The third annual summit focused on fostering dialogue and engagement in the face of the 2024 presidential election, free speech, viewpoint diversity and the curtailing of DEI efforts on college campuses. What prepares students for this critical election? How have policies, either through actions taken by state legislatures or university leadership, supported or suppressed the voices of students and/or faculty? How are you acting in response to this moment? 

​The second annual summit examined the intersection of media and democracy—the mediated public square—and the role of the college classroom in shaping democratic citizens. The vital urgency of this theme was palpable. To uphold a democratic society, today’s students must be equipped to identify disinformation and work to protect our information ecosystem. In its second successful year, the summit is complemented by the SNF Ithaca National Student Dialogue held in the spring, which convenes students from partner institutions to advance civic dialogue.​

On October 22, 2021, the SNF Ithaca Initiative convened a first-of-its-kind national summit of scholars at the University of Delaware. Focused on the topic of “bringing civility to college campuses and beyond," the summit was an opportunity for the newly established SNF Ithaca Initiative at the Biden School to introduce itself as a leader and collaborative partner in the field of civil discourse, as well as facilitate conversation, collaboration and relationships with fellow institutions who share the SNF Ithaca Initiative mission of promoting civil discourse as a way of sustaining and preserving democracy.