SUSTAINING CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE

With certain ingredients, short-term projects supported by outside funds can lead to programs that will create permanent and lasting institutional change. Here staff and faculty support for the Raise Your Voice campaign is critical as institutionalization takes a kind of institutional savvy and memory that we cannot expect most students to have.

Building initiatives into the fabric of the institution starts from the first day of the initiative and cannot be postponed until the initial short-term outside support is exhausted. Here are some things that we recommend (most of which you already know):

• Attempt to leverage outside support to get internal support – Matching Campus Compact funds with college funds on such things as student attendance at conferences or student sponsored regional network meetings begins to help campus decision-makers see the changing role of students.

• Reconfigure student roles – Intentionally redesigning the roles of a few students so that collaboration with other organizations to promote dialogues and other civic engagement strategies is a first step at supporting the process beyond the start-up phase. See Getting Started - Supporting Student Leaders.

• Put students out front – Students can be very effective advocates for their work. Identifying opportunities for them to share their commitment to civic engagement can let others know of their passion and commitment. Showcasing them at a trustees meeting, a meeting of civic leaders or other gatherings where the university is attempting to demonstrate its commitment to society holds the institution accountable.

• Publicize the work – Focus on campus media (student newspaper, alternative campus press, campus radio or TV station, faculty/staff newspaper, etc.) to inform the campus community about the campaign and to value the work students do. The Raise Your Voice website has a sample press release to help you and student leaders launch this all important PR work.

• Work to educate others – Help the campus community understand the purposes of the campaign, the connection between education and democratic participation, the challenges and successes of students, and some of the philosophical issues being addressed. This helps connect the campaign to the intellectual core of the institution and helps people see it as something other than a “cute” new program to entertain students.
• Engage others – Find ways to connect as many others as possible in dialogues and other actions where they can see first hand the value of the work. The real power on campus often lies with faculty. Work hard to get faculty buy in. See Collaboration With Faculty.

• Keep key administrators in the loop – Taking a few moments every once in awhile to send an informal note to the college or university president or an influential dean letting them know the latest developments and value of this work builds support at the highest levels. They may or may not acknowledge your update but keep the word flowing. If you are lucky, some decision-makers may really enjoy communicating directly with students, even having lunch with them. Foster this direct connection as many administrators feel like their work does not give them enough opportunity to interact with students unless they have a reason for doing so.

• Do not be shy about asking for institutional support for this work – student participation in this campaign has grown from the failure of the curriculum to couple theory and action and to prepare students for full participation in our democratic society. Participation in civic life has been a fundamental justification for higher education in the United States, especially the support for our public institutions. The decline of this mission is one of the central reasons for the decrease in public financial support of higher education. There is no question that educators desire civic engagement, at least in principle. Colleges and universities have money for the agendas they feel are most critical (Look around at all of the electronic equipment your institution has purchased in the past 20 years.) The task before you and students is to convince people that this work is critical not only for students but for the preservation of public support for higher education.