American Democracy Project

“My involvement politically, as well as civically, goes back to that era,” said Perry, adding that the election rallies he attended as a teenager inspired his career in public administration. “Throughout my career I have been involved in a variety of civic service activities.”

With just a few weeks before Americans cast ballots in a presidential election, Perry notes that both candidates support a deeper level of civic involvement: President George W. Bush has added 25,000 AmeriCorps members, while John F. Kerry has proposed significant programs to expand national service. “Both presidential candidates deserve credit,” he said, adding that the American Democracy Project extends beyond voter participation to include community involvement beyond electoral duties.

Perry, previously an associate dean at the School of Public and Environmental Affairs-IUPUI, has set out to coordinate IU’s multi-campus discussion. The idea behind the initiative is simple: promote civic engagement.

“Clearly, our educational institutions have changed over the years. Our military institutions have changed. Our political institutions have changed. All three of those are important institutions in the formation of civic skills and civic understanding—maybe even motivation in becoming engaged in civic life,” he said. “American society is a mixture of private action as well as public action. We need to recreate the public space.”

Co-sponsored by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and the New York Times, the program has enlisted nearly 190 universities across the nation. Groundwork for the project is formed by a book co-written by IU’s former president Thomas Erhlich, “Educating Citizens.” According to Perry, the project is attempting to shape public space using elements of university life: curriculum, co-curricular activities and campus climate.

During the early stages, the focus is primarily on faculty and administrators beginning discussions, assessing what elements are already in place. “If we can get 10 faculty to change a freshman course, to motivate students around issues of public life in the world, that’s a tremendous step forward,” said Perry.

Drawing on an example of how to build curriculum, Perry points to classes at IUPUI’s Herron School of Art & Design. More than 80 sophomores, juniors and seniors designed films, books, posters and Web sites encouraging voter participation. The class assignments were used to engage other members of the IUPUI community.

Or, in the case of an IU-East class, students take an active role in getting the word out about voting. Students in one ethics course were assigned the task of finding a grant of about $500 to help fund transportation in a project called “Roll to the Polls.”

While curriculum is important, a large portion of the project focuses on what happens outside the classroom. “They’re (students) much more motivated to volunteer at a homeless center,” said Perry, adding that both the Bloomington and Indianapolis campuses have service learning programs in place that link students to arts and culture and community service.

The Kokomo and South Bend campuses have stepped in with political art exhibitions, lectures and campus discussions covering civic duty and the election process.

The national project isn’t without critics. Some believe the university isn’t in the business of promoting civic life. Perry acknowledges the project is a new approach for many and hopes to hear from critics and supporters in the university-wide dialogue. “A variety of leading educational associations are stepping forward and saying we need to rethink the role we identify for the university in the civic and moral development of our students. That’s a pretty important challenge and one that will not be uncontroversial,” said. Perry.

To learn more about IU’s initiative, or the American Democracy Project’s national campaign, visit:

http://www.americandemocracy.iu.edu

http://www.aascu.org/programs/adp/

American Democracy Project

The American Democracy Project for Civic Engagement is a national, multi-campus initiative that seeks to foster informed civic engagement in the United States. The project seeks to create a greater intellectual understanding and commitment to participate in the civic life of the United States.

Focused on undergraduates at public colleges and universities, the American Democracy Project has created a collaborative network of 166 public colleges and universities, representing more than 1.5 million students that are member institutions of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). The three-year project, sponsored by AASCU in collaboration with the New York Times, will provide opportunities for participating campuses to engage in activities and projects designed to increase the number of undergraduate students committed to meaningful civic actions.

Source: American Democracy Project mission statement

http://www.nytimes.com/college/collegespecial2