Jill Cermele’s research will occur during a fellowship with the Segal Center for Academic Pluralism
September 2025 – Drew University Professor of Psychology Jill Cermele has been named a 2025-26 Fellow to the Segal Center for Academic Pluralism at Heterodox Academy.
The Segal Center supports scholarship focused on the importance of open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement in higher education.
Cermele received the fellowship after proposing an applied research project focused on creating resources to help students develop emotional regulation and coping skills, with the goal of facilitating students’ confidence in and ability to engage in constructive dialogue and disagreement about important topics and concepts.
“As we all know, it can be challenging to engage in conversations that feel personally and intellectually challenging, but this is a critical part of the intellectual experience of college, as well as a critical life skill,” said Cermele.
By developing workshops and resources, the project will create tools for students to be able to fully and effectively engage in difficult conversations and use their emotions to facilitate rather than interfere with these discussions.
“My teaching and scholarship focus on boundary setting, empowerment, and stress and coping,” said Cermele. “This research is really an extension of that work, and I am excited to immerse myself in this project and experience.”
Cermele is also looking forward to bringing the materials developed during the fellowship back to Drew following her sabbatical.
“Drew has always offered a stellar education where students are encouraged to think critically and analytically, to take intellectual risks, and to engage in important conversations,” she said. “The ability to engage confidently, peacefully, and productively across differences is a crucial transferable skill, and I’m looking forward to bringing that focus back to Drew next year.”
