After being awarded a $1.43 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Hope College announced the launch of its new GRACE initiative to teach and practice the art of civil discourse.
Provost Dr. Gerald Griffin announced that Hope College was awarded the federal grant from the Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (known as FIPSE). Griffin is the principal investigator for the academic-focused grant, which will fund the launch of Hope’s new GRACE initiative (Growing through Respectful and Civil Exchange) — designed to help students navigate diverse perspectives by furthering a campus culture rooted in civil dialogue and mutual respect.
This award is part of the FIPSE Special Projects Program, an initiative that provides financial support to higher education institutions working on innovative solutions for pressing national issues. The FIPSE program also focuses its resources on three other areas: the integration of artificial intelligence in postsecondary learning, the reform of accreditation standards and the expansion of high-quality, short-term educational programs. The new GRACE project at Hope College will specifically address the priority of promoting civil discourse on college campuses and encouraging respectful debate.
In launching the initiative, Hope College selected Dr. Sarah Kornfield to lead GRACE as its project director. Kornfield is currently a communication professor
and the department chair, and has been teaching at Hope since 2015. She teaches women’s
and gender studies, and courses in rhetorical criticism, rhetorical theory and television
culture. She currently serves on the Rhetoric Society of America’s Board of Directors
and has also published four books.
Kornfield will be responsible for the operational and academic aspects of the grant over the next four years. Among the work made possible by this grant will be organizing student cohorts and lecture series, providing faculty support across campus in course design and classroom engagement, and developing public scholarship regarding the college’s Virtues of Public Discourse, civil dialogue and democratic deliberation.
“We’re grateful for the opportunities that exist through this grant,” said Griffin. “The new GRACE project will support Hope in our Chrisitan mission and expand the impact of our virtues of public discourse. Through that, we’ll foster civil dialogue and empower our students – and this community — in open inquiry and a deeper understanding of viewpoint diversity. It’s important they know how to respect the dignity of all humankind while also respecting their own beliefs and convictions,” said Griffin.