April 10, 2017
Civility starts with K-Staters
Today marks the start of the celebration of Kansas State University's Civility Week.
We at K-State view civility as "the free and respectful exchange of different ideas." This week, students, faculty and staff have the opportunity to apply this view during Championing Civility Week, through April 14, and participate in events that explore ideas and open up new dialogue on civility from a variety of perspectives.
Sadly, many Americans believe civility in our country is on the decline. The seventh annual Civility in America poll found that 79 percent of Americans believe the 2016 U.S. presidential election was uncivil; 69 percent believe the U.S. has a major civility problem; and 75 percent of us now believe that incivility in America is a crisis.
Civility starts with the K-State community. Championing Civility Week will highlight many examples of civil dialogue models that we might all consider and practice in our communication with others. As you attend events this week, I encourage you to think about what we, the American people and the K-State community, can do to turn this disturbing trend around and improve civility on our campuses, in our communities and in our country.
This week's events, which coincide with World Civility Day on April 13, include several program and dialogue opportunities to engage and collaborate on ways to change our country's concept of civility — a value our nation needs. Please see the full schedule of events for more information.
Hope to see you throughout the many events this week.
David Procter
Director Center for Engagement and Community Development