Frank Dukes just put out a notice on the Environment and Public Policy section (a section of the Association for Conflict Resolution) listserv an interting note about a new project called the Difficult Dialogues Initiative (http://www.difficultdialogues.org). From the website:
"Difficult Dialogues is a program designed to promote academic freedom and religious, cultural, and political pluralism on college and university campuses in the United States. Currently, 43 institutions are implementing projects that address these issues. While all projects seek to prepare students to constructively engage with difficult and sensitive topics, the projects address a wide range of substantive areas. These include topics such as: fundamentalism and secularism, racial and ethnic relations, the Middle East conflict, religion and the university, sexual orientation, and academic freedom."
I just signed up to attend their conference at San Jose State in early 2007. I hope they're willing to make some space for a non-academic.