Cornell Mosaic, President's Council of Cornell Women and Cornell University Council Members
Program Vision
The Dialogue Across Difference online course—an opportunity to strengthen leadership, foster collaboration, and build community impact through:
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Strengthening Collaboration – Creating meaningful opportunities for two top volunteer groups to learn together and engage in cross-organization dialogue.
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Blending Learning & Connection – Pairing asynchronous coursework with live, facilitated sessions that encourage reflection, dialogue, and relationship-building.
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Building Community Impact – Uniting Cornell volunteers to exchange ideas and foster greater collaboration.
Time And Commitment - Save The Dates
The online, asynchronous course will be available for preview on Wednesday, October 22, 2025 at 9:00 AM ET, The course will start on Wednesday, October 29, 2025 at 9:00 AM ET and course requirements must be completed by Tuesday, November 18, 2025 by 11:59 PM ET
- Kickoff Session: Tuesday, October 21, 7:00 – 7:30 p.m. ET
- Pre-week course access starts 10/22/2025
- Course Duration: October 29 – November 18 (three weeks)
- Live Sessions:
- Monday, November 3th, 2025, 7:00–8:30 PM ET (synchronous component)
- Monday, November 10th, 2025, 7:00–8:30 PM ET (synchronous component)
- Monday, November 17th, 2025, 7:00–8:30 PM ET (synchronous component)
About The Course
Research shows that positive relationships and effective communication at work have a profound impact on individuals, teams, and organizations. Diminishing role ambiguity, providing employees with task-related help and information, strengthening employees’ identification with their work and their workgroups, enhancing progress and change, and fostering collaboration are just some of the key impacts. In this course, you will leverage dialogue tools and frameworks to enhance your leadership skills, while exploring strategies to strengthen connection, communication, and collaboration within your team and organization.
Participation in three 90-minute synchronous dialogue sessions is a requirement for successful completion of this course. These weekly sessions are led by trained facilitators from Cornell’s Center for Dialogue & Pluralism and will occur on the three Tuesdays during the course from 7:00 to 8:30pm ET.
The Center for Dialogue & Pluralism (CDP) at Cornell University is an academic initiative grounded in theory and practice. In the last few years, CDP has developed and implemented innovative programs in a variety of settings, aiming to strengthen human connection; foster understanding of differences in identity, opinion, background, and experiences; practice intentional communication; and lead collaborative change processes.
Key Course Takeaways
- Examine human connection and disconnection in the workplace
- Explore dimensions of difference related to identity, background, experiences, and perspectives
- Practice skills for effective dialogue and mutual understanding
- Complete a course journal reflecting on key teachings
- Participate in three synchronous practice sessions