topic, as well as questions to guide conversations in a productive direction. Likewise, each meeting will begin with a brief introductory presentation. The discussion guides and presentation will provide all participants with an equal base on which to have a productive conversation. Therefore, students are not expected to prepare ahead of time for each event. Instead, all we ask is that students come prepared with an open mind and an appetite for insightful discussion. All events are catered, so you can look forward to plenty of free pizza and refreshments!
If you would like to participate in Bridging the Divide, join our email list to receive reminders and information about our upcoming events! The topics of discussion will be announced via email a few days before each event.
Event Dates
All meetings will be held in Student Union 3310 from 5:30 – 7:00 PM on the following dates:
- Monday, September 29, 2025
- Monday, October 27, 2025
- Monday, November 10, 2025
- Monday, November 17, 2025