Concepts of civic learning and democratic engagement are central to the purpose of higher education, especially for community colleges. This volume: establishes a philosophical framework for civic learning and democratic engagement in community colleges, details several approaches to enhancing the civic capacities of students in these institutions, provides best practice examples and lessons learned from practitioners in the field, and addresses some of the sticky issues such as: What are the outcomes of civic learning programs and practices? How might civic competencies transfer to other settings? Is there a connection between civic skills and those valued in the workplace? This is the 173rd volume of this Jossey-Bass quarterly report series. Essential to the professional libraries of presidents, vice presidents, deans, and other leaders in today's open-door institutions, New Directions for Community Colleges provides expert guidance in meeting the challenges of their distinctive and expanding educational mission.

Twenty-five leaders from the higher education and service-learning sectors provide insight into what works in building citizenship through civic engagement on their campuses and communities. From small colleges to large universities, these strong voices demonstrate that American democracy is very much active and prepared for the 21st century.

This report from the National Task Force on Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement calls on the nation to reclaim higher education's civic mission. Commissioned by the Department of Education and released at a White House convening in January 2012, the report pushes back against a prevailing national dialogue that limits the mission of higher education to workforce preparation and training while marginalizing disciplines basic to democracy. It calls on educators and public leaders to advance a 21st century vision of college learning for all students, a vision with civic learning and democratic engagement an expected part of every student's college education. The report documents the nation's anemic civic health and includes recommendations for action that address campus culture, general education, and civic inquiry as part of major and career fields as well as hands on civic problem solving across differences. This report was prepared at the invitation of the U.S. Department of Education under the leadership of the Global Perspective Institute, Inc. (GPI) and AAC&U. It was developed with input from a series of national roundtables involving leaders from all parts of the higher education and civic renewal communities.

"This book of contributed chapters is for educators who want to improve their understanding of the role higher education can play in developing students who are actively engaged in democratic processes and civic engagement opportunities"--

Given that students are increasingly arriving on campus with limited civic knowledge, and the fragile state of our democracy, there is an urgent need to incorporate civic learning into courses, programs, systems, and processes throughout our institutions. This book provides administrators, student affairs educators, and faculty with frameworks and examples for developing initiatives and programs to promote students’ civic learning and democratic engagement; set sustainable, campus-wide goals; track student learning outcomes; and make data-driven decisions that impact the campus climate for civic engagement.For many campuses, the first step is to assemble a diverse team of faculty, staff, students, and community partners to review existing programs; research national organizations that offer data, support, and benchmarks for sustainable initiatives; identify examples of practice such as those described in this book; and consider the diversity of the student body and local community, their needs, and the opportunities they offer.Beyond two opening chapters that provide foundational grounding for this work, this volume offers nineteen emerging and promising examples of how a range of institutions—from community colleges and liberal arts universities to state and Research One institutions—are addressing the need for civic learning, promoting civil political discourse, engaging students in voter registration and mobilization, and on how to work with legislators on issues—and how to promote this work on a non-partisan basis.The chapters identify a wide range of resources and organizations that support the work of civic engagement both nationally—such as AAC&U, Campus Compact, NASPA, Institute for Democracy & Higher Education, the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement, and the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement—and at the state level.When designed and executed well, civic learning programs can foster competencies for lifelong citizenship and inspire young people to see themselves as civic actors and problem-solvers, to seek diverse viewpoints and perspectives, and to make change in their communities. This book offers ideas, resources, and frameworks to undertake this vital task.

"To Serve a Larger Purpose" calls for the reclamation of the original democratic purposes of civic engagement and examines the requisite transformation of higher education required to achieve it. The contributors to this timely and relevant volume effectively highlight the current practice of civic engagement and point to the institutional change needed to realize its democratic ideals. Using multiple perspectives, "To Serve a Larger Purpose" explores the democratic processes and purposes that reorient civic engagement to what the editors call "democratic engagement." The norms of democratic engagement are determined by values such as inclusiveness, collaboration, participation, task sharing, and reciprocity in public problem solving and an equality of respect for the knowledge and experience that everyone contributes to education, knowledge generation, and community building. This book shrewdly rethinks the culture of higher education.

Numerous studies have chronicled students lack of trust in large social institutions, declining interest in politics, and decreasing civic skills. This book is a comprehensive guide to developing high-quality civic engagement experiences for college students. The book defines civic engagement and explains why it is central to a college education. It describes the state of the art of education for civic engagement and provides guidelines for designing programs that encourage desired learning outcomes. In addition, the book guides leaders in organizing their institutions to create a campus-wide culture of civic engagement.