In the wake of this week’s election, national Campus Compact has reaffirmed our commitment to strengthening democracy. Dr. Andrew Seligsohn, president of national Campus Compact, argues that we must “fortify the institutions in our society committed to openness, diversity, human dignity, and truth.” In a recent blog post, Dr. Seligsohn recalls the history of own family’s struggle for democracy and humane values, and concludes:
“All of us who work every day to ensure that higher education rises to the challenge of its public purposes now must gather our own strength in our own ways. Then we must get back to work with even greater focus, clarity, and energy.”
Compact ally Dr. John Reiff, a teacher, scholar, organizer, and Director Emeritus at UMass Amherst Civic Engagement and Service-Learning, offers his own hope after a historic and divisive presidential election. In a video statement, John encourages us to join him and Campus Compact in committing to the “long haul” of fighting for democracy.
Finally, Nancy Thomas, director of Tufts University’s Institute for Democracy & Higher Education, along with her colleague Adam Gismondi, wrote a prescient piece just before the election urging campuses to be ready on November 9th to make the election a teachable moment. Thomas and Gismondi assert the election must not be the end of civic engagement and call for “a learning agenda, not just a voting agenda.”