The Multi-State Collaborative for College Civic Learning and Democracy Engagement
The Multi-state Collaborative for College Civic Learning and Democracy Engagement (the “MSC”) promotes robust state-level policies and programs to foster college civic learning for an engaged democracy in both two- and four-year institutions. (See the list of participating states/state systems below.)
The MSC is sponsored by State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) and works in collaboration with the Civic Learning and Democracy Engagement (CLDE) Coalition at American University.
Leadership: The co-chairs of the MSC are:
Richard M. Freeland, Senior Advisor for Civic Learning and Democracy Engagement (CLDE), Former Commissioner of Higher Education for Massachusetts, President Emeritus of Northeastern University
Nancy S. Shapiro, Senior Advisor for Civic Learning and Democracy Engagement (CLDE), Research Scholar, University of Maryland College of Education, former Associate Chancellor, University System of Maryland
Participants: The MSC is composed of states in which higher education system leaders affirm that:
public higher education has a civic mission, and part of that civic mission is preparing students for active, effective, informed participation in civic and democratic life;
some intentional form of civic education should be part of the learning experience of all degree and certificate seeking students in their system—even if that is not the case now and may take some time to achieve;
joining a collaborative community with other states that share these values and goals means helping each other develop ways of pursuing them while honoring what is appropriate and feasible within the context of each state.
Important Topics for Exploration: The MSC is committed to the principle that participating higher education systems must proceed in their own way toward a fully developed set of programs and policies in the area of civic learning and democracy engagement. As a community committed to learning and action, MSC leaders have set the following priorities for exploration and work:
Civic Learning in General Education: attention to civic learning in the academic curriculum within general education requirements with the goal of civic learning reaching every student.
Civic Skills and Dispositions: attention to cultivating the inclination and capacity to work in the civic arena.
Career-Related Civic and Ethical Learning: attention to public policy, ethical issues, fairness, and civic responsibilities, and responsible use of artificial intelligence within students’ chosen majors or likely careers, encouraging them to apply civic and ethical reasoning to real-world problems and workplace contexts.
Civic Dialogue and Mutual Respect: attention to working toward bridging areas of potential disagreement and difference; our goal is to foster a nonpartisan commitment to civic learning and democracy engagement.
Free Expression and Civil Discourse in Academic Settings: assuring free expression of ideas and civil dialogue across lines of difference and disagreement; these values are an essential component of democracy.
Indicators of Progress and Success: attention to identifying measurable learning outcomes related to civic learning goals and instituting assessment systems that will document success in achieving these outcomes.
Campus-level Capacity: attention to faculty, staff, and academic leaders' preparation to support students' civic learning in the curriculum, co-curriculum, and community.
Alignment with K-12 Policies and Programs: attention to and coordinated efforts in support of K-12 civic learning.
State Summaries of MSC Participants’ Work:
The MSC is committed to the principle that participating higher education systems must proceed in their own way toward a fully developed set of programs and policies in the area of civic learning and democracy engagement. The summaries below are a glance at how each state or system in the MSC is fostering civic learning.
Arizona
The Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) sets the general education policy for the state’s three public universities. Revamped in 2019, the policy includes provisions that general education should prepare graduates to participate fully as informed citizens in a robust constitutional democracy based in values of individual freedom, self-reliance, and equality under the law, and constructive dialog through civil discourse. It requires integration of opportunities for students to practice civil discourse and civic engagement and to build their knowledge of the principles of American institutions. The policy was designed to include continuous assessment of civic knowledge, written communication, quantitative reasoning and critical thinking, with the universities reporting annually to the board on one of the pillars each year.
Arkansas
The Arkansas Division of Higher Education (ADHE) coordinates general education and programmatic policies to promote civic learning and produce informed, self-reliant, and civic-minded citizens. Under the Strengthening Arkansas Education Act, beginning in Fall 2027, the state mandates a standardized, fully transferable 15-credit hour core curriculum across all state-supported higher education institutions. This core includes two three-credit hour courses in communication skills; one three-credit hour course cultivating critical thinking, problem-solving, and logical reasoning skills; and two three-credit hour courses in American history and American government (totaling 6 credit hours), both of which include instruction on the U.S. Constitution and the study of American institutions and ideals.
