Championing the Tenets of Democracy

As a new member of College Presidents for Civic Preparedness (CPCP), President Robin Holmes-Sullivan is joining 91 other college presidents from across the country to advance higher education’s pivotal role in preparing students to be engaged citizens and to uphold free expression on campus. This work comes at a critical moment for American democracy and for higher education.

Members of CPCP take campus-specific and collective action to advance three shared Civic Commitments across their campuses:

• Educating for democracy is central to our mission.
• We will prepare our students for a vibrant, diverse, and contentious society.
• We will protect and defend free inquiry.

Holmes-Sullivan notes that CPCP aligns well with efforts already underway at Lewis & Clark. “We are working to make the concept of healthy democratic dialogue a part of Lewis & Clark’s identity as an institution and the foundation for the way we relate to each other. Engaging in constructive dialogue with people who hold different viewpoints is a skill that is increasingly in short supply, and one that both our students and our world desperately need. Learning and caring—that’s the heart of who we are and what we do, and how we want our L&C graduates to be in the world.”

Participating presidents develop campus-specific programming to advance the Civic Commitments. Lewis & Clark’s Community Dialogues program is an ongoing initiative focused on building our collective capacity to have constructive discussions. Led by trained facilitators who are students, faculty, and staff from across the undergraduate college, law school, and graduate school, Community Dialogue sessions are open to all L&C community members. During the upcoming academic year—in response to increasing national divisiveness and in anticipation of upcoming elections—Lewis & Clark is creating and aligning for-credit and extracurricular opportunities for students to gain the skills and knowledge to bring about positive change in the world. These include courses, reading groups, workshops, trainings, campus activism fairs, voter registration and voter engagement programs, and partnerships with community organizations.

Learning and caring—that’s the heart of who we are and what we do, and how we want our L&C graduates to be in the world.

President Robin Holmes-Sullivan

In addition to championing this work at Lewis & Clark, Holmes-Sullivan will collaborate with other college presidents on topics ranging from student activism and the 2024 elections, to supporting dialogue across difference, to advocacy and public outreach.

“Higher education has a responsibility to provide students with critical civic skills and knowledge to participate effectively in our constitutional democracy,” says Rajiv Vinnakota, president of the Institute for Citizens & Scholars, a nonprofit that convenes CPCP. “College campuses are among the most diverse spaces in our country, and college is an important time for students to develop the habits, practices, and norms to live in a multicultural and interconnected democracy. Doing so can create a ripple effect, making young people more optimistic and increasingly committed about their future and our nation.”

College Presidents for Civic Preparedness has been supported by the ECMC Foundation, the Einhorn Collaborative, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, One8 Foundation, the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, the Lumina Foundation, the Charles Koch Foundation, and the Teagle Foundation.

President’s Office Community Dialogues