USU Hosts Events With Cornel West, Robert George to Celebrate Civic-Mindedness
Utah State University will mark the Center for Civic Excellence’s first semester and celebrate its strategic pillar of civic-mindedness with events on Nov. 12 and 13, including a panel with special guests Cornel West, Robert George, Gov. Spencer Cox, and Disagree Better’s Marianne Viray.
“This fall, we took the first step toward reimagining general education at Utah State through our new Center for Civic Excellence, bringing courses together around a shared goal of helping students think critically, engage with different perspectives, and develop skills that will serve them throughout their lives,” USU Pres. Brad L. Mortensen said. “Now it’s time to celebrate and lean into our work.”
Students Invited to a Jefferson Dinner
In pursuit of that, the center is providing students the opportunity to join a “Jefferson Dinner” at 6 p.m. Nov. 12. Started by founder Thomas Jefferson, a Jefferson Dinner is an event where people with a variety of viewpoints dine together while discussing a controversial or complex public square issue. It provides an opportunity for participants to develop skills in productive disagreement and civility.
The Jefferson Dinner is free, but spots are limited, so students who want to attend should RSVP to save their spot.
Community Welcome at Civic-Mindedness Panel
USU will host “From Campus to Community: Cultivating Civic-Mindedness” at 2 p.m. Nov. 13 in the Eccles Conference Center.
George and West will kick things off with a conversation about fruitful disagreement, followed by a panel discussion about the role higher education can play in helping students navigate complex issues and contribute to their communities. In addition to West and George, the panel will include Gov. Cox and Mortensen, and Viray will moderate.
Described as the “ideological odd couple,” George and West are co-authors of “Truth Matters: A Dialogue on Fruitful Disagreement in an Age of Division,” published in July 2025. Like they do in their book, George and West model robust intellectual engagement and civil discourse across differences. The president’s office is asking those who plan to attend the panel to RSVP. Statewide campus community members who RSVP will receive a link ahead of time to attend virtually.
“Civic-mindedness is one of our four strategic pillars, and an important key to it is learning how to engage respectfully with people who see the world differently than we do,” Mortensen said. “We’re excited to host these events and give our community the opportunity to learn more.”
About the Center for Civic Excellence
The Center for Civic Excellence oversees and assesses a unified and coordinated general education program at Utah State University with the purpose of helping students build practical, durable skills. This fall, the center introduced 23 new courses providing a broad foundation in American institutions, creative arts, humanities and communication literacy, life science, physical science, quantitative literacy, and social science. New courses include “Flourishing and the Good Life,” “Pathways to Intercultural Understanding,” and “Planetary Change and Human Futures.”
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