Convene with Purpose Speaker Series
Regular events feature speakers who bring together audiences of differing viewpoints to address urgent, real-world challenges.
American Stories, Shared Futures: Building Civic Dialogue Through History, Identity, and Belonging
You are part of the process. From Michigan to Washington, D.C., join UM-Flint students with community members, students, faculty, librarians and educators for meaningful - and entertaining - conversations to strengthen civic skills and public engagement. Speakers will include artists, authors, educators, historians, and digital creators.
Audience: U-M students, faculty, staff; nonprofit leaders; educators; Flint community residents
From Audience to Investigators: Community Forums on AI
A productive space for a controversial topic. Four community forums in Ann Arbor and Detroit will explore artificial intelligence, enabling participants to learn and be heard. The outcomes of the forum will become the Michigan AI Public Agenda, a public report documenting what Michigan communities want from AI, the information and safeguards they would accept, and where they agree and disagree. The program will offer an interactive public briefing for each forum for anyone to explore the claims, tests, and results; and a Community AI Dialogue Toolkit that other organizations can adopt.
Audience: General public; U-M community
Grounds for Flourishing: Bringing Campus and Community into Dialogue
Explore difficult conversations at your own pace. Rather than immediately enter conversations about complex or potentially divisive issues, Grounds for Flourishing starts with informal gathering to help build trust. From there, participants are invited into facilitated conversations. Gatherings will happen in Ann Arbor, Detroit and elsewhere.
Audience: U-M students, faculty, staff; general public; practitioners working in social work, health, education, housing, and related fields.
Preserving Democracy: The Future of American Political History
Historical records help people understand how earlier generations navigated conflict, built civic trust, and addressed difficult public problems. This program will bring together archivists, librarians, scholars, students, public officials, advocacy groups, and community members to explore how political history should be preserved and made accessible in the 21st century.
Audience: Archivists, librarians, students, scholars, policymakers, general Michigan public.
The New Public Square: A Convene with Purpose Speaker Series
Technology, media, artificial intelligence, and new forms of influence are transforming how Americans encounter ideas, understand public issues, and participate in democracy. This series will feature nationally and regionally recognized voices helping to create a high-profile, nonpartisan forum where prominent leaders and broad public audiences can examine these changes through informed, respectful conversation.
Audience: Wider Michigan public as well as U-M students, faculty, staff, and alumni.