This past August, the University of Michigan wrapped up its “Year of Democracy, Civic Empowerment and Global Engagement,” a themed year that involved campus-wide opportunities emphasizing the need to foster meaningful dialogue when confronting national and global challenges. A pillar of the University’s Vision 2034 plan, the University’s focus on democracy will continue past the 2024-2025 academic year as the Initiative for Democracy & Civic Empowerment. The Year of Democracy offered a variety of resources, including a Dialogues in Democracy Reading List, Promoting Democracy Teaching Series and The Democracy Collection available as virtual courses. In an email to The Michigan Daily, Dom Adams-Santos, the strategic consultant for democratic engagement for the Initiative for Democracy & Civic Empowerment, said the themed year united students to share diverse perspectives and have conversations that spanned across campus. Public Policy Prof. Stephanie Sanders, director of community engagement overseeing Bridge Builders, wrote in an email to The Daily that the collaboration exemplified the Ford School of Public Policy’s interdisciplinary approach.