Higher Ed Rising
Confidence in higher education is being tested like never before. Yet amid the noise, one truth remains clear: higher education has a vital role to play in restoring civic life. That’s why our coalition—College Presidents for Civic Preparedness—is stepping up.
Campus leaders are preparing students not just for careers, but for citizenship. And students are not waiting for permission. They’re leading.
This report captures a snapshot of that movement through the voices of real people doing the work—presidents, faculty, students—in their own words. These institutions are putting civic purpose into practice and reminding the country what higher education is capable of at its best.
Report Highlights
Presidents are not waiting—they’re leading.
The coalition has grown from 15 to 125 institutions across 36 states in just two years, building a diverse, cross-sector network united by one goal: preparing every student for civic life.
STUDENTS ARE NOT RETREATING FROM HARD CONVERSATIONS—THEY'RE LEADING THEM.
Our students are not retreating from conflict. They are stepping into it with empathy, curiosity, and courage. Across 36 states, 800,000+ students are engaged in 200+ student-driven projects, putting civic skills into daily practice.
Faculty are not just teaching facts—they’re shaping citizens.
This year, 81 faculty from diverse disciplines across our network joined the Faculty Institute—an 18-month journey to embed civil discourse and civic development into their teaching. Their work shapes campus norms, student dialogue, and democratic engagement, both in and beyond the classroom. Faculty are showing that civic preparedness can be taught in any classroom, from biology labs to business case studies.
Civic preparedness is not a course—it’s a culture.
Changing campus culture requires more than one-off events with students who opt in. This year, 27 partner institutions worked with us to build campuswide impact strategies to support institutions in embedding civic preparedness into the full student experience.
This is higher ed at its best.
Our vision remains clear: every student in America graduates not just with knowledge, but with the capacity, and the responsibility, to be an engaged citizen.
We’re proud of how far we’ve come—but we’re just getting started.
In the year ahead, we will:
- Expand our campuswide strategy to more institutions
- Deepen support for faculty with new resources and training
- Elevate student voices and scale student-led initiatives
- Preparing students to confront the threat of mis- and disinformation, preparing students to think critically and act responsibly in a divisive information ecosystem
Higher education faces real challenges—but it’s also stepping up.
Because in this moment, the role of higher education in sustaining our civic life is not optional.
It’s essential.
This coalition is proof: When students speak, faculty teach, and presidents lead—together—we can restore higher education’s role as the foundation of a healthy democracy.
PAST IMPACT REPORTS
See the inaugural Impact Report here.