Mission: The Sustained Dialogue Campus Network’s mission is to train, mentor, and connect student
leaders who initiate and sustain dialogues to build cohesive, engaged, and diverse campus
communities across the country.
About the Sustained Dialogue Campus Network (SDCN): The first Sustained Dialogue (SD) groups
were launched in 1999 at Princeton University by students seeking to transform racial, ethnic, and
cultural tensions on campus. After SD launched on two additional campuses in 2003, the SD Campus
Network was founded as a project of the International Institute for Sustained Dialogue. Since, SD has
spread in a grass-roots manner by students inspired to bridge difference and affect change. Every SD
initiative operates as an independent student-run club that organizes diverse students into small
groups that meet biweekly to catalyze relationships across lines of difference and develop strategies to
create inclusive environments. Today, SDCN’s five-person staff supports a network of SD initiatives at
15 institutions, including 10 colleges and universities domestically, two internationally, one graduate
institution, and one high school. Participants in the Campus Network include: Colorado College, Cornell
College, Denison University, Dickinson College, Princeton University, Roger Williams University, Saint
John Fisher College, Susquehanna University, Stevenson High School in Chicago, University of Alabama,
University of Georgia, University of
Sustained Dialogue Participation 1999-2010
Richmond Law School, and University of
Total
Virginia. Yale University and the University
99-00
03-04
09-10
99-10
of Mississippi are in the process of launching
Participants
24
394
469
3630
programs. There are also SD initiatives at the
Moderators
4
69
93
700
National University of Science and
Leaders
2
19
48
280
Technology in Zimbabwe and Addis Ababa
Groups
2
35
41
320
University in Ethiopia.
Campuses
1
5
10
10
SDCN Resources: SDCN has developed a dynamic toolkit of offerings to help students initiate,
moderate, and institutionalize Sustained Dialogue on their campuses. Two SDCN Program Directors,
both recent graduates and former leaders of SD programs, lead the development of these resources
and provide ongoing support to student leaders of campus dialogue programs.
 Needs Assessment: Program Directors
guide students and administrators in
assembling a Student Initiator Team to
conduct a campus climate assessment by
analyzing campus demographics and
policy related to diversity; to make a case
for the value that SD will add; and to
outline key strategies to ensure SD is
sustainable on campus.
 Initiator Training: Upon approving an
initiation proposal, Program Directors
conduct a two-day Initiator Training on
campuses to equip the Student Initiator
Team with the experience and skills to pilot SD groups for a semester. Initiator Training immerses
students in a dialogue experience, supports the implementation of recruitment plans and the
www.sdcampusnetwork.org
development of organizational structure, and equips students with the skills to create safe spaces
for dialogue about difference.
 Moderator Workshop: SDCN Trainers visit every campus annually to conduct a two-day
Moderator Workshop, which focuses on building student capacities to create and sustain safe
spaces for dialogue over time. Students are trained in techniques to build trust among diverse
students, to develop meeting agendas that foster discussion of intergroup relations, to guide
dialogue about the impact of identity on campus experience, and to support participants in taking
action to strengthen campus cohesion and address problems related to campus inclusion.
 Leadership Institute: Every summer, SDCN hosts two leaders
from every school in the network for a three-day retreat in SDCN’s
Washington office. The institute focuses on developing students’
leadership, planning, and program management skills, as well as
on developing student connections across campus lines. Each
student leader team develops a bold vision, mission statement, and
operating plan for their campus program, including strategies to
recruit diverse groups, support dialogue moderators throughout
the program year, host events that build awareness of issues of
diversity in the broader campus community, and execute effective
leadership transitions at the close of the program year.
“Sustained Dialogue was crucial
to my development as a student
and as a professional. As a Black
student at Colorado College,
Sustained Dialogue gave me the
opportunity to explore how I
understand race. Moving
forward I intend to stay in the
public or nonprofit sector to
engage policy issues of access
for underrepresented
populations.” Jason Owens,
Student Leader, Colorado College
 Mentorship: Program Directors help student leaders build sustainable SD programs through ongoing mentorship related to building strategic relationships, utilizing best practices to recruit and
engage diverse program participants, implementing effective leadership transitions, strengthening
connections and information sharing among schools, fundraising, and executing events related to
SD’s mission. Program Directors also support student leaders in developing and implementing
strategies to build the knowledge and skills of moderators.
