The Bridging Differences in Higher Education Learning Fellowship is an eight-month facilitated virtual learning community, hosted by UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center (GGSC). The experience centers on the GGSC’s Bridging Differences free online course, giving participants a common reference point that is based on science.
The Learning Fellowship engages leaders in higher education who want to foster more constructive dialogue and understanding across group lines on college campuses in the United States, including lines of race, religious faith, culture, politics, or beyond. Participants will learn from each other at the same time that they’re gaining research-based skills and insights from the GGSC’s online course, our Bridging Differences Playbook, and our new Bridging Differences in Higher Education Playbook. Over eight months together, they connect around the successes, challenges, and questions that come up for them as they try to bridge differences on their campus. There is no cost to participate in the Learning Fellowship, nor does it provide recipients with any financial support.
1. The Campus Cohort is designed as an introductory cohort for campus leaders—faculty, administrators, or staff—from individual colleges and universities across the United States. The cohort will learn key principles and skills for bridging differences and explore how those principles and skills can be applied to their campus, whether in the classroom or across the campus. Participants do not need to have prior experience with bridge-building work, though ideally they have ideas for how they might bring what they learn from the cohort back to their campus.
Next cohort: Fall 2026. We are Accepting Applications until May 30th, 2026. Apply for the Campus Cohort here!
2. The Organizational Cohort is for representatives from independent organizations (not affiliated with a single university) working to bridge differences on at least five different college campuses. It is designed for those with prior experience in cross-group dialogue and other bridge-building efforts in the context of higher education, helping them strengthen connections with peers and advance the field. Through regular discussions with one another, they will identify challenges facing their field, sharpen their skills, support one another as they address complicated issues, and unite around common goals to advance their work.
Next cohort: Fall 2026. We are Accepting Applications until May 30th, 2026. Apply for the Organizational Cohort here!
3. The Project-Based Cohort It is geared more specifically to campus leaders who plan to launch or refine a specific initiative focused on bridging differences on their campus in the current academic year. As a result, membership in the Project-Based Cohort will be limited to just 25 members to enable more concentrated and in-depth support of their projects. These 25 members will be divided into five smaller “teams” of five.
Must have participated in our Campus Cohort to be eligible to join. Next cohort: Fall 2026. We are Accepting Applications by Invitation Only.
4. The Alumni Network fosters ongoing connection and collaboration across our community of past fellows. The network is open to any faculty, staff, administrator, or other campus leader who has completed the Campus or Project-Based Cohort. It runs every academic year from September until May.
Must have participated in our Campus or Project-based Cohorts to be eligible to join. Next cohort: Fall 2026. We are Accepting Applications by Invitation Only.
More than 260 campus leaders—faculty, staff, and administrators—have participated in the Learning Fellowship so far, along with multiple representatives of 39 leading organizations working to bridge differences on college campuses nationwide, including Interfaith America, BridgeUSA, Constructive Dialogue Institute, and Institute of Citizens and Scholars.
Previous participants have praised the practical skills and community they gained from the Fellowship. Here’s what some of them have said about it:
“A tremendous opportunity to set the bar high for bridging differences and explore how it can be done with a plethora of tools and practical strategies.”
“Thank you for creating and holding space for professionals in the country and around the world to engage in conversations about bridging differences. I’d love to see this practice reach more participants. Much appreciated!”
“The best part, by far, were the discussions with colleagues around the U.S. ... Their enthusiasm for this work was infectious and exciting to me.”
More details about the Fellowship are provided below.
- Learning Objectives
- Campus & Organizational Cohorts
- Project-Based Cohort
- Alumni Network
- About the Team
- Application & Eligibility
- Timeline
Learning Objectives
Participants in both cohorts will:
- Develop a deeper understanding of science-based strategies to bridge differences
- Explore how these strategies can be applied in different settings on college campuses
- Hone specific skills that can support efforts to bridge differences on and across college campuses
- Connect with other leaders who are doing this work in a similar context, identifying new collaborators and allies
- Understand the character strengths that support—and are strengthened by—the practice of bridging differences
- (Organizational Cohort only) Coalesce around a set of best practices and goals for the field.
Campus & Organizational Cohorts
Members of the Campus and Organizational Cohorts will meet on monthly 90-minute Zoom calls for eight months. The focus of each monthly session will center on one of the eight modules in the Bridging Differences online course. Participants will progress through the course together, sharing ideas for how to apply the lessons from the course to their work on campuses and helping one another work through the challenges and questions that might come up for them as they do this work.
Each facilitated monthly session will include:
- An opening grounding exercise
- An overview of the science covered in that month’s course module
- A presentation from a leading practitioner working to bridge differences on college campuses, explaining how they use the skill covered by that month’s course module
- Two small-group breakout discussions where participants can discuss their own experiences with that month’s content and their ideas for applying it to their work moving forward
- All-group discussions where they can hear from the rest of their peers, with members of the Organizational Cohort joining the Campus Cohort
In their small-group breakout discussions, members of the Organizational Cohort will connect with peers also working across multiple college campuses. Through their discussions, they will share their goals and motivations for doing their work, explore challenging questions for their field, and identify best practices that they would like to share and spread. In the process, they will strengthen relationships with key partners and look for ways to collectively advance their field.
