COMMUNICATING WITH ADMINISTRATORS
Recently, colleges and universities have come under criticism for not taking an active enough role in American civic life. Whether this criticism is justified or not, college and university presidents and other administrators may be more sensitive than ever to the need to promote civic engagement on campus. It is critical that those students involved in this campaign
• Talk with and, to the greatest extent possible, stay connected to these high level decision-makers.
• Know where the president stands on the issues, what his or her view of the level of student engagement already is and what directions it may take. Check out whether or not your president has signed onto the Presidents' Declaration on the Civic Responsibility of Higher Education.
• Meet and talk with the provost, the chief financial officer, the vice president or dean for student affairs and academic deans.
The more the student campaign leaders meet and talk with administrators, the better they will understand many of the contextual issues of the campus. In return, campus administrators will have a better idea of what students are doing and how seriously they approach issues of civic engagement.
There is a danger in this process as student leaders who have the opportunity to associate with top-level administrators may find that their opinions are listened to and even respected. This has the potential to be ego-gratifying and such leaders may forget that they are representing hundreds or thousands of students who may have little say on campus. This campaign is about the civic engagement and voice of ALL students not just those who are privileged by virtue of their position, whether that position is student body president or student leader in the Raise Your Voice campaign. The acid test of servant leadership is – do your actions benefit those less privileged than yourself?
