Participant Testimonials

Jack Lannamann

UNH Communication Professor 

“Throughout the semester, our seminar members benefited from a growing cross-pollination of ideas and experiences made possible by the CDL. Several students took part in CDL events or were active members of the CDL and those students brought novel ideas and concrete examples from their experiences. This enhanced the course and is a clear demonstration that the CDL is providing not only a service to the broader community, but also a significant educational benefit to our students."

For Freedoms Events

Fall 2019

  • "Very interesting to me to hear others open minded thoughts."
  • "UNH has very thoughtful students"
  • "I learned a lot about how to think about the many different freedoms we have in society"
  • "I learned the stories of people"
  • "Discussion moderators did a great job"
  • "The engagement of conversation was done well, everyone had a chance to express thoughts."
  • "Everyone gave others time to speak"
Stories and Voices Series: An Interactive Dialogue Engaging the Stigma of Addiction & Stories of Hope

Spring 2018

  • “This was great. Never been to anything like it at UNH!”

  • “Had many different proposed solutions from so many great minds coming together.”

  • “Amazing program!”

  • “Great facilitators!”

  • “It was great to have experts.”

  • “The facilitator at the table was great at facilitating."

  • “Keep it up! What’s the next subject?"

  • "Thank you, important topic, appreciate facilitation.”

  • “I learned about policies that need to be changed.”

  • “I learned so much that I didn’t know but [what] was most interesting was others’ opinions and perspectives.”

  • “A lot of the facts in the program book were cool.”

  • “The questions were thought- provoking; the ground rules set a beautiful tone of respect and curiosity that we wove through the night—as well as a tone of understanding. Thank you."

  • “More events, loved it!”

Deconstructing Our Stories: Israel & Palestine

Fall 2019

  • “I learned the thoughts of people from different background[s] on this topic.”

  • “I learned a lot.”

  • “[The Program Guide] guided conversation but did not define it.”

  • “It was reaffirmed to me that similar backgrounds don’t have to mean similar opinions.”

  • “Having civil discussions with those who hold opposing views is uncommon, I learned we agree on much more.”

  • “The prompts and facilitators were helpful.”

  • “I learned some new vocabulary and historical events from the new point of the other ‘side’.”

  • “I came to this ignorant and I’m pleased to say I know a bit more.”

  • “Facilitators kept the program moving and did a good job organizing/speaking.”

  • “The programs and timeline were phenomenally organized and helpful to the discussion.

Becoming American Series

Fall 2019

  • “Profound films with multiple perspectives. Small group discussion was a great sharing experience.”

  • “Excellent UNH leader!”

  • “Small group: Profound. We could SEE each other and have more opportunities to interact - I didn’t want our discussion to end. PLEASE organize it this way in the future! Only regret is that I didn’t have a time turner because I really would have liked to be part of ALL the groups.”

  • “The process was welcoming. I loved the stories people told.”