Just two years after its launch, the Karsh Institute’s Civic Cornerstone Fellowship (CCF) is rapidly expanding in both reach and impact. Designed to equip students with the skills and dispositions needed for thoughtful, constructive engagement across difference, the Fellowship has already reached more than 1,000 students at the University of Virginia. Now with increasing national interest and a major investment from the UVA Parents Program, the initiative is entering a new phase.
This spring, the UVA Parents Program selected CCF for its Big Investments Initiative. The award will establish the UVA Parents Program Civic Cornerstone Fellowship Fund, providing dedicated support for the program’s long-term sustainability.
“At a time when many people feel disconnected from one another and from civic life, the Civic Cornerstone Fellowship is creating space for students to practice a different way of engaging—grounded in curiosity, respect, and a willingness to listen,” said Karsh Institute Executive Director Melody Barnes. “This support from the UVA Parents Program affirms the importance of that work and enables us to expand CCF’s reach and impact.”
The endowment secures long-term support for the Fellowship at UVA and reflects strong confidence in its approach. It will enable the Karsh Institute to continue to enhance the student experience by increasing opportunities for meaningful dialogue and civic engagement across Grounds. It also signals that families see the value of structured conversation not only as a skill, but as a character-shaping practice that prepares students to navigate an increasingly complex and divided world.
“We’re witnessing a critical moment in higher education, and we felt called to support the Civic Cornerstone Fellowship because of what's at stake for our future,” said Courtney Bibb, managing director of student and family philanthropy at UVA. “What started as a bold experiment at UVA has proven something beautiful and powerful: Students everywhere are genuinely hungry for spaces where they can connect across their differences. By investing in this expansion, we’re investing in the next generation of leaders who will know how to bridge divides rather than deepen them.”
“What started as a bold experiment at UVA has proven something beautiful and powerful.… We’re investing in the next generation of leaders who will know how to bridge divides rather than deepen them.”
That sense of urgency, and the positive response from students, has helped fuel CCF’s rapid growth. Now in its second year, students representing all 12 schools at UVA and over 50 majors have participated. The program brings together undergraduate and graduate students from a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives for sustained conversations grounded in dialogue, reflection, and shared inquiry.
At its core, CCF is built on a simple but powerful premise: The ability to engage constructively across differences is essential to a healthy democracy, and it can be taught, practiced, and strengthened over time. Drawing on over a decade of research conducted by UVA School of Education and Human Development Professor Rachel Wahl, the Fellowship approaches dialogue as an ongoing practice that shapes how students listen, respond, and participate in civic life.
CCF is built on a simple but powerful premise: The ability to engage constructively across differences is essential to a healthy democracy, and it can be taught, practiced, and strengthened over time.
The program is also expanding beyond Charlottesville. This spring, the Fellowship launched at Bowdoin College and at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise. These initial expansions mark the first steps in bringing the model to other campuses.
At UVA Wise, 15 students participated in the inaugural cohort, while 31 joined the program at Bowdoin. Early feedback highlights the program’s ability to build meaningful connections across difference. As one UVA Wise student reflected after completing the program this semester, “Hearing from people whose views were furthest from mine was most valuable because I got to know many of them and become friends with them despite our differences.”
This fall, CCF will pilot its first cross-campus cohort in partnership with Biola University, which will virtually bring together students from different educational and cultural contexts for a shared dialogue experience. George Mason University will also pilot the Fellowship as a one-credit course, testing how elements can be integrated into curricular offerings.
“We are excited to implement the Civic Cornerstone Fellowship at GMU because of the intentional approach to sustained dialogue and the opportunity to prepare students to engage with difference in constructive and mindful ways,” said Kristen Wright, director of George Mason University’s Office of Community Engagement and Civic Learning.
Interest from institutions across the country continues to grow, reflecting broader demand for programs that build skills for constructive civic engagement. CCF offers a research-grounded model that universities can adapt to their own needs while contributing to a larger vision: a national network of students prepared to engage across differences in thoughtful, productive ways.
Interest from institutions across the country continues to grow, reflecting broader demand for programs that build skills for constructive civic engagement.
Support from partners has been critical to that expansion. A grant from Wake Forest University’s Educating Character Initiative has helped lay the groundwork for broader adoption, and a recent commitment from More Perfect will further accelerate the program’s reach.
Together, these investments, along with the newly established UVA Parents Program Civic Cornerstone Fellowship Fund, position CCF for continued growth at a moment when its mission feels especially urgent. As the program expands, its goal remains constant: to connect students to one another and to the habits of mind and practice that sustain democratic life.