Frigo is one of 16 directors elected to the Board of Directors of the National Issues Forums Institute (NIFI).
Bob Frigo, assistant dean of campus life and director of the Kernodle Center for Civic Life, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the National Issues Forums Institute (NIFI). Frigo is one of 16 directions elected to the distinguished group. Their term begins this year and runs through Spring 2025.
Based in Dayton, Ohio, NIFI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that serves to promote public deliberation about difficult public issues. Its activities include publishing the issue guides and other materials used by local forum groups, encouraging collaboration among forum sponsors, and sharing information about current activities in the network.
The NIFI group is comprised of directors and officers from diverse fields such as government, journalism, and secondary and higher education. Many NIFI directors also have extensive experience in neighborhood and civic organizations, libraries, and religious organizations.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to serve on the Board of Directors for the National Issues Forum Institute (NIFI). While on the board, I would like to work with NIFI to ensure that the organization continues to provide high-quality tools and resources for colleges and universities, schools, and community groups across the nation. These tools help individuals develop the necessary skills to engage in dialogues across differences to address challenges facing our communities, states and our nation,” Frigo said.
Frigo has worked with NIFI to assist the Kernodle Center for Civic Life in hosting Deliberative Dialogues events and the Active Citizen Series. A Deliberative Dialogue is hosted each semester on campus on topics ranging from rebuilding the economy to policing.
“We use the outstanding issue guides created by the National Issues Forum Institute to facilitate these conversations,” Frigo said. The events are opportunities for students, faculty, staff, and community members to gather and exchange diverse viewpoints and experiences to seek a shared understanding of a challenge facing our society and to search for common ground for action. The dialogues are also a part of the center’s Active Citizen Series.
“The Active Citizen Series is designed to cultivate the next generation of informed leaders who will help strengthen communities and shape our democracy,” Frigo said.
The series allows students to gain a deeper understanding of how government works and to develop the necessary skills to engage in civil discourse across political divides.
Frigo and the other newly elected members will begin their term at the end of December 2023.