Public Deliberation and Civic Engagement on Issues of Diversity in Higher Education

The United States is becoming an increasingly polarized society, bogged down by a two-party political system and a disen-gaged civic society. “Politics ” has become a dirty word, and many citizens are choosing to turn away from actively participating in our democratic society. As institutions of higher learning, universities and colleges must step forward to help restore civic engagement in our nation. They can begin by instituting public deliberation into their purpose and into their curriculum. This article highlights one researcher’s efforts to provide a space for public deliberation at a four-year comprehensive urban univer-sity in southern California as part of a campuswide accredita-tion self-study on diversity. The article describes public delib-eration as a means of promoting civic engagement, as well as the processes utilized for this project. The article concludes wit