The Problem: When Randolph-Macon Woman's College went coed in 2007, sides formed, divides deepened, and tension clouded the once peaceful Virginia campus. Some seniors were opposed to graduating from a coed school and resented male first-year students. Faculty and trustees were deeply divided over the college's finances. 

The Shift: Over a period of fifteen months, 200 faculty, staff, and students came together in small groups to share their hopes, expectations, and frustrations about the College’s decision to go coed, the impact on the College’s finances, and community morale. PCP then trained nineteen faculty and staff and fourteen students to conduct constructive conversations on campus so the dialogues could continue. Faculty members are working to devise venues for inclusive participation by everyone on campus. Using principles and practices of dialogue on college committees, both faculty and staff are practicing what they learned in the training.

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