Increasing Democratic Engagement at Minority Serving Institutions
Rutgers CMSI and the Students Learn Students Vote Coalition Developed A Series for Increasing Democratic Engagement at Minority Serving Institutions
In 2018-2019, we worked with the Students Learn Students Vote Coalition (SLSV Coalition) to craft a series titled, “Ensuring Democracy through the Power of Minority Serving Institutions” that focused on exploring how Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) can increase democratic engagement on their respective campuses. Through a series of webinars and Twitter chats, we brought attention and resources to MSI campuses throughout the nation. The first event in the series was a collaborative Twitter Chat that took place on Tuesday, September 10, 2019, from 3 PM - 4PM EDT from the Center for Minority Serving Institutions’ Twitter account (@CenterforMSIs) and featured guest discussants who are advocating for heightened civic engagement on MSI campuses.
Strengthening American Democracy at MSIs
We joined representatives from the Andrew Goodman Foundation, NASPA, Campus Vote Project, and the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge to share best practices for institutionalizing student voting at MSIs using democratic action plans. Click here to listen to the recorded webinar.
MSIs that Turned Student Activism into Civic Engagement
Representatives from Montclair State University, Miami Dade College, and Prairie View A&M University discussed initiatives they’ve enacted to create a space of democratic learning and increase campus civic involvement. This webinar also shared strategies that MSIs can employ to creatively mobilize students to vote. Click here to listen to the recorded webinar.
About the Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions
The Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) brings together researchers and practitioners from Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, and Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islander Serving Institutions. CMSI’s goals include: elevating the educational contributions of MSIs; ensuring that they are a part of national conversations; bringing awareness to the vital role MSIs play in the nation’s economic development; increasing the rigorous scholarship of MSIs; connecting MSIs’ academic and administrative leadership to promote reform initiatives; and strengthening efforts to close educational achievement gaps among disadvantaged communities. The Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions is housed within the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Institute for Leadership, Equity, and Justice and a part of the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University, New Brunswick.
For further information about CMSI, please visit http://cmsi.gse.rutgers.edu/
About Students Learn Students Vote
Comprised of a diverse group of nearly 400 local, state, national, and student nonpartisan organizations working with over 1,600 campuses, the SLSV Coalition is the national hub and the largest nonpartisan network in the U.S. dedicated to increasing political learning and college student voting. The SLSV Coalition is a project of the National Conference of Citizenship and is governed by a rotating advisory board of representatives from coalition partner organizations, higher education institutions and associations, local election officials, and students.
For further information about Students Learn Students Vote, please visit http://www.studentslearnstudentsvote.org/.
