RIC’s inaugural presidential forum proves respect still exists on the debate stage

Tim Yean

Sports Editor

(left to right) Dr. Richard A. Detweiler, Ted Nesi and Dr. Paul Harrington sat down to debate the focus on a college education. (photo cred. Tim Yean)

The attacks and vitriol “normally” seen on televised political debates was not seen Tuesday, Nov. 10 as Rhode Island College held its inaugural presidential forum, Liberal Arts vs. Workforce Education: Finding Common Ground, at the Gaige Hall auditorium Tuesday Nov. 10, to a crowd of both faculty and students.

The debate was hosted by RIC president Jack Warner. WPRI 12’s Ted Nesi moderated the debate between social psychologist and author Richard A. Detweiler, who is the managing director of HigherEdImpact.org, and labor economist Paul Harrington, who has conducted research on the impact of literacy and numeracy skills on labor outcomes for the Educational Testing Service through Rhode Island College. Following the event, President Warner was pleased with the outcome of the night’s conversation.

“Whenever there are differences of opinion, there’s a way to find common ground,” Warner told The Anchor. “Even if we end up agreeing to disagree, we can do so agreeably. It doesn’t have to turn into nastiness and ugliness, which typifies a lot of the debate that you hear going on in our larger society.”

WPRI 12’s Nesi felt the fact that two experts in their respective arguments can sit down together and have a respectful conversation showcases the real nature of the people of the United States rather than what is seen on social media.

“One of my big beliefs about American life in 2025 is that the vast majority of us are not as angry and polarized as social media wants us to think,” Nesi noted. “Maybe if this was a Twitter argument, everyone would start spitting hot takes and trying to ‘outdunk’ the next person and get kind of snarky. But in person with other human beings, you don’t really do that. It doesn’t play well, it doesn’t sit well with people.”

RIC Student Community Government president Dante DiGregorio was in attendance for the event. He noted the breakout rooms provided an opportunity for students to more actively engage with RIC administration and faculty.

“It was really nice to see new, fresh faces, and communicate a student perspective across a wider audience,” DiGregorio said. “I think that’s something that students need now more than ever.”

Dr. Detweiler during his opening statement. (photo cred. Tim Yean)

Dr. Detweiler, who was the proponent for the emphasis of the liberal arts experience creating more meaningful life outcomes, says that those outcomes come complete with the same money, yet that money feels more fulfilled in how it’s made.

“Yes, a job, but also living a life that that student will end up feeling as meaningful and useful over their lifetime,” said Detweiler.

Dr. Harrington, who emphasized the development of core skills (reading, writing, math) as the bedrock for more worthwhile opportunities in obtaining a college-labor job, says that colleges have pulled back on strengthening those skills, and that leads to literacy and numeracy skills of students not being pushed onto them.

“You wanna get good at pushups, do pushups, you want to get good at reading, read,” Harrington said during the debate. “You’ve seen a withdrawal in the education system from testing. How many papers do we give? How many bluebook exams do we give?”

Dr. Harrington during his opening statement. (photo cred. Tim Yean)

Both debaters, despite their differing viewpoints, showed much respect for each other at the end of the conversation, both grateful to have been given the time and place for a topic such as the focus of an educational institution.

“I thought Dr. Detweiler was, by far, the best proponent of the idea of liberal arts,” Harrington complimented. “I’ve been involved in a few of these things before, and the level of rigor and thought he brought was fabulous.”

Detweiler was ecstatic about the forum being held and the style of the conversation being peaceful and thoughtful.

“I think it was phenomenal that this forum happened here,” Detweiler said. “The idea that we can talk across that divide and understand they are really two sides of the same coin, and one can accomplish both.”

The refreshing part of it all is that it was exclusively a conversation about education. The supposed-to-be formal political debates that unravel into spitfests and one-liners, or the yelling contests at pop-up tents that flood short-form content reels, stand far and away from the decorum and thought shown at Gaige Hall last Tuesday evening, as SCG President Dante DiGregorio remarked.

“You got to actually think about what they were saying.”