Cultivating a Campus Culture of Civility

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Paula Lustbader, Cultivating a Campus Culture of Civility, Robert's Fund (2016)

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Summary

Incivility permeates our culture including in colleges and universities. Higher education influences each generation, engenders critical thinking, and establishes cultural norms for professionals. When we teach and model ways to facilitate robust, yet civil, discourse about controversial topics, we empower students to be constructive, civil, and engaged citizens in an increasingly polarized world. After offering a definition and framework for thinking about civility, the paper summarizes the pervasiveness and cost of incivility in our society generally and the presence and impact of incivility on schools specifically. The paper then provides suggestions on ways that higher education can cultivate a campus culture of civility.

Igniting a Culture of Civility

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Paula Lustbader, Igniting a Culture of Civility, WASHINGTON STATE BAR NEWS (January 2011)
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Summary

Outlining the goals of Robert’s Fund, Professor Lustbader defines civility broadly and pinpoints its significance in the legal profession. Lustbader understands civility to be more than just politeness—rather, civility is “courage with kindness.” She reasons that because lawyers are influential policy makers, encounter possibilities for conflict in their daily professional practice, and serve as role models for many people and communities, working to foster civility within the legal profession can promote greater civility in society generally. According to Lustbader, civility benefits lawyers personally, strengthens their profession, helps build meaningful relationships with clients, increases client loyalty and client base, and leads to more successful outcomes.