5 Presidents Join College Presidents for Civic Preparedness

Princeton, NJ, August 31, 2026: A new group of five college and university leaders from diverse higher education institutions across the country has joined the College Presidents for Civic Preparedness, a unique coalition convened by the Institute for Citizens & Scholars.

The five presidents joining the initiative lead a range of campuses—from those newly joining the coalition to institutions renewing their engagement under new leadership:

William Dudley, Claremont McKenna College

Tom Stritikus, Occidental College

Kenneth Ruscio, Washington and Lee University

Linda Thompson, Westfield State University

Kenneth Janz, Winona State University

Three of these institutions — Occidental College, Westfield State University, and Winona State University—are represented in the coalition for the first time. Claremont McKenna College and Washington and Lee University are continuing their institutions’ previous engagement with the coalition under new leadership.

The presidents join a coalition of over 135 leaders from diverse institutions across the country, uniting to advance the pivotal role of higher education in preparing students to be engaged citizens. Presidents will take campus-specific and collective action, reflecting three shared Civic Commitments:

• 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.

Taken together, these fresh commitments embrace both free speech and diversity, two values often pitted against each other, by instead emphasizing meaningful engagement and inquiry with different voices and viewpoints. The commitments stress diversity as a strength of both American democracy and campus life and affirm the truth-seeking role of higher education through curiosity and inquiry. They also enable campus leaders to take substantive action to promote democratic engagement among students, with public accountability for progress through the publication of an annual impact report.

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Founded in 1945 as the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, C&S (cands.org) sparks young people to help build a strong and thriving America. Guided by the Power of &, C&S is grounded in a simple belief: young people with ideas — not institutions with ideologies — make our country stronger. We meet young people where they are — on campuses, at work, and in their communities — creating clear pathways for discovery, collaboration, and fresh civic solutions. Across all our work, C&S helps young people practice three essential civic skills: having productive conversations; using credible information; and collaborating to create solutions. Learn more at cands.org.

Media contact: press@collegepresidents.org