2008 2009 Members

        The American Democracy Project is a multi-campus initiative that seeks to create an intellectual and experiential understanding Of civic engagement in the United States in the 21" century. The project targets undergraduates enrolled at institutions that are members of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). The project grows out of a concern about decreasing rates of participation in the civic life of America in voting, in advocacy, in volunteerism in local grassroots associations, and in other forms of civic engagement that are necessary for the vitality of our democracy. The goals of the project are: 1.) to increase the number of undergraduate students who understand and are committed to engaging in meaningful civic actions by asking participating institutions to review and restructure academic programs and processes, extracurricular programs and activities, and the institutional culture; and : 2.) to focus the attention of policy makers and opinion leaders on the civic value of college experiences. This project uses the definition of civic engagement proposed by Thomas Ehrlich and his colleagues in Civic Responsibility and Higher Education:

"Civic engagement means working to make a difference in the civic life of our communities and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values and motivation to make that difference. It means promoting the quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political processes." (Preface, page vi) "A morally and civically responsible individual recognizes himself or herself as a member of a larger social fabric and therefore considers social problems to be at least partly his or her own; such an individual is willing to see the moral and civic dimensions of issues, to make and justify informed moral and civic judgments, and to take action when appropriate." (Introduction, page xxvi).

The project seeks to 1.) create a national conversation among many campuses about the theory and practice of civic engagement; 2.) develop institutional commitment by involving senior administrators, faculty, staff and students; by addressing core institutional mission and purpose; and by focusing on civic engagement as a learning outcome for undergraduates; 3.) initiate new projects, courses and teaching strategies, extracurricular programs, and other programs to increase civic engagement, supported by the national project office; 4.) measure the civic engagement outcomes of undergraduates on participating campuses, and assess the impact of this project in contributing to greater civic engagement outcomes; and; 5.) disseminate the models that result to a wide audience of higher education institutions, individuals, and policy makers. The project initially will involve 130 member campuses of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) to participate, ultimately involving 130 presidents and chancellors, 130 chief academic officers, a minimum of 2600 faculty and staff, and more than 100,000 students. The national project structure will include co-directors from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and The New York Times, advice from a group of presidents and chancellors, operational guidance from, a group of chief academic officers, and collaborative assistance from a number of colleague groups that work in the field of civic engagement.  The basic concept of the project is a four-part approach to civic engagement, which includes initial, project design and planning, a national conversation among participating campuses, implementation of a variety of civic engagement projects on each of the campuses, and a process dissemination of best practices that will include media events and publications. The project is designed in such a way that campuses can join the first year or delay entry, allowing cohorts of institutions to move through the process. This strategy recognizes that some institutions are farther along than others, and honors the unique context and culture of each campus. The phased approach also allows institutions further along to assist campuses that are not at the same stage in their development. Project planning has been underway for more than a year, as the co- directors have met with presidents and chancellors who serve on AASCU's Committee on the Undergraduate Experience, a select group of AASCU chief academic officers, and individuals and groups in the field of civic engagement   

I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion. --Thomas Jefferson (1820)
 

        For some time now, commentators and critics have noted a decline in the degree of civic participation and engagement in American life. Decreased levels of voting, reduced levels of volunteerism, and less time spent on activities with neighbors have all been cited as examples of the decline in civic engagement in this new age. For example, in a 1987 poll of baby boomers, 77% said that the nation was worse off because of less involvement in community activities. Fifty percent of Americans in 1996 felt that we were becoming less trustworthy. In a 1999 survey conducted by Hart & Teeter, 68 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds reported that they felt disconnected from government. There is growing unease and a sense that something is fundamentally wrong in American society, that we have lost the sense of community that unites a nation. Ironically, in this age of hyper-connectivity, commentators and scholars lament the loss of a sense of community, a sense of connectedness. This new Age of Technology, despite its innovations, is accompanied by a growing sense of disconnectedness. Robert Putnam, a key scholar on this issue, notes that far too often the old patterns of community and neighborhood have given way to separateness and isolation. Bridge clubs, community groups, and even casual neighborhood associations are all losing members. We are increasingly, in Putnam's memorable title, "bowling alone' The danger is that our collective loss of association creates problems both for our society and for our democracy. At the precise moment in our history when immigration is swelling the number of Americans of different ethnicities and cultures, technology, work and other factors are separating us as neighbors and citizens. Community and neighborhood groups, along with the public schools, used to serve as agents in inculcating democratic values and ideals. These organizations and associations linked citizens from different backgrounds and perspectives, creating a sense of collective commitment to one another in order that we as Americans could live together effectively as neighbors, and as participating citizens in a great democracy.  The concern about a decline in civic engagement is not simply a wistful look backwards, nor is it a nostalgic yearning for a simpler time. The loss of sense of community, and the accompanying commitment to act in support of that community, reduces the effectiveness of the community to accomplish collective goals. Furthermore, it creates a downward spiral of opportunity: a reduction in groups and organizations diminishes opportunities for citizens to act for the collective good. Putnam describes the loss of participation as a loss of "social capital," a loss of the social networks that affect the productivity of individuals and groups. In the early years of our nation, an astute observer of America, Alexis de Tocqueville, noted that associations create positive effects on participants: "feelings and ideas are renewed, the heart enlarged, and the understanding developed only by the reciprocal action of men one upon another. Organizations and groups become places where people who are different interact, where forums allow ideas to be discussed and debated, and where democratic sills - running meetings, speaking in public, writing letters, and taking a position on the issues of the day - are learned. But perhaps the greatest loss our declining civic engagement poses is the threat to our democratic institutions. At the beginning of the 20'h century, John Dewey wrote that "democracy is more than a form of government; it is primarily a mode of associated living, of conjoint communicated experience. " Putnam argues that "the performance of our democratic institutions depends in measurable ways upon social capital." His study of democratic government in Italy found that regions with high levels of social capital provided a very supportive environment for democratic institutions, while regions with less social capital fared less well. Similarly, Putnam found that in the United States, individual states with high levels of social capital developed more innovative public policy. "Politics in these states is more issue oriented, focused on social and educational services, and apparently less corrupt. Preliminary studies suggest that states high in social capital sustain governments that are more effective and innovative." A task force of the American Political Science Association put it succinctly: ". current levels of political knowledge, political engagement, and political enthusiasm are so low as to threaten the vitality and stability of democratic politics in the United States" (APSA Task Force on Civic Education in the 21st Century, 1989). The American Democracy project rests on a core belief American democracy. that civic engagement is critical for the preservation and vitality of Benjamin Franklin, more than 200 years ago, reminded us of democracy's fragility. Upon exiting the Constitutional Convention in 1787, Franklin was approached by a group of citizens; they asked what sort of government the delegates had created. His answer: "A republic, if you can keep it."

    The civic engagement activities of another era may be just that. activities of another era, ones not likely to be replicated in this new age. While we may lament the passing of an era, we should not try to reproduce it.. Indeed, we may not be able to new century before us, and this new age of technology, will produce new forms of association, new ways to organize and build communities. Yet for this American democracy to survive and flourish, new forms of civic engagement must be created, if old forms are not to be reproduced. The concern about loss of civic engagement is not nostalgia for the past but a concern for the future. Universities and colleges have tried to respond to this concern using a variety of strategies, and today many institutions are actively involved in experiential education, Responsibility Anne Colby and her colleagues recently documented strategies for focusing on civic engagement at 12 institutions, examining strategies in both general education and the major, in out-of-class activities, and in the culture of the institution. Compact, for example, now boasts more than 850 members. Yet despite the important work underway on many campuses, and the enormous contributions of groups like Campus Compact, a recent report by Patricia Gumport et al. at the National Center for need for even more attention to this issue. "Higher education's performance for the most activity and a growing commitment to service learning, recent evidence indicates that today's college graduates are actually less engaged in the civic life of the nation than were preceding generations. NCPI's Collegiate Results Instrument (CRI), which looked at graduates six years after they received their baccalaureate degrees, documented just how seldom recent college graduates have worked on political campaigns, engaged in communitarian activity, or translated their commitment to social justice into action.' Within AASCU institutions, there is a special need. AASCU institutions are often institutions of access, where individuals are attending as the first members of their family to ever go to college. AASCU is also the most significant preparation ground for teachers: almost two-thirds of all teachers licensed each year come from AASCU institutions. Yet budget cuts in the last two years have made new initiatives especially difficult. And many AASCU institutions, with significant competing priorities, have not been able to develop the internal expertise and resources to focus on civic engagement. Only 155 of the 430 AASCU member-institutions belong to Campus Compact. But even among the most advanced civic engagement campuses, there is a need to make deeper and more profound structural, cultural, academic and service improvements that result in graduates who have both the knowledge and the commitment to remain engaged in the public life of this country.