The Essential Role of Campus Planning in Student Civic Education

August 25, 2021

Authors: Andrew J. Seligsohn, President of Campus Contact and Maggie Grove, Vice President for Strategy and Operations at Campus Compact

Chapter 4 from Teaching Civic Engagement Across the Disciplines (2017)

In this chapter, the authors argue for the necessity of campus planning for the achievement of student civic and democratic learning and development through two central contentions. The first is that a campus climate characterized by a thoroughgoing commitment to the public good is essential for effective student civic education and development. The second is that colleges and universities must develop comprehensive plans in order to create such a climate. Through a review of Campus Compact’s 30th Anniversary Action Statement and the Civic Action Planning it initiates, the chapter illuminates the key elements of a public good commitment, aspects of planning to put the commitment into practice, and the evidence showing that a campus climate manifesting the commitment is necessary for the attainment of civic learning and development outcomes for students.

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