Maintaining Civil Discourse in Challenging Times

Dear Walden Students,

The power of hate was on full display this week, and it was both frightening—and empowering—for me. Frightening because I saw firsthand how words influenced my own countrymen and women to participate in the destruction of all I hold dear as an American. Empowering because it reaffirmed my pride in Walden University’s decades-long mission and commitment to positive social change.

Walden defines positive social change as a deliberate process of creating and applying ideas, strategies, and actions to promote the worth, dignity, and development of individuals, communities, organizations, institutions, cultures, and societies. We can all share pride in being part of an organization committed to working on positive actions.

Moving ahead we all hope cooler heads prevail. It won’t be easy—but all of us have an accountability to respect each other’s point of view and engage in civil discourse in conversations, on social media, and in classroom discussions. How we treat each other, how we listen and speak to each other, matters now more than ever.

Your colleagues, friends, and communities deserve the best of all of us over these next challenging weeks. Let the lesson we share as social change agents be this: words matter.

Sincerely,

Dr. Ward Ulmer
President
Walden University