Fostering a Culture of Healthy Debate

Published Date June 16, 2026
News Type College News

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, right, talks to Washington Academic Internship Program students (from left) Allison Sachs, Leena Futoryansky, Armaan Chaudhary and Paul Renner at the John Glenn Excellence in Public Service Award ceremony.

By Joan Slattery Wall

Our nation’s Founding Fathers recognized the natural conflict of the American experiment, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox told John Glenn College of Public Affairs students in Washington, D.C., last week, but engaging in civility requires constant effort.

“The whole Constitution was set up to force us to work together to have debate — strong, healthy debate, healthy conflict — without tearing each other apart, because you do have to build these coalitions,” Cox said, acknowledging this year’s 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. “What I remind people is civility and working together isn’t about all of us having a Kumbaya and coming together. I want you to argue passionately for your beliefs. But what it means is we treat each other with respect. So we attack ideas and not people. That’s really important to me.”

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, left, received the John Glenn Excellence in Public Service Award from Acting Dean Stephanie Moulton.

Recognizing Cox’s commitment to bipartisanship and working across differences to advance the public good, the college presented him with the 2026 John Glenn Excellence in Public Service Award in the nation’s capital on June 8.

Cox has a long history of public service as a city council member, mayor, county commissioner and state legislator before being appointed as Utah’s lieutenant governor in 2013. He was sworn in as governor on Jan. 4, 2021. 

During his first term in office, Cox cut $1.1 billion in taxes; implemented landmark changes in water law, water conservation and infrastructure planning; locked in record funding for education and teachers; enacted universal school choice; and secured funds for affordable housing. 

A longtime advocate for suicide prevention and mental health resources, he’s become a national voice on protecting youth from the harms of social media. 

“Not only does he live out public service, but he creates pathways and incentives for others to serve,” Acting Dean Stephanie Moulton said when presenting Cox with the award. 

He encourages public service as a way to build the country together across party lines. He also champions dignity and respect for all Americans, even if we disagree politically.

Acting Dean Stephanie Moulton
John Glenn College of Public Affairs

For example, as the chair of the National Governor’s Association in 2023, Cox, together with Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland, then vice chair, launched an initiative called Disagree Better, now an independent nonprofit that works with celebrities, athletes, musicians, public figures, influencers and political leaders to show what respectful disagreement looks like in action. Cox also is working on a book, due this fall, about how to be a peacemaker in an age of contempt.

A Legacy of Public Service

Read about John Glenn Excellence in Public Service Award past recipients, including recent honorees, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur; Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond, the first commander of the U.S. Space Force; and former U.S. Comptroller General Gene Dodaro.

In his acceptance speech, Cox talked about the ways the U.S. founders struggled with disappointment in the progress of the nascent nation following the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

“The founders, as we look back now 250 years later, there were two things that they thought were absolutely critical for an experiment in self-government to survive — two things that the population needed,” Cox said. “They needed knowledge, and they needed virtue, right? They needed smart people who were also good people.”

“If we want people to believe in government, we need public servants like John Glenn who are really good at what they do,” Cox said. “They’re smart people. They care deeply. They’re ... doing the research and taking it where it leads them. But they’re also good human beings.”

Through Disagree Better, he said, he discovered that research shows a powerful way to combat depolarization in our country is through service and volunteering and giving back.

“It’s hard to hate up close,” he said. 

When we’re spending time with people who are different than us — or even better, when we’re serving people who are different than us — our contempt for them lessens dramatically. 

Gov. Spencer Cox
Utah

“What we discover is that we have much more in common than we ever had in opposition to each other, and that we have opportunities to build on those relationships,” he said.

“If I could change anything in this country, it would be to move us to mandatory service like some other countries do,” Cox said. “I think service, whether it’s religious-based service, military-based service, nonprofit-based service, whatever it is, a requirement like that would be very helpful.”

Cox called Sen. John Glenn a hero to himself and to so many people.

“The way he lived his life and served his fellow men and women in the state of Ohio and all across this country is an example to me and to every public official,” Cox said. “I’m grateful that his legacy lives on through this award and through this incredible college and especially through these amazing young men and young women that I got to spend time with and talk to and take questions from.”