The Bridging Differences in Higher Education Playbook
The newest edition of our popular Playbook, published October 2025, shares adaptable research-backed practices designed to help campus communities connect across lines of race, faith, ideology, geography, and more. Whether you are a faculty member, student affairs professional, or campus leader, this Playbook gives you ready-to-use frameworks to strengthen connection, collaboration, and understanding across our differences.
What’s Inside the Playbook
- 16 research-based bridging practices each grounded in science and real campus case studies
- Step-by-step tools and reflection guides for applying these practices in classrooms, residence halls, leadership programs, and more
- A framework connecting each practice to core character virtues—like patience, curiosity, and intellectual humility—and the habits that strengthen them over time
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If you find our resources helpful or thought-provoking, please share them with a colleague or friend to help everyone benefit from these science-backed practices.
The Bridging Differences in Higher Education Playbook was made possible through the generous support of the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations and the Educating Character Initiative at Wake Forest University, with additional funding provided by Einhorn Collaborative.
The Bridging Differences Playbook
Downloaded over 400,000 times, our original Playbook is designed for a general audience that wants to develop stronger bridging skills. After reviewing decades of scientific studies, interviewing dozens of leaders, and surveying the landscape of relevant programs, we collected enduring wisdom and best practices for bridging political, racial, religious, or other divides. This well-loved resource distills it all into a set of skills and strategies that support positive dialogue, relationships, and understanding between groups or individuals.
What’s Inside the Playbook
- 14 research-based skills each grounded in science and real-world applications
- Step-by-step guides for applying these skills in your life or with your organization
- Four “bridging personas” to illustrate different types of bridge builders and inspire different ways of embodying these practices
Bridging Differences Online Course
Our free edX course offers best practices for bridging differences that draw on scientific findings and case studies from real-world programs. It illustrates how these evidence-based strategies can be applied to the divisions and conflicts that show up in our everyday relationships and in various sectors, with a particular focus on university and college campuses. Built on the popular Bridging Differences Playbook, the course is taught by Professors Allison Briscoe-Smith and Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton—gifted and engaging teachers who draw on a wealth of knowledge in the science and practice of bridging differences.