I seek a D for Dialogue. Dialogue in not simply a sexy word for talking, nor is it a proxy for positioned debate. It is not squishy, talky, folksy and rambling discussion. Dialogue implies a 360 degree shift in our notions of a lively, robust public space. It is a powerful tool for community communication.
Dialogue challenges our very notions of who the experts really are.
The Kennedy School has the reputation and the resources to advance cutting edge forms of engagement and discourse. In these forms, students, faculty and administration come together over the difficult issues, which face both our school and our global community. In these forms, we are able to confront the differences in the values underlying the positions we advance. Instead, the Kennedy School now holds a full-length mirror to the public sphere. Some of leadership s clearest voices are suppressed underneath neatly packaged statements from experts and questions from a passive audience sitting in rows before them.