Indiana leaders unite to help Americans Disagree Better

Ivy Tech Community College President Sue Ellspermann and Purdue Global Chancellor Frank Dooley joined Becky Takeda-Tinker, president of Colorado State University Global, and Gregory Fowler, president of the University of Maryland Global Campus, in presenting collaborations to create trainings around the National Governors Association’s Disagree Better initiative at the NGA summer meetings in Salt Lake City.

Utah Governor Spencer Cox, the current NGA chair, has made the effort to disagree in a way that leads to solutions as the primary policy initiative of the NGA while he has been at the helm.

In collaboration with their home state governors, Ivy Tech, Purdue Global, CSU Global and UMGC are looking to provide the next generation of leaders with the skills and competencies to handle disagreement in a more productive way than it is now handled.

“The governors are showing real leadership by combating the inability to disagree without being disagreeable. It’s a real issue with far-reaching impacts,” Ellspermann said. “Our training is designed to help our students master the skills that will allow them to navigate difficult issues more effectively.”

Dooley sees the training of these skills as a key to building a successful career.

“In today’s workplace, few skills are more critical than the ability to navigate disagreement,” said Dooley. “I believe this and similar courses will address this needed skill development very effectively, with positive impacts for our communities.”

Governors have expressed concern about the rising level of vitriol in public and private discourse, including on college campuses. 

“Americans disagree about a lot of things and that’s reasonable, as long as we can debate issues without attacking individuals,” said Governor Cox. “The Presidents Forum has been an incredible partner in collaborating with our governors to create compelling and effective training to help learners develop the skills they need to disagree productively. I know the governors are eager to implement this work in their respective states.”

How it works

In Indiana, Ivy Tech and Purdue Global joined Governor Eric Holcomb’s office, state agencies, and business and community leaders to create a four-week, four-module course. The course will be delivered as a microcredential and will be piloted in the fall by faculty at both institutions, followed by courses for students. At the end of the training, students will earn a badge they can add to their Indiana Achievement Wallet. By partnering together and co-teaching the course, this microcredential will be able to reach dual credit, traditional and working learners. 

In Colorado, CSU Global led the way and collaborated with Governor Jared Polis to create a fully online, instructor-led course to equip learners with healthy conflict styles, tools and strategies for resolution, which has garnered positive feedback to date. Learner data reflects that prior to the course, 44% of students self-reported feeling very uncomfortable or uncomfortable having conversations where they disagreed. After course completion, 100% of students self-reported that they felt comfortable or very comfortable having conversations where they disagreed. 

In Maryland, UMGC is working to educate learners, including their military students occupying positions overseas and on the front lines of world stages, to navigate difficult issues and conversations. UMGC has approached Disagree Better as part of a larger redesign process within their institution. They plan to integrate the principles of productive disagreement and concepts into a redesign of their general education curriculum, which is based on an explicit framework of 25 skills across five competency areas. This process will support people in the various contexts of their lives to acquire and deploy these skill sets. 

What’s next?

These trainings will continue to be refined and it is anticipated that this new focus will remain a critical focus of higher education moving forward. 

About Ivy Tech Community College

Ivy Tech Community College is Indiana’s largest public postsecondary institution and the nation’s largest singly accredited statewide community college system, accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Ivy Tech has campuses throughout Indiana and also serves thousands of students annually online. It serves as the state’s workforce development engine, offering associate degrees, short-term certificate programs, industry certifications, and training that aligns to the needs of the community. The College provides seamless transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana, as well as out of state, for a more affordable route to a Bachelor’s degree.

About Purdue Global

Purdue Global is Purdue’s online university for working adults who have life experience and often some college credits. It offers flexible paths for students to earn an associate, bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree, based on their work experience, military service and previous college credits, no matter where they are in their life journey. Purdue Global is a nonprofit, public university accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and backed by Purdue University. For more information, visit https://www.purdueglobal.edu.