Power to the Polls

"This book is a must-read for those who are invested in higher education’s role in preparing students to be informed, engaged participants in our democracy. It asks us all to consider the ways in which colleges and universities and the organizations supporting these institutions can ensure that students are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and experiences necessary to develop their own political agency in a world in need of their ideas and leadership."

Jennifer Domagal-Goldman, Executive Director, ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge

“This text reflects on where we are and where we are going in the arena of democratic education. I appreciate the practical examples from diverse types of institutions, ready for adoption, adaptation, or emulation. With strategies ranging from involving multiple stakeholders to engaging elections at different levels, campuses share their playbooks on research-supported methods to address student needs and help them grow as leaders and citizens.”

Bridget Trogden, Associate Dean, Clemson University

“An important take-away from this volume is the importance of creating opportunities for student-led and student-driven structures and activities, both in class and out of class, on campus and off campus.

When reading newspaper headlines day after day tilts you toward despair, pick up this volume and read a chapter. Aware of the challenges in her final chapter, Magjuka acknowledges the headwinds threatening to flatten democratic structures, values, and shared realities are formidable. However, if we think living in a democracy matters, we can’t be naïve, nor can we be passive. Instead, we can choose to be smart, inclusive, committed, courageous, open-minded, inquiring, collaborative citizens who are part of a larger movement to ensure that higher education is a fertile site for civic learning and democratic engagement. Power to the Polls is clear testimony of what is possible.”

Caryn McTighe Musil, Distinguished Fellow, Association of American Colleges and Universities: The Bonner Foundation National Field Leader

"One of the foundational documents of Student Affairs is the 1949 Student Personnel Point of View, written in the wake of WWII and its global threat to democracy. One of the most important tenets cited is 'Education for a fuller realization of democracy in every phase of living.' We find ourselves once more in an era where there is little more important cause, and these authors beautifully describe both the disease and its cure. Bravo!"

Penny Rue, Vice President and University Professor Emeritus, Wake Forest University

“Power to the Polls provides a wonderful compilation of programs and experiences from the across the country by highlighting the work being done across multiple campuses to help develop civic participation among college students. The examples shared by campuses allow campus leaders in Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement centers to gain knowledge about innovative and educational programs to enhance their own campus offerings. A fantastic read that provides effective and powerful tools for the field.”

Andrew D. Wiemer, Ph.D., Senior Director, Butler Center for Service and Leadership University of Miami

Foreword
List of Tables
List of Figures
Acknowledgements

Introduction
Chapter 1: Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement: Pillars of an Evolving Field—Marianne Magjuka

Chapter 2: Foundations of Institutionalizing Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement—Stephanie King and Marianne Magjuka

Part I: Civic Learning
Chapter 3: Citizen U: Engage, Educate, Inspire—Alex R. Dennis

Chapter 4: The Iowa Caucus Project: Collaborative Project-Based Experiential Learning in Practice—Rachel Paine Caufield

Chapter 5: Democracy on My Mind—Ryan Keesee and Semline Delva

Chapter 6: Critical Democratic Literacy—Sandra Rodriguez, Amy Koeckes, and Jennifer Lowman

Part II: Dialogue and Political Discourse
Chapter 7: The Active Citizen Series: A Model for Advancing Student Civic Discourse—Bob Frigo and Carrie Eaves

Chapter 8: Let’s Get Political: Civic Literacy that Promotes Civic Action—Melissa Gruver and Viviana Tsangaropoulos

Chapter 9: Using Art and Design to Create a Culture of Global Citizenship—Abby Neyenhouse, Allison Fisher, Hannah Shaw, and Kate McGrain

Part III: Get Out the Vote (GOTV)
Chapter 10: Get Out the Vote (GOTV) and Higher Education: Student Political Engagement at Saint Louis University—Leah Sweetman and Sabrina Tyuse

Chapter 11: Mitigating Election Anxiety—Christine Beluk and Jason Hollander

Chapter 12: The Struggle Continues: Civic Deserts, Ballot Access, and Challenges to College Student Voting—Marianne Magjuka

Part IV: Civic Action
Chapter 13: Engaging Students in Civic Action: The Rollins Democracy Project—Bailey Clark

Chapter 14: Summer of Civic Action: Empowering Students as Agents of Democratic Access and Inclusion—Elizabeth Vann and Danika Brown

Chapter 15: Engaging College Students in the Election Process: The Alverno College Poll Worker Project—Susan Leister

Chapter 16: Empowering Women for Public Leadership: NEW Leadership® Pennsylvania Summer Institute—Dana Brown

Part V: Institutional Sustainability
Chapter 17: Fostering Voting Engagement Across All Disciplines: The Role of Faculty—John Frazier, MaryGrace Longoria, and Joshua Young

Chapter 18: Shaping Civic Leaders: Student Leadership Development for Sustainable Democratic Engagement—Marianne Magjuka and Deb Marke

Chapter 19: Salt Lake City Community College Civic Literacy Student Learning Outcome Efforts—Lucy Smith and Emily Putnam

Epilogue—Future Directions in Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement


About the Contributors
Index

Marianne Magjuka

Marianne Magjuka serves as Assistant Dean of Students and Executive Director of the Office of Civic & Community Engagement at Wake Forest University. In this role, Marianne provides strategic vision and oversight for community-based engagement, including service and leadership programs, social justice education, community-based teaching and research, and community partnerships. She established the civic learning and democratic engagement initiative at Wake Forest and created Deacs Decide, a campus-wide election engagement project. In 2015, Marianne established the Winston-Salem Community Action Coalition, an AmeriCorps*VISTA project focused on education, food security and public health, and economic development. She is the co-founder of the Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement Knowledge Community in NASPA. Marianne received a B.A. in History and M.Ed. from the University of Notre Dame and an Ed.D. in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania.