The 16 participating institutions will work with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, and the Humphrey Institute’s Center for Democracy and Citizenship to define the characteristics of “civic agency.”

Participants will share and plan strategies to develop civic agency in undergraduate students, design ways to measure civic agency, and share their findings and teaching methods with others nationwide.

“The faculty and staff at Western have been redesigning the university experience for students in ways that will help students become dedicated and effective civic leaders, and we are excited to be able to share and exchange ideas about the successes of those efforts so far as part of this initiative,” said Carol Burton, assistant vice chancellor for undergraduate studies. “Western is committed to helping our students become true citizens for life, and true citizens are civic leaders in their communities.”

Burton will coordinate the American Democracy Project Civic Agency Initiative at WCU and attend an organizing meeting in November at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. WCU committee members working with her include Bart Andrus, associate director of leadership; Christopher Cooper, associate professor of political science, director of the master’s degree program in public affairs and director of the Public Policy Institute; Glenn Bowen, director of the Center for Service Learning; John Habel, associate professor of educational psychology; Kathleen Brennan, assistant professor of sociology; Marie Cochran, assistant professor of art; Marsha Lee Baker, associate professor of English; Niall Michelsen, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; Scott Philyaw, director of the Mountain Heritage Center and associate professor of history; Sean O'Connell, associate professor of biology; and Provost Kyle Carter.

“The goal of this initiative is to integrate citizenship into core curricula in fields such as teaching, business and health, so that students leave higher education with the skills and confidence needed to make ongoing civic contributions as professionals, as well as residents of their communities,” said George Mehaffy, director of the American Democracy Project, in announcing the initiative. “Specifically, students will develop skills of collaborative problem-solving and working across partisan, economic and cultural division by engaging in hands-on work with campus and community partners, supported by faculty and staff coaches.”

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Last Modified: Monday, Oct. 13, 2008