Roanoke joins 100 colleges nationwide to advance civic preparedness and uphold free expression on campuses

Roanoke College is partnering with 100 other colleges across the country to strengthen higher education’s crucial work of preparing students to be engaged citizens and of upholding free expression on campuses.  

President Frank Shushok Jr. joined a unique consortium, College Presidents for Civic Preparedness, dedicated to preparing a new 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. 

Those tenets align with Roanoke College’s core mission of developing students as whole persons prepared for lives of learning, service and responsible leadership. Last year, the college hosted a series of events focused on the question of how to build stronger communities. That included a conversation on freedom, difference and civic discourse moderated by Shushok. 

This year, Roanoke College is launching its membership in College Presidents for Civic Preparedness amid its celebration of Constitution Week. That national event commemorates the signing of the U.S. Constitution and encourages dialogue on the rights and responsibilities of life in a democratic society. 

Events taking place across campus include voter information booths, a documentary screening and reflections on the meaning of community and a more perfect union. 

“Our new strategic plan, Imagine Roanoke, emphasizes that Roanoke College will make the pursuit of character and graduating leaders ready for the 21st century a distinction of Roanoke College,” Shushok said. “Building in our students a commitment to engaged citizenship, civil discourse, and constructive dialogue is absolutely part of that ambitious aspiration.” 

College Presidents for Civic Preparedness is an initiative designed by college leaders and convened by the Institute for Citizens & Scholars. First announced with 15 members in 2023, it’s grown significantly, demonstrating the movement’s momentum.  

Participating colleges are committed to developing campus-specific programs that support three shared 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.  

Taken together, those commitments support both free speech and diversity — two values sometimes pitted against one another — by emphasizing meaningful engagement and inquiry with different voices and viewpoints. The commitments underscore diversity as a strength of American democracy and campus life as well as affirm the truth-seeking role of higher education through curiosity and inquiry.  

In addition to championing democratic engagement on their own campuses, participating college presidents will meet regularly to share ideas and seize opportunities for collective advocacy and action. Faculty also can tap into a peer network through the Faculty Institute on Dialogue Across Difference. 

“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. “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.”   

ABOUT

The Institute for Citizens & Scholars is a nonprofit that cultivates talent, ideas, and networks that develop young people as effective, lifelong citizens. 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.