“If you build it, they will come”: Building a Structure for Institutional Change

Abstract

Every institution of higher education, whether public or private, large or small, two-year or four-year, has its own institutional and campus culture. While this culture is by no means static, it nonetheless is steeped in the history and traditions of the individual institution. With few exceptions, this tends to make many attempts to create institutional change a long-term endeavor rife with challenges that can, at times, make those involved feel like Sisyphus trying to roll the boulder to the top of the hill. In spite of this, colleges and universities across the country are being called to address the need to graduate civically engaged students from multiple arenas and stakeholders. For example, the American Democracy Project, a partnership established in 2003 between the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and the New York Times, has supported and encouraged its participating schools to graduate students who will be the “next generation of informed, engaged citizens for our democracy … involved citizens in their communities … [and] tomorrow’s ‘Stewards of Place.’”¹ However, it is not only academia that is sending out this call, but also students on campus who feel disconnected from their communities and their role as citizens.