Longwood University has joined a growing list of colleges and universities across the country in a consortium dedicated to preparing students to be engaged citizens and uphold free expression on campus.
College Presidents for Civic Preparedness, part of the national organization Institute for Citizens & Scholars, is dedicated to preparing the next generation of well-informed, productively engaged, and committed citizens; defending free expression, civil discourse, and critical inquiry as essential civic norms; and increasing thoughtful engagement and better understanding by students for the effective functioning of our democracy.
“Citizenship has been central to Longwood’s mission for nearly two centuries,” said President W. Taylor Reveley IV. “The north star of a Longwood education is meaningful engagement and inquiry with different viewpoints, perspectives, and experiences through Civitae, our core curriculum. I’m delighted to join my colleagues at other institutions to advance these values.”
Longwood joins three other universities in Virginia in the consortium, the University of Virginia, University of Richmond, and James Madison University, and many of the top-ranked liberal arts colleges and universities in the country.
The north star of a Longwood education is meaningful engagement and inquiry with different viewpoints, perspectives, and experiences through Civitae, our core curriculum.
Longwood President W. Taylor Reveley IV Tweet This
College Presidents for Civic Preparedness highlighted two of Longwood’s citizenship-focused initiatives, the Civitae Core Curriculum, which focus on developing communication skills, critical thinking skills, and collaboration and are put into use as students understand issues and topics by considering a variety of perspectives, and the university’s work with the Teagle Foundation for faculty development in teaching the foundations and mechanics of American democracy.
“Higher education has a responsibility to provide students with critical civic skills and knowledge to participate effectively in our constitutional democracy,” said Rajiv Vinnakota, President of the Institute for Citizens & Scholars, a nonprofit that cultivates talent, ideas, and networks that develop young people as effective, lifelong citizens. “College campuses are among the most diverse spaces in our country, and college is an important time for students to develop the habits, practices, and norms to live in a multicultural and interconnected democracy. Doing so can create a ripple effect, making young people more optimistic and increasingly committed about their future and our nation.”
Colleges and universities whose presidents join the effort commit to three civic commitments:
- Educating for democracy is central to our mission
- We will prepare our students for a vibrant, diverse, and contentious society
- We will protect and defend free inquiry
College Presidents for Civic Preparedness has been supported by ECMC Foundation, Einhorn Collaborative, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, One8 Foundation, Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, Lumina Foundation, Charles Koch Foundation, and Teagle Foundation, with individual campuses providing support for their own related projects.