Project-Based Cohort
After the projects are selected, we will divide them into five groups. The group composition will be based on the focus of each project: We will try to group together projects that are targeting a similar divide (e.g., religious conflict), area of campus life (e.g., residential life, course curricula), skill (e.g.,empathic listening), or audience (e.g., faculty) on their campus, or share another core area of focus. The groups will also be determined, at least in part, by each fellow’s schedule. These groups will meet monthly via Zoom, joined by a GGSC facilitator, to support the development of their project, with each fellow receiving regular opportunities for feedback and suggestions on their projects from their peers and GGSC staff.
At the start of the Learning Fellowship, we will ask fellows to create SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely) goals for their projects to ensure clear and attainable objectives. Before, during, and after their first monthly meeting, they will receive feedback on these goals from the GGSC. Prior to each subsequent monthly session, they will fill out a feedback request form, allowing them to specify the areas where they need the most assistance. This preparation ensures that the sessions are focused and productive, addressing the most pressing issues faced by each participant.
In addition to the small group meetings, we will convene the entire cohort of 25 fellows bi-monthly to explore a broad area of shared concern and hear from expert speakers. These virtual sessions will cover crucial topics such as measurement and evaluation, strategies for cross-group engagement, recruitment, and gaining buy-in. The expert presentations will equip fellows with insights and practical tools that they can apply to their projects. These bi-monthly meetings will also include time for small breakout groups, where fellows will learn about the work of other cohort members outside of their regular small group, fostering a broader exchange of ideas and experiences. In these breakouts, fellows will discuss specific challenges and obstacles related to the skill being covered in the session.
This format not only enhances their understanding of the topic at-hand but also builds a broader sense of community and shared purpose among the cohort members.
Alumni Network
The Alumni Network provides ongoing support to past fellows. Open to any faculty, staff, administrator, or other campus leader who has completed the Campus or Project-Based Cohort, this network fosters ongoing connection and collaboration across our fellow community. The network features bi-monthly virtual meetings, along with an email list for ongoing updates, support, and peer learning.
Each bi-monthly, 90-minute session includes:
- A welcome that includes a grounding exercise to set a positive tone
- A session overview outlining the goals and agenda.
- A presentation delivered by a fellow or guest speaker
- Fellow-led sessions will have two parts, the first part will be a general update on their bridge-building project, focusing on their successes, strategies, and general lessons learned. After a Q&A and discussion, the same fellow will deliver the second part of their presentation: a “skill-share” segment, teaching a specific bridge-building skill or related skill (e.g., for measurement and evaluation, outreach) that they’ve used in their work and that other fellows might benefit from.
- Breakout conversations to discuss alumni projects, exchanging challenges, success stories, and potential solutions.
- A full-group debrief, where representatives from each breakout group will share key points from their discussions and any actionable insights or follow-up items before the facilitator offers closing remarks and ways to stay connected until the next session.
About the Team
For our current cohort, we are honored to have Dr. Allison Briscoe-Smith, GGSC Senior Fellow as the facilitator for our Bridging Differences Higher Education Learning Fellowship. Our 2026-2027 facilitation team will be announced soon!
Our Bridging Differences Program Director, Juliana Tafur, serves as advisor and our Bridging Differences Program Coordinator, Criss Cuervo, supports with logistics and content as needed.
Application & Eligibility
There is a short application to participate in any of the cohorts, with limited space to support more intimate connections, conversations, and learning.
The next Campus & Organizational Cohorts, Project-Based and Alumni Network will run September 2026 - May 2027. The application window is now open!
Please also be aware of the following rules for eligibility:
- The Campus Cohort is for faculty, administrators, or staff from individual colleges or universities. Applicants must work in higher education, preferably in the United States.
- The Organizational Cohort is for representatives of organizations that a) deliver a program to bridge differences among members of a college or university campus community, and b) run this program across at least five campuses (i.e., their work scales across multiple campuses and is not limited to a particular college or university), preferably in the United States.
- Project-Based Cohort will be limited to just 25 graduates of our Campus Cohorts Ideal for those who seek help developing or strengthening a program on their own campus that focuses on bridging differences. Participants can join by invitation only.
- Alumni Network will be limited to graduates of our Project-Based, Campus and Organizational Cohorts. Participants can join by invitation only.
Timeline
Fellowship Timeline: All groups kick off in September 2026 and culminate in May 2027. See detailed schedule here.
If you have any questions about this opportunity, please email us bridgingcourse@berkeley.edu
This Learning Fellowship is supported by generous grants from the Educating Character Initiative at Wake Forest University, the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, and the Einhorn Collaborative.
