Students at University of the Pacific will be challenged to have “fearlessly curious conversations”—listening and learning from each other, even on difficult topics—as part of a new university-wide common book program for new undergraduates.

All first-year and transfer undergraduates are receiving copies of “I Never Thought of it That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times,” by Seattle-based writer Mónica Guzmán. The book also is available to other students at the Don and Karen DeRosa University Center front desk.

President Christopher Callahan launched the common book program to encourage engaging conversations, build community and help students become global citizens.

“At Pacific, we focus on teaching our students not what to think, but how to think, giving them the tools to be open-minded, lifelong learners and leaders,” the president said. “Mónica Guzmán’s excellent book embraces that concept in a thoughtful, lively and accessible way that helps give readers the critical skills to listen to each other and hear how others view difficult and complex issues.”

Pacific has had common reads for select groups of students in the past, but this will be the first university-wide program for all new undergraduates. Each year will explore a new theme, which will be woven into students’ first-year experiences through activities in the classroom, residential halls and events hosted by the Division of Student Life.

“This is an exciting opportunity for students from all disciplines to be united through a shared theme,” said Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Gretchen Edwalds-Gilbert. “This initiative will not only challenge our students to become more engaged learners but prepare them to be thoughtful, informed citizens in an increasingly polarized world.”

One of the signature events for Pacific’s inaugural common read will be an evening with the author. Guzmán will speak Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. as a featured guest in the university’s newly launched Pacific Presidential Speaker Series. The keynote conversation is open to the community and will be held in Faye Spanos Concert Hall on the Stockton Campus.

The common book project was led by Vice President for Student Life Maria Blandizzi and Assistant Vice President Josh O’Connor, who came to Pacific from UCLA, which has a rich tradition of common book programs for new undergraduates.

“We want our students to have a strong sense of purpose and belonging in order to thrive at Pacific,” said Vice President for Student Life Maria Blandizzi. “Through shared reflection with their classmates, residence hall advisors, faculty and others in the campus community, we hope this program inspires our students to become thoughtful leaders and compassionate peers.”

In her book, Guzmán, the liberal daughter of conservative Mexican immigrants, shares her experiences bridging the political divide with her parents, how to see the world through opposing viewpoints and the power of curiosity.

She serves as a senior fellow for public practice at Braver Angels, a nonprofit working to depolarize America. Callahan and Guzmán served together on the National Advisory Board of the Poynter Institute, the Florida-based global media studies center that focuses on the advancement of ethical journalism, in 2014 and 2015.

Learn more about Pacific’s new common book initiative and this year’s selection.