It’s been three months since the historic occupation of the US Capitol. In the weeks since, many Americans—including graduates of US colleges and universities—have made statements that ignore current realities and deny our history. The Learning Zone theory can help educators create environments where our students feel safe enough to share ideas, test out new ways of seeing the world, admit they may have misunderstood or believed wrong information, and listen to the ideas of others.

The sustainability of interdisciplinary programs is tenuous in the best of times. They often exist through cross-listed courses, operating without tenure-track faculty positions or even program budgets. But adversity begets creativity. In this financially challenging pandemic environment, the creative strategies outlined in this article have helped programs survive and thrive.