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Directions for Dialogue

Ten Years of IDP at Cornell

June 3 - 4, 2023
Ithaca, New York

Join us as we ask together: what good does dialogue enact in the world, and how can we continue imagining more inclusive ways of connecting with one another?

This conference-meets-reunion event, a collaboration between IDP and ILR WIDE, will convene ten years of IDP alumni, IDP’s campus partners, and DEI faculty experts on the Cornell Ithaca campus to reflect on IDP’s achievements, learn about IDP’s impact in spaces beyond Cornell, and identify new directions for dialogic approaches to diversity, equity, and inclusion work both on campus and beyond.

About

Since the founding of the Intergroup Dialogue Project at Cornell in 2012, our program has expanded exponentially beyond our initial 40-person undergraduate course. Today, IDP’s work includes eight credit-bearing courses, orientation sessions for all incoming undergraduate students, college-wide initiatives to support faculty teaching, and more. A noteworthy development is a pathbreaking collaboration with ILR: the Center for Workplace Inclusion & Diversity Education (ILR WIDE), a key sponsor for this conference. While IDP’s programs have branched out in a multitude of directions, the heart of the program is still a commitment to communication across difference and critical hope, one that scrutinizes the structures of inequity we inhabit and chooses to believe in everyone’s capacity to create a more inclusive future. For this reason, as we celebrate ten years of achievement and impact, we also want to reflect collectively with our broader community (alumni, campus partners, and current students) in June 2023 for a reunion and conference, Directions for Dialogue: Ten Years IDP at Cornell.

In true dialogue fashion, our vision for this event is a collaborative effort to teach and learn from the unique experiences, perspectives, and expertise of our IDP community. Through industry-specific roundtable discussions, skill-sharing workshops, and community-building events, we will identify current DEI issues, practice dialogue-based skills and methods for approaching them, and build a network of support across industries. With ILR WIDE faculty, we will also examine the possibilities for dialogue in the workplace. Ultimately, we seek to understand: what good does dialogue enact in the world, and how can we continue imagining more inclusive ways of connecting with one another?

Directions for Dialogue: Ten Years of IDP at Cornell will convene our broader community to identify new directions for dialogic approaches to diversity, equity, and inclusion work both on campus and beyond.

Schedule

Saturday, June 3

9:00 AM – 9:30 AM
Welcome Breakfast
Statler Ballroom
9:30 AM – 10:45 AM
The Impact of Cornell IDP: Reviewing & Assessing 10 Years of DEI Innovation

Since its founding in 2012, IDP has consistently adapted to meet the evolving needs of Cornell’s community and to address broader socio-political issues. During this interactive presentation, we will outline the four key development areas underlying our work in recent years: human connection, social identity, intergroup communication, and strategic change. In addition to sharing IDP’s impact in each development area, we will also explore core pedagogical practices and values that have guided the program in the past decade.

Statler Ballroom
10:55 AM – 12:10 PM
Dialogue in the Workplace Panel

How do we understand the most pressing DEI issues in the workplace at this moment? How can dialogue help us address these issues and create more inclusive and effective work environments? We will frame this plenary session by hearing from a panel of ILR faculty experts and seasoned dialogue practitioners. The session will include significant small and large group conversations, as well as opportunities to engage with our panelists.

Statler Ballroom
12:10 PM – 1:00 PM
Lunch
Statler Ballroom
1:20 PM – 2:45 PM
Social Identity & LARA Session

One of IDP’s key pedagogical achievements has been a redefinition of social identity that serves two purposes: it interrogates our relationships to systems of power and access, and it allows us to recognize everyone’s responsibility and capacity to impact change. In this session, we will introduce our framework for thinking about identity and use LARA, our principal method for communication across difference, to explore our own relationships to social identity.

Martha Van Rensselaer Hall
2:55 PM – 3:55 PM
Dialogue in Context: Alumni Perspectives

Part of what makes dialogue an effective intervention is its adaptability. Whether in a clinical setting, a corporate office, or a classroom, dialogue encourages us to approach challenges with an intent to understand different perspectives and collaborate towards more inclusive and equitable outcomes. This session will help us think concretely about applying dialogue in our own specific industries and fields, as we hear from alumni panelists about how they use dialogue in their professional contexts.

Martha Van Rensselaer Hall
4:05 PM – 5:30 PM
Strategic Change & Strategic Questioning Session

For many, the biggest challenge in change processes is not identifying issues, but figuring out how to start confronting them. IDP has developed frameworks to help reflect intentionally about our individual agency and responsibility to promote inclusion and equity. In this session, we will introduce these frameworks and collaboratively explore how we can personally and collectively effect change through the use of a key tool, strategic questioning.

