Save the Date: Democracy Summit April 24, 2025
Dear Campus Community,
Please save the date for UM’s second-ever on Thursday, April 24.
This daylong event invites us to engage in meaningful conversations on topics that matter, and challenges us to practice and demonstrate the curious, civil, and informed discourse that is the hallmark of a public university’s civic and intellectual community.
This year’s Summit is paired with the
At the start of the academic year, :
- What if UM were recognized as a model for healthy, productive dialogue?
- What if Grizzlies were known for engaging courageously with each other—choosing curiosity over certainty and making space for all voices?
- What if our campus community fully embraced the principle of free expression, even when it challenges our own perspectives?
This year’s is an opportunity to explore these and other questions through a series of hosted conversations. A working group currently is gathering ideas from campus regarding the conversations we need to be having as a community. We will share updates on the , including a general agenda, as they become available.
Additionally, I encourage you to submit a proposal for this year’s by March 1. This year’s call for proposals centers on our responsibility to cultivate:
- Sophisticated and adaptable thinkers who ask enduring questions.
- Civic-minded problem solvers who strengthen our social fabric.
- Service-oriented leaders who shape the future of our state and nation.
Cultivating an environment of free expression is foundational to our democracy and to UM’s mission of fostering inclusive prosperity. This work is challenging, but essential.
Please plan to attend the and encourage students, faculty, and staff to save the date. No registration is required.
I look forward to learning alongside you.
Seth