Overcoming Social Exclusion

The Center for the American University article about the passing of my alma mater got me thinking about some of the discussions we've had over the past year on overcoming social exclusion and nurturing identity. Cognizant of the ongoing need for intellectual stimulation outside conventional frameworks, I am wondering what alternatives presently exist or might be created for curating social knowledge outside academia.

Since many of us no longer have an institutional affiliation in which to explore communication in its various modes, perhaps a cultural association of some sort would provide a social platform for such an endeavor.