AASCU 2026 Summer Meeting for Academic and Student Affairs Leaders
Offering opportunities for RPU colleagues to meet, share, and learn from each other’s challenges and successes.
Engaged Civic Learning and Economic Mobility Project
This faculty and staff cohort supports redesigning community-based courses to align civic learning with economic mobility goals. Participants work with peers and experts to strengthen student success, deepen community partnerships, and put research into action.
Contact us.
Do your courses ask students to learn with and from communities?
If you partner with community organizations to support students’ civic voice or design learning experiences that connect students and families to educational and economic opportunity, this cohort invites you to deepen that work and strengthen its connection to economic mobility.
AASCU, in partnership with Public Agenda, invites faculty and staff from member institutions to apply to participate in a cohort of instructors who will redesign existing community-based learning courses to integrate economic mobility goals and frameworks.
Public Agenda is a research-to-action organization dedicated to building a strong and healthy democracy. In their recent research on how institutions of higher education contribute to positive economic mobility for students from low-income backgrounds, Public Agenda finds that community-based courses and programs can be powerful tools for supporting the recruitment and retention of low-income students when they are explicitly aligned with economic mobility goals. Their research also suggests that public four-year institutions that enroll large numbers of low-income students from the local community could be central to systemic efforts to improve mobility, because graduates from these institutions often remain in the community, contributing to the economy and civic life.
This partnership between AASCU and Public Agenda puts these research findings into action. Cohort participants will work directly with peers and experts to redesign current community-based courses to align with strategies for positive economic mobility outcomes.
Who should participate:
Faculty and staff who teach community-engaged courses and are interested in:
- Connecting course outcomes to positive economic mobility
- Supporting the success of low-income students
- Strengthening the connection and trust between the campus and the surrounding community
Benefits of participation:
- Access to Public Agenda’s economic mobility research insights and toolkit
- Collaborative curriculum development support from nationally recognized experts in the field
- Participation in a cross-institutional faculty learning community of peers that shapes national practice
- $3,000 to support faculty time, project activities, and required travel
Applications for the Engaged Civic Learning and Economic Mobility Project have closed.
Contact us for more information.
What to Expect
Participating instructors will commit to:
- Attend a project kickoff and training on March 16 at AASCU’s American Democracy Project conference in Chicago
- Attend three subsequent virtual convenings for community-based course design workshops and a final presentation
- Redesign an existing community-based course to align with strategies for positive mobility outcomes, and to present the revised syllabus during the final cohort convening
- Offer the course during the 2026-2027 academic year
- Complete the follow-up survey
In addition to training and technical assistance related to course redesign, each participating instructor will receive a $3,000 stipend to support time on the project and attendance at the American Democracy Project conference. AASCU will waive the conference registration fee. The cohort will be limited to 15 people.
- Feb. 11: Proposals are due
- Feb. 20: Award notifications
- March 15-16: Cohort kick-off and training at the American Democracy Project Conference
- April-May: Two virtual course re-imagining workshops, individual technical assistance
- June 1: Final cohort convening; share course syllabus
- AY 2026-27: Course offerings (follow-up survey of cohort participants)
Apply by Feb. 11.
Please reach out to Emily Sandusky, director at Public Agenda, at esandusky@publicagenda.org with any questions about your potential application.
The application includes the following questions:
- Instructor Information
- First Name
- Last Name
- Title
- Department
- Institution
- Phone number
- Course Information
- Current course title
- Brief course description
- When will the course be offered?
- How often will the course be offered?
- Briefly describe the community-based element(s) of the course (100-150 words)
- Briefly describe the role of the community-based partner (100-150 words)
- Explain why this course is well-suited for redesign to incorporate civic education and positive economic mobility strategies (150-200 words)
- Can you attend the project kickoff and training on March 16 at AASCU’s American Democracy Project conference in Chicago?
- Required attachments:
- Current course syllabus
- Instructor CV
- Letter of support from department chair
Applications will be evaluated by AASCU and Public Agenda staff, with support from an expert advisory group, based on the following criteria:
- Community-based course-related activities are focused in the communities of origin for low-income students at the institution
- Course design elevates the visibility of current low-income students as effective civic actors in their communities of origin
- Course design builds familiarity among community members (including young people not currently enrolled in college), current college students, and the institution
- Community-based course-related activities focus on one or more of the following areas:
- Creating opportunities for civic voice and participation (e.g., work with community organizations that uplift the voice of low-income populations or projects that position community members to participate in local civic processes or demystify local government)
- Introducing K-12 students or non-college-enrolled youth and their families to pathways to well-paying jobs
- Introducing K-12 students or non-college-enrolled youth and their families to higher education opportunities
- Applicant can attend the project kickoff and training on March 16 at AASCU’s American Democracy Project conference in Chicago
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes.
Yes. Instructors must apply separately.
No. For example, many first-year experience courses may meet the application requirements.
Yes.
No. The training and cohort workshops are focused on reimagining courses that already connect students with communities to more explicitly focus on how they can drive economic mobility—as opposed to a focus on new community-based course construction.
No. All community-based course instructors at AASCU member institutions are welcome to apply.
Project Partner
Questions about the Engaged Civic Learning and Economic Mobility Project? Let us know.
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AASCU Members are empowering students as informed, active participants in the democratic process, from voter registration to lifelong civic engagement.
The Value
- Making voter registration as accessible and seamless as possible gives students a clear path to influence the issues that shape their daily lives, like housing and healthcare.
- When students understand what’s on their ballot, they make voting decisions with confidence and motivation to play their part.
