Missouri State University was recently named as one of 25 campuses nationwide selected to participate in the Campus and Community Civic Health Initiative, sponsored by the American Democracy Project (ADP) and the National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC). This initiative launched June 7, 2012 with an inaugural Campus & Community Civic Health Initiative Summit in San Antonio, Texas, is a two-year initiative designed for the identification and development of campus and community civic health assessments. As a participating institution, Missouri State will work to study the civic health of our campus and communities to discover how it facilitates civic health. After assessment, Missouri State hopes to find a measure of civic help that needs improvement and then create a program to respond to that concern.
The purpose of the Campus & Community Civic Health Initiative is to engage students and university faculty and staff in campus and community civic health work. The ultimate goal of the Campus & Community Civic Health Initiative, and the goal of the American Democracy Project, is to produce informed and engaged citizens for our democracy.
To indicate the degree of civic health, participants of the initiative assess their students’ accessibility to eight Civic Indicators, from Political Engagement to Social Connectedness. These indicators are then assessed on local and state levels, both in and out of the classroom. Those facilitating the project at Missouri State are thrilled to propel the university to such a prestigious level. This initiative is chaired by Dr. Mike Stout, Assistant Professor of Sociology, and co-chaired by Dr. Rachelle Darabi, Associate Provost of Student Development and Public Affairs, and Kathy Nordyke Director of the office of Citizenship and Service-Learning.