The Dialoguing Across Differences group is honored to have been selected as the recipient for the 2018-2019 McMurrin Professorship. This is the first time the award has been presented to an undergraduate group.

The Sterling M. McMurrin Distinguished Visiting Professorship at the University of Utah was endowed by O. C. Tanner in 1980. This professorship honors Professor McMurrin who was himself an E. E. Ericksen Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University, former U.S. Commissioner of Education, former Dean of the Graduate School at the University of Utah, and a noted philosopher and historian.

The McMurrin Professorship brings to the University a scholar of recognized eminence in their field. The purpose of this endowed chair is to raise the level of campus discourse and enrich undergraduate education in cooperation with a selected college or department each year. McMurrin Professors are expected to offer one or two public events and to be available to meet with undergraduate students and faculty.
This year, we are excited to host Dr. Phil Neisser and Dr. Jacob Hess, authors of "You're Not as Crazy as I Thought (But You're Still Wrong): Conversations between a Devoted Conservative and a Die-Hard Liberal." 

See the full list of events below!

Jacob Hess

Jacob Hess is the author of 15 peer reviewed articles exploring contrasting narratives of mental health and sociopolitical issues, and helped create Mindweather 101, a mindfulness class for people facing depression or anxiety.  Jacob has also (co)authored three books: You’re Not  as Crazy as I Thought, But You’re Still Wrong, Once Upon a Time…He Wasn’t Feeling It Anymore and A Third Space: Proposing Another Way Forward in the LGBT/Religious Conservative Impasse. His upcoming book with three other scholars, "Mindfully Mormon," explores the interface between Mormonism and mindfulness practice. His work with Phil Neisser at State University of New York has been featured on This American Life and was honored by Public Conversations Project. As a proud partner of Living Room Conversations,the Village Square and board member for the National Coalition of Dialogue & Deliberation, Jacob’s life work is dedicated to making space for thoughtful, good-hearted people to find understanding (and affection) while exploring together the deepest of disagreements. Jacob's professional site is Unthinkable.cc.

Phil Neisser

Dr. Phil Neisser currently serves as the Dean of Business and Liberal Arts at the State University of New York at Canton. His prior work experience includes a professorship in political theory at the State University of New York at Potsdam. He is the author of United We Fall: Ending America’s Love Affair with the Political Center, a coauthor (with Jacob Z. Hess) of You’re Not as Crazy as I Thought (But You’re Still Wrong): Conversations between a Devoted Conservative and a Die-Hard Liberal, and a coeditor (with Sanford F. Schram) of Tales of the State: Narrative in Contemporary U.S. Politics and Public Policy. Two ideas undergird all of this work, that political disagreement is healthy and that mutual understanding is possible. His pro-disagreement work with Dr. Hess was featured in 2012 on National Public Radio’s This American Life. Finally, in 2015 he and Dr. Hess were jointly awarded the Public Conversations Founders' Award by Essential Partners, in Boston, Massachusetts.

Schedule