- Getting involved in elections through volunteering at polls or helping friends register engages students as civic leaders.
The Practice
- Make voter registration part of campus life. Include it during orientation, course sign-up, or residence hall check-in so students can register with ease.
- Help students understand the ballot, issue by issue. Share clear, fact-based resources that go beyond candidates to what’s actually being decided.
- Bring voting to campus. Work with local officials to offer on-campus polling places or early voting sites so students don’t have to choose between class and civic duty.
- Train students to register their peers. Support student ambassadors who organize registration drives, classroom shout-outs, or voter education campaigns.
- Encourage election-season “energy.” Host debate watch parties, town hall discussions, or “vote together” walks to build momentum and community around participation.
Values in Practice
Member Impact
70%
of AASCU campus students exercise the right to vote, compared to 50% of students at other colleges.
Member Spotlights
Stewardship of Place
AASCU Members are deepening their institution’s role as a community anchor, fostering connections that link student learning with local impact.
The Value
- Universities thrive when they partner with communities, fostering mutual growth and shared success.
- Embedding community engagement into campus culture enriches learning and strengthens regional ties.
- Equitable collaboration between campuses and communities drives innovation and addresses local challenges.
The Practice
- Integrate community engagement into curriculum. Embed service-learning, applied research, and civic projects into coursework across disciplines.
- Build reciprocal partnerships with local organizations. Co-create initiatives with community partners that address shared challenges and center local expertise.
- Use data to inform regional engagement efforts. Track economic, health, and social indicators to align institutional strategies with community priorities.
- Recognize and reward public engagement. Incentivize faculty and staff who advance the university’s public mission through teaching, research, or service.
- Align institutional strategy with regional needs. Make community impact a strategic priority—reflected in planning, budgeting, and leadership development.
- Support student leadership in community work. Provide pathways for students to lead public projects, internships, and dialogue that advance the common good.
Values in Practice
Member Spotlights
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AASCU Members are fostering campus environments where democratic values, civic responsibility, and inclusive participation shape student learning and engagement.
The Value
- Integrating democratic values into campus culture empowers students to become active, engaged citizens committed to the public good.
- Equipping students with civic skills and agency prepares them to navigate complex societal challenges and contribute meaningfully to democracy.
- Fostering inclusive, participatory learning environments strengthens democratic engagement and cultivates a sense of community responsibility.
The Practice
- Align mission and strategy with democratic values. Ensure institutional plans reflect a public purpose and commitment to civic learning and social responsibility.
- Create space for participatory governance. Involve students, faculty, and staff in shared decision-making to model democratic processes on campus.
- Support civic learning across all disciplines. Embed opportunities for public problem-solving and civic inquiry into courses beyond political science or public affairs.
- Develop leadership with a civic lens. Equip institutional leaders to champion democracy, build trust, and advance inclusive campus culture.
- Foster campus dialogue on democratic challenges. Host regular forums where the campus community can engage different viewpoints and explore pressing public issues.
- Build community partnerships for the common good. Collaborate with local organizations to connect students with real-world efforts that strengthen democracy.
Values in Practice
MEMBER SPOTLIGHTS
Civic Literacy & Inquiry
AASCU Members are supporting students’ critical thinking, civic awareness, and reflective engagement as they navigate complex social and political issues.
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- Empowering students as co-creators of democracy gives them real-world experience shaping policy, leading change, and taking civic action now—not later.
- Embedding civic learning across the curriculum equips graduates to make thoughtful decisions in their workplaces, communities, and daily lives.
- Building welcoming campus cultures strengthens trust across lines of difference, laying the groundwork for more resilient, united communities.
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- Embed civic learning across disciplines. Integrate civic inquiry, public problem-solving, and policy literacy into courses from STEM to the humanities.
- Support student-led civic action. Provide resources and mentorship for students to organize, advocate, and lead change in their communities.
- Center democratic participation in campus life. Host voter registration drives, town halls, and deliberative forums to make civic engagement part of the student experience.
- Equip faculty to foster civic development. Support educators in designing courses that explore social responsibility, power, and public voice.
- Collaborate with local communities. Build partnerships that allow students to engage with real-world challenges and contribute to public solutions.
- Help students see their role in shaping democracy. Design programs that affirm their experiences and inspire agency in civic and community life.
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Bridge Building
AASCU members are cultivating spaces for meaningful conversations and collaborative problem-solving that foster empathy, respect, and deeper understanding across differences.
The Value
- Practicing dialogue across differences sharpens students’ ability to listen, question, and collaborate—skills employers and communities urgently need.
- Bringing global perspectives into campus conversations broadens thinking and expands students’ capacity to solve complex, cross-border challenges.
- Creating space for many voices on campus builds a culture where students feel more engaged, more connected, and more likely to stay and succeed.
The Practice
- Integrate dialogue into the classroom. Incorporate structured, research-backed dialogue practices into courses to deepen learning and build trust.
- Prepare faculty to facilitate tough conversations. Offer professional development that equips educators to guide discussions across differences with empathy and skill.
- Partner across departments and disciplines. Collaborate with faculty, student affairs, and global programs to embed dialogue into both academic and co-curricular experiences.
- Connect campus dialogue to global issues. Use international case studies and global perspectives to help students explore shared challenges and democratic solutions.
- Make space for different backgrounds and perspectives. Create forums where students feel seen, heard, and confident expressing different perspectives.
- Measure impact and adapt over time. Track student participation, learning outcomes, and campus climate data to improve dialogue practices.
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