As the committee appointed by University President Dave Frohnmayer to determine the mission, scope and activities of the proposed Center for the Study of Social Change (still a working title), we welcome the opportunity to respond to some of the concerns raised by Bret Jacobson in his recent column. The proposed Center provides an opportunity for the University to bring its particular strengths of academic research and public service to the society-wide challenges and opportunities developing as our society becomes increasingly more diverse and multicultural.
While the specific contours of the Center are still taking shape, a simple premise guides its formation: Namely, that it is time to move beyond asking “Is diversity good or bad?” and get to “So how do we make it work?” While we all may hold strikingly different viewpoints about the diversity we do have, don’t have or might have, the Center’s concern lies with how communities can have conversations about the social changes without tearing themselves apart. This means that the Center has the potential to be a resource for everybody — those who support the further diversification of our campus, state and nation as well as those who have serious questions about the social changes taking place. The Center is NOT in the business of what Jacobson refers to as paternalistic “social engineering,” i.e., determining for the University community what diversity should mean for us or look like on our campus. Rather, the Center is in the business of “social engagement.” Its job is to provide the necessary resources and services so that difficult conversations regarding diversity and social change might take place in a constructive fashion. By “resources” and “services” we mean a number of things:
* A center where individuals can participate in cross-group dialogues with others holding differing viewpoints.
* A center where scholars and students (undergraduate and graduate) can acquire direct experience assisting “communities” (i.e., schools, businesses, neighborhoods) in dealing with social change (i.e., changing demographics, workforce composition, influx of unfamiliar newcomers into established neighborhoods).
* A center that draws from its applied experiences in facilitating community dialogues to generate scholarly research on the dynamics and effects of social change, effective cross-group communication and conflict resolution.
* A center where students, faculty, staff, community members and businesses can acquire the skills necessary to facilitate difficult dialogues in the workplace, classroom, dorm room, etc.
* A center that hosts conferences and other events geared towards cross-group dialogues and community healing/outreach.
While Oregon may not be trailblazing diversity trends in the way that states such as California and New York are, we are uniquely positioned to speak from our experiences as a state actively grappling with what these social changes mean for our collective community. Other states can identify with the opportunities, challenges and growing pains currently facing Oregon.
In sum, we have a unique opportunity to create a model of pro-active leadership, scholarship and outreach for others to emulate. We, the committee, are very excited by the possibilities the Center holds. Many challenges lie ahead of us, but so do many rewards.