BACKGROUND
For the 2026-2027 academic year, the Office of Access and Institutional Excellence will support a range of events, programs and opportunities for students to explore challenging ideas, engage across differences and strengthen the skills needed for constructive dialogue.
Participants are encouraged to listen with curiosity, share their values and ideas more venturesomely, disagree better and seek common ground with viewpoints that may differ from their own.
Together, the Dialogue and Free Expression (DFE) programming will support a campus culture where open inquiry, intellectual exploration and respectful disagreement lead to an even stronger university community at Rice.
New students who would like to stay informed about DFE can opt in to receive communications here.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Please check back to this page for updated information throughout the academic school year.
Free Expression Lunch Group (Sept. 16, 23, 30): Is Free Speech Under Threat? One big question. Two great answers. Participants will discuss Charlotte Lydia Riley and Suzanne Nossel's book, which consists of two essays (one largely answering the question at the heart of the volume with 'yes' and the other largely responding with 'no'). The first luncheon will be held in person with a later discussion available via Zoom for students who can’t make it in person. Learn more and sign up here.
Dialogues on Difference (Every Friday at 12 p.m.): Student-led dialogue series providing participants with an opportunity to practice dialogue skills. Each week, Community Facilitators will present a topic and a brief presentation to invite student engagement through dialogue. For more information, contact Terrence Brooks at tjb8@rice.edu.
New Student Perspectives on Community and Free Expression: Finding Our Voice (Sept. 24): Before arriving on campus, more than 1,000 new students sent us their thoughts on issues related to community, free expression and dialogue across difference. Come and examine the resulting group portrait. What do the responses tell us about our aspirations as a community? Do they also suggest ways for us to meet those ambitions? Learn more and RSVP here.
How to Disagree and Learn Together (Sept. 28): What do you do when you disagree with your professor or when it feels like everyone else in the room sees things differently than you do? Join Rice faculty members Matthias Henze (Religion) and Scott McGill (Modern and Classical Literatures and Cultures) for a candid conversation about speaking up, navigating disagreement, and learning from perspectives that challenge your own.
Drawing on their experiences as professors and as co-instructors of God, Time and History, Henze and McGill will share how they approach difficult classroom discussions, what makes disagreement productive, and why engaging with different viewpoints can be an essential part of learning at Rice. For more information, contact Allie Kieffer at alexandra.kieffer@rice.edu.
How to Disagree and Work Together (anticipated Oct. 2026): Conversations with faculty members Eden King (Psychology), Danielle King Jordan (Psychology) and Sora Jun (Business), who research inclusion and diversity in the workplace. The discussion will focus on how this type of research can inform an approach to complex and contentious issues of disagreement, whether we can reliably distinguish ideological disagreement from bias and how to successfully navigate a changing political landscape. For more information, contact Allie Kieffer at ak63@rice.edu.
Houston, Dialogue, and the Common Good (anticipated Oct. 2026): Conversation with City of Houston leaders on how local issues in a diverse city can create opportunities to explore the common good. For more information, contact Alexander X. Byrd at axb@rice.edu.
Congress to Campus (anticipated Nov. 2026): A civic education initiative that brings former members of the U.S. Congress to colleges and universities for candid, nonpartisan conversations with students. For more information, contact Rosie Nguyen at rn66@rice.edu.
CAMPUS DIALOGUE LEADER DISTINCTION
Join GooseChase to earn points for attending, work toward the Campus Dialogue Leader distinction and enter our drawing for a special celebratory experience. Each event will have a password given that you enter in GooseChase to get points.
To earn the Campus Dialogue Leader Distinction, you must attend at least one Dialogues on Differences event and earn at least 100 total points in the GooseChase app. Individuals who earn the distinction will earn an additional entry into the drawing and a great skillset to add to their resume.
FOLLOW US ON OWLNEST
Students can also view future Dialogue and Free Expression events and receive notifications on OwlNest by becoming a member of the Office of Access and Institutional Excellence page. To join, click here.