A consortium of four organizations—Campus Compact, the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU), Education Commission of the States (ECS), and Generation Citizen—have selected nine institutions to receive grants and participate in an initiative to advance civic learning and student success across the education continuum.

“The National Center for Learning and Civic Engagement at Education Commission of the States is pleased to take part in this important work with three peer organizations and participating teams from across the country,” said Paul J. Baumann, Director of the National Center for Learning and Civic Engagement. “One of ECS’ core functions is to provide education leaders with opportunities for collaboration. This project will do just that, with a focus on how communities can create active civic learning opportunities that can benefit students’ academic and civic learning outcomes.”

The initiative is grounded in the understanding that civic learning is both intrinsically important and is a powerful way to deepen students’ engagement in their own education, thereby promoting their overall success. The initiative is a team-based approach designed to support local education partnerships through an Action Summit and complementary learning communities.

To enable participation in the Summit by broad-based urban and regional teams, Campus Compact and its partners made available small grants to cover participants’ travel and lodging expenses. Support for awards is made possible by the Ford Motor Company Fund.

Dozens of institutions of higher education applied, and the following were chosen to participate: California State University Northridge, Cleveland State University (CSU), Mount Mercy University, Metropolitan State University of Denver, Saginaw Valley State University, Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU), University of Maryland, University of La Verne, and the University of South Florida.

“SWOSU is grateful to Campus Compact for this grant that will allow the university to continue expanding and diversifying resources to improve access to higher education for under-represented students from our area of the state,” said Dr. Ruth Boyd, vice president of student affairs at SWOSU. “We look forward to working with our partner, the Clinton Public Schools.”

Campus Compact and its partners will launch the initiative with an Action Summit to be held on November 18, 2015, at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. At the Summit, team members will learn about the State Civic Education Policy Framework and the Action Civics curriculum.

“Cleveland State University and CMSD are excited to be collaborating in the Urban and Regional Partnerships for Civic Learning and Student Success Initiative. This initiative fits well with two important CSU priorities: promoting student success and encouraging student engagement in the community,” said Peter Meiksins, vice provost for academic programs at Cleveland State University.

The Summit will also include a planning session, during which local teams will identify specific actions to be taken by team members to implement an experiential civic learning plan in their city or region. Participants in the Summit will subsequently participate in a series of online learning exchanges to build on ideas discussed at the Summit and discuss successes and challenges with peers from other cities and regions.

“Ford Motor Company Fund is proud to support community-driven prosperity through innovative educational initiatives like Campus Compact’s Civic Learning and Student Success Civic Partnership,” said Mike Schmidt, Director, Education and Global Community Development, Ford Motor Company Fund. “By empowering young people to envision and lead transformative change we help to build stronger communities and a brighter future for all.”

Visit the Campus Compact website for more information on the grant application process and initiative, and see more of what our partners and grant recipients have to say about this opportunity on our blog.