SUNY Chancellor King Highlights Civil Discourse and Civic Engagement Opportunities as Part of Constitution Day Celebration

September 17, 2026

Chancellor King Joined Members of the Civil Discourse and Civic Education & Engagement Fellows for Roundtable Discussion; Announces Full Cohort

As Part of SUNY’s Commitment to Civil Discourse and Civic Engagement, SUNY Launches ‘Advancing Campus Pluralism’ Cohort in Partnership with Interfaith America

Photos Available Here


Albany, NY — State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. today held a roundtable to discuss SUNY’s civil discourse and civic engagement offerings and the importance of fostering civic dialogue as part of SUNY’s observation of Constitution Day. Chancellor King was joined by SUNY Oneonta students who are members of the Empire State Service Corps, and members of this year’s Civil Discourse and Civic Education & Engagement fellows, who promote implementation of SUNY’s civil discourse General Education requirement across the SUNY System, and support their peers through strategies to boost civil discourse and civic education and engagement.

As part of SUNY’s commitment to civil discourse and civic education, Chancellor King also launched the Advancing Campus Pluralism cohort in partnership with Interfaith America.

"Developing civil discourse skills and demonstrating civic engagement is an essential part of a well-rounded, excellent public higher education," said SUNY Chancellor King. "SUNY offers our students opportunities to engage in civil discourse, to build bridges that promote dialogue, and to undertake civic engagement efforts to build stronger communities on and off campuses."

The SUNY Board of Trustees said, "As we celebrate Constitution Day, SUNY is proud to advance civil discourse and civic engagement for our students. We commend this year's Civil Discourse and Civic Education & Engagement Fellows for their work to support our students, faculty, and staff. Through continued collaboration and innovation, SUNY is helping campus communities create relationships and mutual understanding across lines of difference and fully participate in civic life."

The fellows who participated in today's roundtable include:

  • Lisa D’Adamo-Weinstein: Director of General Education and Visiting Associate Professor at Empire State University
  • Aaron Herold: Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations at SUNY Geneseo
  • Elizabeth Hoyt: Assistant to the Vice President for Student Life and Chief Diversity Officer at SUNY Delhi
  • Caroline N. Sharkey: Assistant Professor in the School of Social Welfare at the State University of New York at Albany

They join the third cohort, which was announced today and also includes:

  • Leandro Benmergui: Associate Professor of History and Chair of Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies at SUNY Purchase
  • George K. Keteku: Associate Professor of Social Sciences at Westchester Community College
  • Kristin Ksiazek: Civic Researcher and High Road Fellowship Coordinator at the New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University
  • Karen Lister: Associate Professor of Psychology at SUNY Cortland
  • Angela McGowan-Kirsch: Associate Professor of Communication at SUNY Fredonia
  • Shamika Mitchell: Associate Professor of English at Rockland Community College
  • Robert A. Myak: Lecturer of Spanish at the State University of New York at Binghamton
  • Karen Wicka: Professor of Criminal Justice at Genesee Community College

Chancellor King also launched the Advancing Campus Pluralism cohort in partnership with Interfaith America: a non-profit that bridges divides, reduces prejudice, and fosters inclusivity. The inaugural cohort—selected in partnership with Interfaith America—spans 10 SUNY campuses. The cohort will focus on new curriculum and programming to build civil discourse capacity that fosters mutual respect, builds meaningful relationships across differences, and advances shared goals.

Last month, the cohort convened for the first time during Interfaith America’s Interfaith Leadership Summit in Chicago, Illinois, where three senior administrators, including one cabinet-level leader from each institution learned best practices for promoting and deepening campus pluralism and began creating a pluralism strategic plan. The strategies will focus on key levers of institutional change including institutional leadership, curriculum and scholarship, capacity building, and cocurricular engagement. Each campus will receive $25,000 from Interfaith America to support the implementation of their plans.

Interfaith America Director of Campus Partnerships Cassie Meyer said, "As an organization with over two decades of bridgebuilding expertise in the U.S. higher education context, IA is well-positioned to partner with SUNY campuses as they articulate and advance sustainable strategies for their distinct environments."

The Advancing Campus Pluralism Cohort includes:

  • State University of New York at Binghamton
  • State University of New York at Stony Brook
  • SUNY Brockport  
  • Buffalo State University
  • SUNY Cortland 
  • SUNY New Paltz
  • SUNY Oneonta
  • SUNY Plattsburgh
  • SUNY Purchase
  • Rockland Community College

State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky, Chair of the Higher Education Committee, said, "Knowing how to sit across from someone who disagrees with you, listen, and leave the room with more than you walked in with, needs to be taught and practiced. Making civil discourse a core competency for every SUNY student says we expect them to engage. The faculty and staff in this fellowship, and the ten campuses participating, are doing the quiet work that makes that possible. On Constitution Day, that is the most fitting tribute I can imagine."

State Assemblymember Alicia L. Hyndman, Chair of the Assembly Committee on Higher Education, said, “Constitution Day is the perfect time to learn about the importance of civics and civil discourse at a time when our First Amendment is under attack. I am proud that the State University of New York - as an alum of SUNY New Paltz - is leading the way in civic education and engagement at its many institutions via the SUNY General Education Framework. I want to thank SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. and the SUNY Board of Trustees for making this a priority throughout the university system's many campuses."

The Advancing Campus Pluralism Cohort in partnership with Interfaith America was announced in the 2026 State of the University agenda and is part of SUNY’s ongoing efforts to advance civil discourse. From programs like the Empire State Service Corps - New York’s largest AmeriCorps program – that provides opportunities to give back to local communities to initiatives like the Building Bridges Student Grant Program that supports civil discourse on campus, SUNY is strengthening civic engagement across New York. In 2024, SUNY announced efforts to support nonpartisan student voter registration and civic engagement, including the ALL In Campus Democracy Challenge. Additionally, SUNY has also updated its undergraduate general education curriculum to add a civic discourse component to ensure students gain the skills necessary to participate in civic life and engage in healthy dialogue in order to secure the future of our democracy.

The Civil Discourse and Civic Education & Engagement fellowship is also part of SUNY's efforts to highlight the excellent research taking place throughout the SUNY System. Recently, SUNY announced the recipients of the annual Dr. L. Eudora Pettigrew Women's History Summer Research Excellence Grants for student researchers. In April, SUNY announced the winner of the annual Dr. Virginia Radley Fellowship Program for SUNY faculty members. The SUNY AI Symposium was also held in April at the State University of New York at Stony Brook to highlight AI leaders, SUNY researchers, educators, and partners who are advancing discovery, driving AI innovation, and generating economic growth in New York State. In March, the SUNY Research Expo was held in Albany to showcase the groundbreaking agricultural, environmental, artificial intelligence, and medical research taking place throughout the SUNY system. In February, Chancellor King announced the launch of the SUNY Research Connect Portal to showcase the research profiles of nearly 7,000 SUNY researchers from 26 campuses.

About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state's only college of optometry, 12 Educational Opportunity Centers, over 30 ATTAIN digital literacy labs, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.7 million students across its portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2025, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and annually one in three New Yorkers who earn a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.

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