American Democracy Project: Our Work

American Democracy Project (ADP)—a network of 296 public colleges and universities serving 2.7 million students across 48 states plus the District of Columbia—is committed to preparing students with the knowledge, skills and experiences to be informed and engaged citizens. We have worked diligently to build civic engagement as a lifelong practice and to instill civic agency in our students and across our institutions

ADP’s work is a combination of national multi-campus initiatives managed from the AASCU office in Washington, D.C., and uniquely local activities developed and led by individual member campuses. An advisory steering committee made up of presidents, provosts, faculty and student affairs staff help further link the national leadership with the campuses and provide a sounding board and brain trust for current and new initiatives. Our Civic Fellows made up of faculty and subject experts from multiple disciplines and universities help inform our approaches, identify new civic engagement initiatives and provide support for faculty and staff development efforts. 

ADP’s work on member campuses, through the national initiatives and at convenings, has reached into all areas of academic and student life. ADP has a proven track record of success. For example, our ability to bring together faculty from across disciplines and institutions, design and implement curricula that results in increased CAT (critical thinking) scores, and integrate deliberative dialogue speaks to the efficacy of our work. The national initiatives—including Digital Polarization, Voter Education and Engagement, Global Challenges, Political Ideology Diagnostic, Science for Citizens, Stewardship of Public Lands and Measuring the Campus Civic Climate—along with the hundreds of campus activities focused on civic engagement, community service, speakers, deliberative dialogues and citizen outreach, drive ADP’s ability to create opportunities for millions of students across the country to develop the awareness, knowledge and skills needed to become informed and engaged citizens.