For nearly 40 years, the Program on Intergroup Relations has equipped University of Michigan students with the skills and spaces needed for difficult dialogues — in the process, establishing and growing an entire field of work around intergroup relations education and intergroup dialogue programs.
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This year, the IGR is taking steps to expand its impact by growing campus capacity for dialogic work at all levels through Dialogue Michigan and investing in leadership for the future of dialogue at U-M and beyond.
“IGR has been a national and campus leader in intergroup dialogue pedagogy for decades,” said Kelly Maxwell, LSA’s senior assistant dean for undergraduate education. “It’s exciting to see the work expand in new directions and to new audiences with the commitment to Dialogue Michigan, as well as the partnership with the Difficult Dialogues National Resource Center.”
Elevating campus conversations
Last year’s Difficult Dialogues Meet the Moment initiative demonstrated the campus’s hunger for the tools to have authentic, challenging conversations. More than 750 individuals from 89 departments across the university participated as IGR and campus partners came together to pilot the program.
Building on that momentum, the initiative has become Dialogue Michigan — empowering students, faculty and staff to engage deeply across differences.
Through Dialogue Michigan, the U-M community can participate in expanded workshops, find new resources, connect with practitioners, and take advantage of collaborative opportunities designed for the complex realities of current times. The program will be incubated in IGR, positioning it to draw on and strengthen U-M’s impact as a national leader in dialogue practice, and ensuring that campus continues to be a place where transformative discussions thrive.
Adan Hussain will join IGR as the inaugural Dialogue Michigan director, bringing more than a decade of achievement in higher education strategy, inclusion and program development.
At U-M, Hussain directed the Kessler Scholars and First-Generation Gateway programs, launching high-impact scholarship initiatives, fostering inclusive communities, and surpassing retention rates both regionally and nationally. He oversaw multi-million dollar budgets, built enduring campus partnerships, and institutionalized programs that support over 4,000 first-generation students.
A seasoned facilitator, Hussain has led dialogue workshops and other trainings for students, staff and faculty at institutions like Ohio State, where he also taught a course grounded in the IGR’s Michigan Model of Intergroup Dialogue.
Hussain’s approach centers on strategic growth and intersectionality, weaving together educational research, cross-campus collaboration, and personal connection.
“Dialogue is a powerful tool for fostering understanding, especially when divisive rhetoric keeps us from learning from one another,” Hussain said. “We should never be afraid to engage across our differences, and I am proud to lead an initiative that invests so deeply in our community’s capacity for transformative conversation.”
Donna Rich Kaplowitz led the Meet the Moment pilot in 2024-25 and, in August, returned fully to IGR as co-director, where she serves alongside interim co-director Roger Fisher.
“I’m delighted that the work we started last year will continue under Adan’s skilled leadership, and I’m excited to see next steps for Dialogue Michigan,” Kaplowitz said.
A strengthening partnership
The Difficult Dialogues National Resource Center announced recently that their board of directors has voted to pursue a robust institutional affiliation with U-M, with IGR and LSA as its administrative home.
The DDNRC’s decision reflects years of collaboration and shared commitment to fostering transformative dialogue in higher education.
As DDNRC continues its independent 501(c)3 operations during this transitional period, this partnership will create opportunities to amplify resources, training and national programming — while keeping intergroup dialogue and intergroup relations education at the center of IGR’s mission.
