US Colleges and Universities Earn a Poor Grade for Civic Engagement

By Drew Stelljes. Midterm elections are complete and cross-party bickering continues. A few less D's and a handful more R's will soon occupy the halls of Congress. Citizens, young and old, report their frustrations with our nation's elected leaders. Hope and change, just a few years ago was the rally cry of a political party is now fodder for mocking the president. Public distrust of the U.S. Congress is at an all-time low. At the same time, scholars urge colleges and universities to invest in educating for civic knowledge, civic values and civic skills in order to produce graduates who can confront controversy with civility. Often the 21st-century university scrambles to process more students in the most efficient means possible in order to assuage concerns of the rising price tag of a college degree. More...