800 WashU students.
324 pizzas.
108 tables.
The Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement, part of the Division of Student Success, is preparing for its biggest Longest Table event yet. Now a WashU tradition, the Longest Table invites students to build connections, share a meal and engage in meaningful conversations about the community and civic issues that matter to them most. This year’s event will be at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2, in Tisch Park on the east end of campus.
Stephanie Kurtzman, the Peter G. Sortino Executive Director of the Gephardt Institute, said the program’s exponential growth from 150 participants in its inaugural year of 2023 to nearly 600 students in 2025 proves how hungry the WashU community is for real conversation.
“Across the nation, people are concerned about the erosion of civic dialogue,” Kurtzman said. “By asking participants to bring curiosity and empathy to the table, we are creating a space where meaningful civic dialogue is possible. It’s really refreshing for the campus
community.”
Wednesday’s program has no formal agenda. Rather, students will share the topics and events that inspire hope or cause concern and how they can engage in civic life on and off campus. More than 100 volunteer facilitators, composed of WashU faculty and staff, will guide the conversations through a set of open-ended questions, encouraging students to lean into productive disagreement while honoring the perspectives and experiences of everyone at the table.
Kurtzman hopes students take lessons learned from the Longest Table to their classroom and their communities. She invites participants to continue the conversation at Gephardt’s weekly Civic Cafe series and the monthly Dialogue Across Difference First Friday Dialogue. The Division of Student Success also offers an eight-week “Dialogue Across Difference” course.
“There is a reason why we provide this experience at the start of the school year,” Kurtzman said. “We want to help students exercise that muscle of expressing their views. To hear something that is new or disagreeable and keep listening. To ask follow-up questions and stay in a conversation with someone who has a different background or different priorities.”
The origin of Longest Table events is unclear. Countless municipalities, nonprofits and community organizations have hosted similar gatherings over the years. But the Gephardt Institute has helped popularize the concept in higher education, sharing best practices with colleges and universities nationwide. The University of Mississippi, Tulane University and Florida State University are among the schools that now host their own Longest Table events.
Kurtzman said the Longest Table’s broad reach is key to its success. The program draws both undergraduate and graduate students from every school and discipline. She encourages students to register in advance, though walk-ins are welcome, space permitting.
“Sit by someone you don’t know. Build a connection with someone new. You never know who will be at your table or what you might learn from them,” Kurtzman said.
Event partners include: Dialogue Across Difference, the Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government, and Public Policy, the Center for Diversity and Inclusion, the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity, and the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics.
