Pulse Strategies: Measuring Belonging for Engagement and Success
A toolkit for assessing and improving social integration and acceptance on campus.
Innovations in Democracy
A grant-funded summer cohort where faculty and staff build knowledge of democratic innovations and apply their learning through action-oriented student projects.
Apply by May 15.
Democracy works better when its citizens understand how it works. Build your capacity to help students understand, engage with, and improve democracy.
Colleges and universities play a central role in preparing students for democratic participation. That’s why AASCU created Innovations in Democracy, a grant-funded summer faculty and staff cohort supported by Unite America. Participants will learn about new, nonpartisan approaches to democracy and develop campus-based projects.
During summer 2026, selected faculty and staff will learn about democratic innovations such as ranked choice voting, primary election reform, participatory governance, and other approaches designed to strengthen fair representation. Through expert-led sessions, peer exchange, and individual project coaching, participants will connect these ideas to their teaching or cocurricular civic activities.
By the end of the summer, participants will develop a concrete, actionable project plan tailored to their campus. Projects will launch fall 2026 to create opportunities for students to promote civic learning about democratic innovations and practices.
Grounded in intentional design and sustained learning, Innovations in Democracy supports campuses in translating democratic ideas into concrete action that strengthens student learning and engagement.
Who should participate:
Faculty and staff at AASCU institutions who have:
- A genuine interest in how democratic systems shape citizen participation and representation
- An interest in introducing nonpartisan democratic innovations into the classroom, co-curriculum, or campus community
- A readiness to engage in virtual professional learning during June and July 2026
- An interest in developing a concrete, implementable campus project beginning fall 2026
- A willingness to share insights and resources with the broader AASCU community
Benefits of participation:
- A stronger understanding of nonpartisan democratic innovation concepts and practices
- Support to develop a campus-based project proposal focused on student learning or engagement
- Connection to a national peer learning community committed to strengthening democracy
- $1,000 summer stipend for faculty and staff accepted to the summer cohort
- Mini-grants up to $1,500 to support approved cohort project activities that occur during fall 2026
Applications are due on May 15.
What to Expect
- Apr. 15: Applications open
- May 15: Applications due
- May 29: Applicants notified
- June 11, June 29, and July 28: Virtual summer learning sessions
- Aug. 15: Campus project plan due
Applications will include the following information:
- Name, title, institution, department/unit, email
- What civic learning, democratic engagement, or community-focused work are you currently involved in or responsible for on your campus? (100-150 words)
- What interests you about democratic innovations (such as primary election reform, ranked choice voting, participatory governance, or citizen assemblies), and why do you want to explore them at this point in your work? (150-200 words)
- Describe a preliminary idea for a campus-based project or class-based initiative you might like to develop through the cohort. (150-200 words)
Note: This can be an early or exploratory idea and does not need to be fully formed and may change as you engage in the program. - Acknowledgements:
- I am able to attend the virtual learning sessions on June 11, June 29, and July 28
- I am able to start implementation of project fall 2026
- Required attachments:
- Current CV or resume
- Current course syllabus if for a course-based project
- Letter of support from department chair (faculty) or supervisor (staff) [submitted separately]
Frequently Asked Questions
The cohort is designed for faculty and staff at AASCU institutions who are already working in civic learning or civic engagement and want to explore new democratic approaches to strengthen their work. Faculty and staff from all disciplines and focus areas are encouraged to apply.
No. While participants should have experience in civic engagement, prior knowledge of democratic innovations is not required. What we’re looking for are educators and practitioners who are passionate about civic engagement, curious about democratic reform, and excited to bring new learning to their students and campus communities.
Participants are required to attend three 90-minute virtual professional development sessions and one-on-one coaching during June–July 2026 and develop a campus– or course-based project plan to pilot during the 2026–27 academic year.
Yes. Cohort participants receive a $1,000 summer stipend and mini-grants ($500-$1,500) are available to support approved project activities that take place in fall 2026.
Cohort sessions will be led by leading scholars and practitioners in electoral systems, democratic theory, and civic engagement. We will explore topics such as:
- Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) and how it works
- Single Transferable Vote (STV) and proportional representation
- Alternatives to direct primaries (Top-Four, Top-Two, nonpartisan blanket primaries)
- Automatic voter registration and vote-by-mail
- Multi-member districts and geographic representation
- Campaign finance reform: limits, disclosure, and party involvement
- Citizen assemblies and participatory governance
- Emerging civic technology and participatory tech tools
Projects should support student learning about democratic innovations. The following are examples of the kinds of activities that cohort members might develop—we encourage creativity and adaptation to your own institutional context:
- Host a Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) or Single Transferable Vote (STV) simulation using a real or hypothetical campus election, with live vote-counting and debrief discussion
- Organize an Electoral Policy Challenge where student teams design and pitch innovative solutions to democratic reform challenges over 24–48 hours
- Launch a podcast or video series featuring interviews with AASCU faculty experts on democratic reform topics, scripted and produced with students
- Create and deploy infographic lesson plan suites on RCV, STV, and plurality voting for use in political science, sociology, or civic engagement courses
- Organize a screening of the film Majority Rules, followed by a structured campus dialogue or student panel
- Develop an Augmented Reality (AR) or interactive digital experience to help students visualize how vote transfers work in RCV and STV systems
- Launch a campus #InnovateDemocracy social media challenge with short student-produced explainer videos on electoral reform topics
- Coordinate a student-led deliberative forum or capstone project resulting in policy briefs or multimedia advocacy campaigns
Yes. Cohort members are expected to attend the full series. The summer stipend is an acknowledgement of the time necessary to participate.
No. The project can continue through spring 2027, but should begin the fall. Mini-grants are only available for activities that occur fall 2026.
Program Partner
Questions about the Innovations in Democracy program? Let us know.
"*" indicates required fields
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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.
2026 Cohort Participants
Faculty and staff who teach community-engaged courses at:
- California State University Channel Islands
- California State University, Sacramento
- California State University, San Bernardino
- Missouri State University
- Salisbury University (MD)
- University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo
- University of North Carolina at Pembroke
- University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
- University of Washington Bothell
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
2026 Cohort
Raissa
DeSmet
Associate Teaching Professor
University of Washington Bothell
Lyle
Foster
Associate Professor, Sociology, Anthropology and Gerontology
Missouri State University
Gabrielle
Gonzales
Assistant Professor, Sociology Department
California State University Sacramento
Paul
Jorgensen
Associate Professor, School of Interdisciplinary Programs and Community Engagement
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Xiangyu
Li
Assistant Professor, Computer Science and Engineering
California State University, San Bernardino
Michelle
Lorimer
Assistant Professor, History
California State University, San Bernardino
Yanria
Madrigal-Garcia
Assistant Professor, College of Education
California State University Sacramento
Christina
Marrero
Faculty Lecturer in College of Education
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Leticia
Nevárez Zavala
University Lecturer
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Sandy
Pope
Associate Professor, Education; Director, Institute for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement
Salisbury University (MD)
Carla
Rokes
Chair, Art Department
University of North Carolina at Pembroke
Assadullah
Sadiq
Assistant Professor of Education, Early Childhood Studies
California State University Channel Islands
Olga
Sideleva
Biology Lecturer
University of Hawai’i at Hilo
Suyang
Wang
Assistant Professor, Computer Science and Engineering
California State University, San Bernardino
Xuan
Xie
Assistant Professor of Marketing
University of Hawai’i at Hilo
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)
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.
"*" indicates required fields
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Student Voices
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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Leadership & Culture
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.
The Value
- 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.
The Practice
- 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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