May 21, 2026 | Story by Nick Pfost, photo by Michigan Ross
Something shifted
“I've already started using several of the strategies in my class, and I'm seeing noticeable changes,” one U-M faculty member told us after completing a cohort-based training on navigating conflict and civil discourse in classrooms and student spaces.
But the immediate impact went beyond technique.
"I also didn't realize how much I needed a sense of community at this point in my professional and personal life," they said.
That combination of practical skills and genuine community is what emerged when faculty and staff from the schools of business, social work, and environment and sustainability came together for "Navigating Conflict, Dissent, and Civil Discourse in the Classroom," designed by The Program on Intergroup Relations in partnership with the Ross School of Business.
The 15-hour pilot was grounded in IGR’s signature approach—experiential learning, identity-conscious pedagogy, and intentional community building—and drew on its decades of expertise in social justice education, dialogue facilitation, and intergroup understanding.
Participants praised the cross-school community that formed and the multiple facilitation styles brought by IGR’s danny alvarez, Cesar Vargas-Leon, Patrick Kazyak Albaladejo-Muñiz, and Todd Sevig. Faculty and staff described feeling more skilled, connected and motivated.
"Not only have I strengthened my skill set and expanded my resources, but I also feel genuinely reenergized," a participant added.
From preparedness to commitment
The numbers reinforce what participants said. Of those who completed the full skill-building experiences, 94% agreed or strongly agreed that they were more prepared to address conflict and dissent in classes or at work than they were previously.
That preparedness is already translating into commitment to action. Eighty-two percent of participants plan to co-facilitate workshops or serve as resource persons in their schools, and 71% intend to share their learning through staff meetings or experiential sessions with colleagues.
This distributed network of skilled practitioners extends the work into spaces beyond IGR’s direct reach, bringing new capacity into classrooms and student interactions across three schools.
What it takes—and who benefits
The October-February pilot, funded by the Office of the Provost, affirmed what IGR has long understood: that building capacity for navigating conflict requires more than a one-time knowledge transfer. It takes practice, relationship, and sustained community, and our pedagogy translates powerfully beyond IGR’s home in undergraduate education.
Faculty and staff across disciplines are hungry for these skills and for the community that forms when people learn together across differences. When they’re better prepared to navigate conflict, it’s students who experience the difference in every classroom and interaction.
The Program on Intergroup Relations is considering future iterations of this cohort-based training for schools and colleges across the university. For more information, contact Patrick Kazyak Albaladejo-Muñiz ([email protected]).
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