Connecticut
Connecticut State Community College (CT State) is the largest community college in New England. Established on July 1, 2023, through the consolidation of Connecticut’s 12 community colleges, CT State is a single, accredited institution. One of the system’s goals is to recognize students as citizens and faculty as leaders by broadening and deepening their commitment to civic education, diversity, pluralism, anti-racism, and democratic citizenship education across all aspects of the college, particularly in the curriculum. CT State aims to empower faculty to empower students to effect positive change in their communities and personal lives. The goal is to develop a general education curriculum that provides the civic and multicultural education necessary to prepare students for survival, thriving, and active participation in and leadership of a multicultural democratic republic.
Hawaiʻi
The University of Hawaiʻi System seeks to foster policies that will help students become lifelong learners, effective workers, and ethical citizens. This includes the ability to work with others, and understand diversity and civic responsibility. There is also a strong commitment to become a foremost indigenous-serving university and to advance sustainability.
Kansas
The Kansas Board of Regents promotes civic learning by allowing institutions to define their civic engagement requirements within a flexible general education framework. Some universities in the system incorporate civic learning into their strategic plans, emphasizing community engagement. Additionally, the Board supports system-wide initiatives to enhance student success and engagement.
Kentucky
The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) seeks to integrate the 10 Essential Skills outlined in the Kentucky Graduate Profile. The skills were identified in a national research project, funded by Lumina, that included faculty and employers. The 10 Essential Skills align with other national lists describing skills students need for success in life and at work. One of these 10 Essential Skills is to engage in civic life to improve society. The CPE is working to embed the 10 Essential Skills in the college curriculum as a quality metric for career-focused learning outcomes in each degree and certificate program.
Maine
The University of Maine System fosters civic learning through various initiatives focused on community engagement, service learning, and the promotion of intellectual curiosity and dialogue. The strategic plan includes programs designed to increase service learning opportunities and develop associated badges and micro-credentials. It also promotes a campus culture of open-ended inquiry and engaged dialogue by sponsoring system-wide colloquia on contemporary issues.
Maryland - MHEC
The Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) has three primary goals for the postsecondary community in Maryland - Access [Equity], Success, and Innovation. And to meet those goals, the MHEC seeks to incorporate civic learning and civic engagement into all academic programs and revise general education requirements to include civic, information technology, and computer literacy skills.
Maryland - USM
The University System of Maryland (USM) is the state’s public higher education system: 12 universities and three regional higher education centers working together for the good of Maryland. Our universities enroll 175,000 students and award 45,000 degrees each year - delivering accessible, affordable, excellent education to diverse learners at every stage of life. The USM prepares students with the knowledge, skills, and experiences to participate meaningfully in their communities and contribute to Maryland’s civic and economic vitality. Through civic education, community engagement, and a systemwide data strategy, USM seeks to strengthen and measure students’ civic knowledge, skills, and participation while advancing its public mission to serve the state and its communities.
Massachusetts
The Massachusetts Department of Higher Education (DHE) was the first public system of higher education in the U.S. to call on all its institutions to involve their undergraduates in civic learning as an “expected outcome” of their educational journeys. It then positioned equity as its top policy priority for public higher education. The plan for racial equity is in concert with the commitment to civic learning; for example, one strategic plan recommendation is for both DHE and campuses to collaborate to identify the knowledge and skills needed for full and effective participation in civic life and public problem-solving in a multi-racial democracy.
Missouri
The Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development (DHEWD) promotes civic learning through a statutory provision that requires students to take civic-designated courses covering the U.S. and Missouri constitutions, American history, and institutions. This requirement is primarily implemented through CORE 42, the state’s general education transfer curriculum. Furthermore, statute requires that students pass the Missouri Higher Education Civics Achievement Examination, which tests their knowledge of American civics, similar to the U.S. citizenship exam.
