PBS Series Host Will Address Fostering Open Dialogue at UR Event

UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND ─ University of Richmond President Ronald A. Crutcher will moderate a conversation with Alexander Heffner, host of the PBS series, The Open Mind, and co-author of A Documentary History of the United States. 

During the Sept. 9 event, Heffner will address fostering open dialogue and the ways in which civil discourse fosters civic action, civic responsibility, and consensus building in local, national, and academic contexts. The conversation will take place at 5 p.m. in the Carole Weinstein International Center Commons.

“This topic is of great importance and continuing interest to me,” said Crutcher. “We continue to grow as a community as we learn to tackle hard questions and have uncomfortable conversations, but to do so in thoughtful ways that can benefit all of those around us and our society at large.”

Heffner is a recipient of the University of Denver’s Anvil of Freedom Award, Franklin Pierce University’s Fitzwater Medallion for Leadership in Public Communication, and Yale University’s Poynter Fellowship in Journalism.

Following the conversation, Heffner will provide an interactive workshop for student leaders.  

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