Can America’s public liberal arts universities restore critical thinking and civility in public discourse?

Higher education’s role in today’s politically charged era of misinformation and fake news will be debated by three prominent experts at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia, on Thursday, April 20, 2017. The 7 p.m. panel discussion to be held in Dodd Auditorium of George Washington Hall will be moderated by Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and international relations, and director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at UMW.

Panelists are Sara Cobb, director of the Center for the Study of Narrative and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University; Julian Hayter, a historian at the University of Richmond’s Jepson School of Leadership Studies; and Audrey Watters, a journalist specializing in education technology news and analysis, and editor of Hack Education.

The discussion is among a week of activities to celebrate the inauguration of UMW’s 10th president, Troy Paino, who will be installed Friday, April 21.