Chancellor Conway and Peter Seligmann sitting on a stage in front of a big red R

Bridging Minds:
Conversations that Deepen Understanding

The Art of Understanding

What if the key to solving our biggest challenges begins with understanding what's happening inside each other's minds?

Bridging Minds is a conversation series from Rutgers–New Brunswick Chancellor Francine Conway exploring what becomes possible when we make the effort to better understand ourselves and one another.

Drawing on Conway’s background as a clinical psychologist and her work on mentalization, the ability to understand our own thoughts and feelings while considering the perspectives of others, the series brings together leaders and thinkers for conversations about perspective, connection, trust, and how we navigate complex challenges together.

Episodes

Episode 1

Understanding the People You Serve with Mayor James Cahill

Chancellor Francine Conway talks with New Brunswick Mayor James Cahill about the importance of understanding the people and communities leaders serve. Their conversation explores how listening closely, building relationships, and staying connected to different perspectives can shape decisions, strengthen trust, and guide leadership over time.

Recorded March 2026 at the Livingston Student Center on the Rutgers–New Brunswick campus.

Episode 2

Seeing Potential in Others with Freeman Hrabowski

Chancellor Francine Conway talks with Freeman Hrabowski, nationally recognized higher education leader and former president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, about what it means to see potential in students, understand the experiences that shape them, and create the conditions for people to succeed. Their conversation explores how leaders can open opportunities, build confidence, and help others achieve.

Recorded May 2026 at the Academic Building on the Rutgers–New Brunswick campus.

Episode 3

The Power of Being Seen with Sheryl Lee Ralph

Chancellor Francine Conway talks with Emmy Award-winning actor and Rutgers alumna Sheryl Lee Ralph about the power of being seen, supported, and believed in. Their conversation explores connection, resilience, confidence, and what becomes possible when people take the time to recognize and encourage one another's potential.

Recorded June 2026 at The Liberty View at Independence Visitor Center in Philadelphia.

Episode 4

Listening Across Differences with Peter Seligmann

Chancellor Francine Conway talks with Rutgers alumnus and global conservation leader Peter Seligmann about leadership, resilience, and the importance of listening. Their conversation explores how curiosity and humility help people work across differences, approach complex challenges, and build greater understanding, as well as how universities can help students to engage thoughtfully with the world around them.

Recorded September 2026 at the Livingston Student Center on the Rutgers–New Brunswick campus.

Extending the Conversation

Through Bridging Minds, Chancellor Conway engages leaders, thinkers, and changemakers in conversations about understanding, trust, and connection. Those same themes inform her leadership of Rutgers–New Brunswick and are explored more directly in her Chancellor's Perspective essays, where she reflects on the opportunities, challenges, and responsibilities facing the university and society.

Making the Promise of College Real

Chancellor Francine Conway considers how her own path to college shapes her responsibility to students today, and what university leaders can learn when they pay closer attention to students’ lives.

Bridging Minds: What Curiosity Can Make Possible

Chancellor Francine Conway reflects on her Bridging Minds conversation with Rutgers alumnus and global conservation leader Peter Seligmann and what curiosity, listening, and humility can teach us about leadership, higher education, conservation, and working across differences.

Chancellor Conway speaking to a student wearing a backpack during move-in 2026

Helping Students Find Their Place and Their Path

Chancellor Conway reflects on what student success should mean today and how universities can help students build a sense of belonging, gain meaningful experience, and prepare for a changing world.