New Witt Initiative on Civil Discourse Launches in the Margaret MacMillan Trinity One Program at Trinity College
Provost Nicholas Terpstra, Prof. Joy Fitzgibbon, Margaret MacMillan, Anne Witt ’86, Prof. Michael Kessler, and Chancellor Brian Lawson celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Margaret MacMillan Trinity One Program, October 2025.
Through a generous gift from Trinity alumni Anne and John Witt, Trinity College has established a visitorship in civil discourse in the Margaret MacMillan Trinity One Program. The creation of the Witt Initiative was announced during celebrations for the 20th Anniversary of the Trinity One Program last week.
Through the Witt Initiative, leading thinkers on issues and themes related to respectful public dialogue will actively engage with Trinity One students and other academic programs at Trinity College. The objective is to strengthen the connection between the classroom and the world beyond the campus. Through specialized workshops and lectures, students will be able to develop the skills needed to disagree in productive ways about the most pressing issues of our time. Invited experts will also hold events for the broader Trinity community.
“Teaching students how to engage in healthy debate is crucial for the future of public discourse. Leaders in all disciplines must learn to discuss and engage with diverse and opposing perspectives to ensure robust engagement and develop viable solutions to the challenges we face as citizens and fellow human beings,” said Professor Michael Kessler, Raymond Pryke Chair and Director, Margaret MacMillan Trinity One Program. “Through the Witt Initiative, Trinity One students – and the whole Trinity community – will be able to benefit from greater opportunities for dialogue and learning, enabling them to engage in truly inclusive debate and discussion with thought leaders from around the world.”
Anne and John Witt have spent over 25 years working globally and living in Hong Kong. Through their unique personal and professional experiences, they have seen the need for proactive discussion about how to engage in civil discourse. As parents of three University of Toronto graduates, they understand the enormous potential of Trinity One’s small-group setting for fostering just the kind of discussion needed to expand knowledge and promote understanding.
“This generous gift will strengthen the Margaret MacMillan Trinity One Program and its unique focus on teaching students through discussion and debate. Through 20 years of the Trinity One program, the support of exceptional donors has allowed it to grow and respond to the demands of the world beyond the university,” said Professor Nicholas Terpstra, Provost & Vice-Chancellor, Trinity College. “The generosity of our alumni and friends continues to make a real difference in the education of our students. We are truly grateful.”
The Margaret MacMillan Trinity One Program provides first-year students with the opportunity to explore major issues and ideas pertaining to human life and world affairs, while in a small-group environment conducive to deep discussion and interaction between faculty and students. The program consists of six streams: Anne Steacy Biomedical Health; Anne Steacy Medicine & Global Health; Butterfield Environment & Sustainability; Ethics, Society & Law; International Relations; and Policy, Philosophy & Economics. A part of the First-year Foundations Ones programs at the University of Toronto, Trinity One is open to all incoming first-year, full-time students from any college in the Faculty of Arts & Science on the St. George campus.
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