Martha Van Rensselaer Hall
6:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Reception

Join us for a cocktail hour reception to connect with other members of the IDP and ILR WIDE community

Baker Portico
7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Closing Remarks & Dinner
Clark Atrium

Sunday, June 4

10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
IDP Reunion Brunch
Toni Morrison Multipurpose Room
11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
IDP Alumni Initiatives

(IDP alumni and student facilitators only)

Toni Morrison Multipurpose Room
1:00 PM – 1:30 PM
Closing

(IDP alumni and student facilitators only)

Toni Morrison Multipurpose Room

Lodging

We have reserved a block of rooms for conference attendees at Cornell’s new residence hall, Toni Morrison Hall, 18 Sisson Pl, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA.

Reserve a Room

Financial Assistance

Limited funding opportunities will be available to IDP facilitators (current or former) with demonstrated need to help cover travel and lodging expenses. Funding priority will be determined based on the attendee’s needs, their role in planning, volunteering for and/or leading parts of the conference, and demonstrated commitment to IDP. 

Register for the conference by March 15 to be considered for financial assistance. Applicants will be notified of the outcome by April 1. 

Attendees applying for financial assistance for lodging must make a reservation using the link above for Toni Morrison Hall. IDP will not provide financial assistance for lodging if the attendee chooses to stay elsewhere.

Housing Choices

Toni Morrison Hall features single and double rooms arranged in suites with shared bathrooms. Most suites are formatted with 3 singles, 1-2 doubles, a full bathroom, and a half-bathroom.

Single room – $103.50/night

Single bed in a single-occupancy room. Bedroom contains an extra-long twin bed, a wardrobe and a three-drawer bureau, a desk and desk chair, a desk lamp, a wastebasket, and a recycling bin.

Double room – $144.00/night

Two single beds in a double occupancy room. Bedroom contains, for each occupant: an extra-long twin bed, a wardrobe and three-drawer bureau, a desk and desk chair, a desk lamp, a wastebasket, and a recycling bin. You will be responsible for coordinating a roommate.

Housing rates do not include the required registration fee. Housing rates will have applicable tax added at checkout. Selecting a double room will require you to find and coordinate with a roommate. Conference & Event Services requires the roommate’s registration information 14 days before the guest’s arrival. 

Check-in Details

Check-in for on-campus housing will be conducted at the Robert Purcell Community Center service desk at 2:00 PM on your day of arrival.

No early arrivals are permitted without specific prior arrangements. The RPCC service center is open daily from 7:00 AM until 11:00 PM. If participants arrive after 11:00 PM, student staff will be on-call and the number to call is posted at building entrances.

Amenities

Residential spaces in Toni Morrison Hall will be provided the following amenities as follows:

Bed made fresh upon arrival with a mattress pad, sheets, blanket, bedspread, pillow, and pillowcase, towels (3) and face cloth (3), soap, drinking cup, make-up remover wipe, and clothes hangers. The entirety of the hall is air-conditioned and equipped with wireless internet access.

Registration Package

Registration Fee $55.00

The Registration Fee applies to all housed attendees regardless of the length of stay. Please contact conferences@cornell.edu with any questions regarding registration.

Conference & Event Services Housing License

Cornell University requires a signature on the Conference & Event Services (CES) Housing License for any attendees staying in on-campus housing.

CES On-Campus Housing Terms and Conditions highlights commonly needed information for on-campus housing guests. All housed guests must download, complete, and return the appropriate Housing Terms and Conditions form.

Guests have the following options:

  1. print and return via email to CESHelp@cornell.edu
  2. print and bring to check-in
  3. read beforehand and sign a paper copy upon arrival

CES will not be able to distribute keys unless they have a signed copy of this form. While they appreciate guests completing this beforehand, they will have paper copies available at check-in.

Registration has closed.

IDP is committed to remaining financially accessible. There are no fees to register for Directions for Dialogue.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be provided on Saturday. Brunch will be provided on Sunday. 

Financial Assistance

Limited funding opportunities will be available to IDP facilitators (current or former) with demonstrated need to help cover travel and lodging expenses. Funding priority will be determined based on the attendee’s needs, their role in planning, volunteering for and/or leading parts of the conference, and demonstrated commitment to IDP. 

Register by March 15 to be considered for financial assistance. Applicants will be notified of the outcome by April 1.

This conference is by invitation only.

Please contact idp@cornell.edu with questions.

Sponsors