New Jersey
The New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE) works to enhance postsecondary opportunity with a focus on equity, access, and affordability for students from all backgrounds. In the Student Bill of Rights the high-impact practice of experiential learning is listed as an opportunity that all New Jersey students should have.
New York - CUNY
The City University of New York (CUNY) seeks to foster academic journeys that prepare students to be well-educated and civically engaged citizens, and it also seeks to amplify its position as the nation’s premier urban university and a force for equitable social, economic, and civic impact. Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez introduced the idea of “civic mobility” to support students becoming upwardly mobile and engaged citizens.
New York - SUNY
The State University of New York (SUNY)’s general education framework includes a core competency in civic discourse through which students will demonstrate the discourse skills necessary to participate in civic life, including the deliberation of ideas through reasoned inquiry that seeks new information and considers multiple viewpoints; and the ethical practice of advocacy, dissent, and dialogue that constructively attends to points of conflict. The framework seeks to prepare students for global citizenship including diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice; information and AI literacy; and ensure consistency in expected system-level learning outcomes. With the appointment of ten Civic Education and Engagement and Civil Discourse Fellows, SUNY amplifies civic learning and engagement, civic dialogue and democratic engagement across its campuses.
Ohio
The Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) coordinates the state's public colleges and universities and sets statewide academic program guidelines. Beginning in the 2029–2030 academic year, Ohio mandates that each public institution provide a dedicated course on American civic literacy. To support this system-wide initiative, all undergraduate students earning a bachelor's degree are required to successfully complete an approved civic literacy course as a mandatory graduation requirement.
Oregon
The Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) is currently working on its new strategic plan. The HECC seeks to align the most common transferred courses for ease of transfer between Oregon institutions of higher education.Two courses that have been approved in this scheme reference civic learning directly, and other courses align with civic learning adjacent goals and learning outcomes.
Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) continues their system redesign to fundamentally transform education and business models while prioritizing student success. The new PASSHE policy for General Education will become effective in July 2024 with language that highlights the liberal education approach to the undergraduate curriculum and where students are supported in developing a sense of social responsibility.
The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) advances its civic mission through teaching, research, and public service ensuring it is embedded across the academic experience for all undergraduates. By integrating civic reasoning, cultural competence, and career‑focused skills into a uniform 45‑credit General Education framework and supporting university‑wide programs such as the Civic and Community Engagement minor, PSU Votes, and community‑based initiatives through the Office of Engagement and Outreach, Penn State prepares students to be informed, ethically grounded, and socially responsible citizens.
Tennessee
The Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) strategic plan shares that widespread evidence exists that higher education affects economies and quality of life for states and individual citizens in myriad ways (e.g., earnings, health, civic engagement such as voting and volunteering, and innovative and resilient economies). A THEC public service award seeks to honor those in the system that are engaged in furthering civics education and engagement at an institution and/or in a community. Further, many institutions have reaffirmed the importance of civic engagement in their general education curricula and THEC is actively convening institutions to seek how to embed civic engagement in general education curricula.
Utah
The Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) seeks to provide every Utahn—in every place and every circumstance—an affordable certificate or degree at a USHE institution that will meaningfully improve their lives through economic opportunity, civic engagement, and personal fulfillment. One general education requirement is the core American Institutions course that calls upon students to analyze, conceptualize, and interpret primary and secondary source documents to understand the history, principles, form of government, and economic system of the United States.
Virginia
The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) is a coordinating body that oversees all higher education activity in the commonwealth. SCHEV’s student learning assessment policy requires public institutions to assess six core competencies among their undergraduates. Four of the core competencies are determined by SCHEV and two are determined by each institution. One of the four competencies required by SCHEV is civic engagement.
Wisconsin
The Universities of Wisconsin champions the democratic principles of free expression, academic freedom, and civil discourse and has a strategic objective to foster civic engagement and serve the public good. Through the Office of Civic Engagement (OCE), the Universities of Wisconsin empowers students, faculty, staff, and community partners to engage deeply in democratic life through dialogue, collaboration, and civic action. Systemwide initiatives support civic learning, community engagement, free expression, and civil discourse while strengthening the role of higher education in preparing informed and engaged citizens.