Last year, I asked hundreds of students, faculty and staff to participate in a simple word exercise — what three words come to mind when I say “Allegheny College?” Time and again, one word stood at the center of their responses: community.

Published definitions of community often include some variation of ‘a group of people with shared interests.’ At Allegheny, our shared interest is education — as such, I view us as a community of learning strengthened by its people contributing diverse expertise, experiences and perspectives. I believe, at the root of such a community is free expression with trust, respect and care for one another.

We affirm this with our Statement of Community, committing to creating an inclusive, respectful and safe learning community while challenging harassment and discrimination. All members of the Allegheny community should feel safe in their identity and in their ability to express their points of view respectfully, welcoming respectful challenges to their opinions while listening to the views of others. This is an important part of learning, particularly in the liberal arts where we find meaning by actively engaging different perspectives with curiosity and compassion, thinking critically about issues, disagreeing without dismissing and recognizing humanity in each other.

In this regard, college campuses are being tested by today’s hyper-polarized world where there seems to be diminishing space for listening and learning that values engaging different views and ideologies with curiosity and compassion. The polarization seems especially entrenched with social media as a space where “facts” can be promoted and accepted without evidence, personal attacks abound and ideas are “debated” without context — in stark contrast to what we value as a liberal arts college.

And tragically, throughout history, entrenched ideological divides have turned to acts of violence and hatred as we’ve witnessed too often in our lifetimes. Nobody should live in fear of violence and hatred because of their identity, beliefs or opinions, and violence brings no victory.

I find a sense of grounding in the strength of higher education in America as it rests on the free exchange of ideas, leading to better understanding of others and fostering innovation and creativity to solve problems and resolve differences. At Allegheny College, we have a commitment to freedom of speech and inquiry while challenging harassment and discrimination, and I believe we have a willingness to be a community where learning, respect and belonging thrive. The Sustained Dialogue Institute provides us with tools for this as they remind us that true dialogue isn’t about winning arguments, but about listening deeply enough to learn. Members of our campus community are trained facilitators for Sustained Dialogue and led multiple dialogues last year with more to come this year — I encourage you to learn more and participate as these are advertised. When we create space for authentic conversation, we strengthen our foundation of freedom of expression and inquiry.

As we move into Fall Break, I invite you to join me in renewing our long-standing commitment to education rooted in respect, inclusion and learning freely with the courage to learn from one another. When we stand united as a learning community, showing the enduring power of education, we strengthen not only Allegheny but the future of our democracy.