 Program Evaluation: SDCN assesses the quality of dialogue through pre, post, and midyear
surveys, which analyze the personal, social, and campus changes that result from dialogue across
lines of difference. In addition to supporting students in developing their own internal evaluation
systems, SDCN ensures that students learn from evaluation findings by sharing data to inform
strategic adjustments to SD programs.
 Manuals: SDCN produces two manuals for student development – SDCN’s Leadership Manual
shares best practices in launching and managing a grassroots organization dedicated to dialogue
about challenging topics; A Guide to Moderating SD provides concepts, techniques, and tools to
guide SD moderators.
SDCN develops a different kind of leader for a different kind of
world: With a focus on catalyzing student commitment and
capacity to build relationships across lines of difference and to
affect broader community change, SDCN is producing a cadre of
young leaders who are making their mark on campus and beyond.
 Leadership: Students are the initiators and leaders of SD
programs on their campuses. SDCN provides important
support and guidance, and does not manage campus affiliate
decisions. Students oversee every aspect of their programs,
including organizational structure, financial management,
recruitment, coordination of dialogues, and other club events.
www.sdcampusnetwork.org
“SD alumni are more confident in
themselves - their ability to work in
their communities and interact with
people of different backgrounds.
Volunteering or tutoring is one thing,
but until you’ve really looked at
yourself hard and done so in relation
to others’ experiences, you’re not as
effective as a teacher as you can be.”
Samar Katnani, UVA ’04, TFA 20042007 (Grade 6, Bronx, NY), third year
at Washington University School of
Law
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This ensures that students identify their own capacities to mobilize solutions to community problems
and put these capacities to use in building more cohesive, engaged, and diverse campuses.
 Grassroots and Systems: Students who initiate, lead, and moderate Sustained Dialogue are
passionate about bridging differences effectively and addressing inequity on campus and beyond.
The experience of building Sustained Dialogue as a platform for community impact develops
student ability to organize at a grass-roots level and to develop and implement strategies focused
on systemic change. Moreover, training to moderate Sustained Dialogue requires students to think
about and strategize for dialogue to action.
 Cultivating Leaders in Every Sector: A recent doctoral dissertation by Dr. Andrea Diaz provides
evidence that participation in Sustained Dialogue has long-term effects on civic behaviors, such as
engaging in philanthropy, service, or advocacy; becoming involved in one’s local community; and
initiating dialogue and diversity initiatives in the workplace. This research, coupled with
representative anecdotes of alumni making an impact in education, business, policy, law, and the
nonprofit sector, reveals that alumni take their transformative experience with SD to diverse
industries and sectors.
“…Sustained Dialogue has uplifted me … it gave me that empowerment, that motivation. My GPA boosted dramatically my junior
year. I do owe it to Sustained Dialogue.” –Keith Alexander, Saint John Fisher College
“SD is a great opportunity for personal growth and for social awareness. Not only can you learn from students of various
backgrounds, but you can learn a lot about yourself as well—what role you play in your campus climate, how you can better your
community, and even how you can be a key element in changing the social interaction at your university.” –Rekina Jones, University
of Georgia
“SD was a very transformative process for me. It gave me a sense of identity and space at my school. It really taught me leadership
skills, and moderating and facilitating. Carrying things on past graduation, I bring this with me wherever I go.” –Priya Parker, UVA
Founder, former White House Office of Social Innovation intern, current student at Harvard Kennedy School/MIT Sloan
Students involved in Sustained Dialogue are more diverse than a cross-section of Americans:
SDCN’s student leaders, dialogue moderators, and participants are diverse in every aspect of identity.
SD attracts the highest quality student leader, with SD participants often winning recognition for their
contributions and achievements in the classroom and on the campus community.
For more information, please visit www.sdcampusnetwork.org, or contact SDCN’s Executive
Director, Amy Lazarus at amy@sdcampusnetwork.org or 202-393-6548.
www.sdcampusnetwork.org
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