Press Release

CONTACT: Debra Humphreys
(202) 387-3760
E-mail: humphreys@aacu.org

Seven Colleges and Universities Chosen to Sponsor Dialogues on Journey Towards Democracy: Power, Voice, and the Public Good

Washington, DC—July 17, 2003—The Center for Liberal Education and Civic Engagement announced today the names of seven colleges and universities chosen to receive grants to support campus community dialogues as part of a national dialogue project. The following institutions were selected as part of a highly competitive national competition that elicited 137 proposals for only seven announced awards: Richard Stockton State University (NJ), St. Lawrence University (NY), University of Massachusetts, Boston, University of Michigan, University of South Dakota, Virginia Wesleyan University, and Wagner College (NY).

“Journey Towards Democracy,” sponsored by the Center for Liberal Education and Civic Engagement, a joint initiative of the Association of American Colleges and Universities and Campus Compact, will sponsor robust and candid dialogues about how to put student learning about democracy and the public good at the center of academic inquiry. Through these dialogues, participating institutions will explore how students are currently learning about the practice of responsible citizenship. The dialogues also will lead to new concrete strategies for centering such learning squarely in the academic core of a contemporary liberal education.

“We were thrilled at the overwhelming response we had to this initial call for proposals from our new Center,” said Caryn McTighe Musil, vice president, Office of Diversity, Equity, and Global Initiatives at AAC&U. “Given the response to our call, we can clearly say that there is a groundswell of interest in addressing creatively and with commitment how to educate a new generation of students to find their voice, recognize their own power, and use their newfound wisdom and skill in the service of the public good.”
While shaped by the specific circumstances of each participating institution, “Journey Towards Democracy” dialogues will address such questions as:

• What do students need to understand today about democracy, power, voice, and the public good?
• What skills and knowledge do today's students need to move across communities of difference and function effectively in a multiracial, multicultural democracy?
• How might students' engagement with democratic questions be informed by historical context, assisted by the tools offered by select disciplines, and evaluated through ethical self-reflection?
• How is responsibility for democratic education valued and rewarded in today's academy?

“The schools participating in this project each bring a unique perspective to the challenge of educating students for today's democratic challenges,” said John Saltmarsh, project director, Campus Compact. “We are confident that these dialogues will lead to a new understanding about the directions institutions can take to make civic learning a core component of every graduate's education in the twenty-first century.”

“Encouraging college students' civic engagement and their knowledge about the workings of our increasingly diverse democracy is of paramount importance for today's academy and a key component of a contemporary liberal education. Every student should be challenged to explore our nation's ongoing journey towards democracy,” said Elisabeth Zinser, president, Southern Oregon University and vice chair of AAC&U's board of directors.

Dialogue activities will take place on participating campuses between August 2003 and July 2004.

For additional information about the Center for Liberal Education and Civic Engagement and the “Journey Towards Democracy” dialogues, visit www.aacu.org/civic_engagement/projects.cfm.

For additional information about AAC&U, visit www.aacu.org; for additional information about Campus Compact, visit www.compact.org.

The Center for Liberal Education and Civic Engagement is designed to support leadership, scholarship, and campus-community partnerships that advance the multiple and profound connections between civic engagement and liberal learning. Acting as a catalyst and incubator of new ideas, campus-based innovations, research, and collaborations, the Center seeks to deepen understandings of the connections of liberal education to service and civic responsibilities. Founded in 2003, the Center is the result of a partnership between the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and Campus Compact.

AAC&U is the leading national association devoted to advancing and strengthening liberal learning for all students, regardless of academic specialization or intended career. Since its founding in 1915, AAC&U's membership has grown to more than 1000 accredited public and private colleges and universities of every type and size.

AAC&U functions as a catalyst and facilitator, forging links among presidents, administrators, and faculty members who are engaged in institutional and curricular planning. Its mission is to reinforce the collective commitment to liberal education at both the national and local levels and to help individual institutions keep the quality of student learning at the core of their work as they evolve to meet new economic and social challenges.

Information about AAC&U membership, programs, and publications can be found at www.aacu.org.

Campus Compact is a national coalition of more than 900 college and u niversity presidents committed to the civic purposes of higher education. To support this civic mission, Campus Compact promotes community service that develops students¹ citizenship skills and values, encourages partnerships between campuses and communities, and assists faculty who seek to integrate public and community engagement into their teaching and research.