Activation Plan

Below is an overview of some campus activities: 

1. Within ASU’s 35-credit General Studies Gold curriculum, students complete 18 credits across American Institutions, Governance and Civic Engagement, Humanities, Arts and Design, Global Communities, Societies and Individuals, and Sustainability. These requirements prepare students to understand democratic institutions, evaluate competing ideas, communicate evidence-based arguments, engage across differences, and address shared challenges. By integrating these areas into graduation requirements, ASU makes civic knowledge, ethical reasoning, and global awareness foundational to undergraduate education.
2. ASU’s Next Generation Service Corps is a multi-year, cohort-based program preparing students to become character-driven leaders addressing complex public challenges. Participants can earn a certificate or minor, complete internships across public, private, and nonprofit sectors, and collaborate with community partners on education, health care, homelessness, sustainability, and economic inequality. The Next Generation Service Network extends this model to universities nationwide.
3. The ASU Institute of Politics prepares future public-service leaders through nonpartisan dialogue, mentorship, internships, and career pathways. Its campus programs, Student Ambassador Program, and engagement with civic leaders provide students across majors with practical experience, networks, and skills to strengthen democracy through informed participation.
4. Housed in ASU’s Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics, Cultivating Civic Virtues through Action (CCVA) helps students practice civility, empathy, epistemic humility, openness, and civic grace. Interdisciplinary Humanities Lab courses combine research, community partnerships, and collaborative inquiry, while the Civic Virtue Fellowship develops students’ ability to engage across differences and lead public dialogue. Faculty communities and classroom resources further embed civic character development across campus.
5. The Civic Discourse Project in ASU’s School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership brings scholars, civic leaders, and public intellectuals from across the ideological spectrum together for free lectures, debates, and discussions on free expression, polarization, justice, citizenship, and democratic self-government. Events are broadcast on Arizona PBS and available online, while the Civic Awareness Award encourages student participation through event attendance and written reflection.
6. The ASU Center for the Study of Race and Democracy’s Social Cohesion Dialogues bring students, faculty, staff, and community members together for facilitated book discussions and conversations about justice, identity, belonging, history, and social responsibility. Led by university and community facilitators, these dialogues encourage critical inquiry and understanding across social and cultural differences.

Highlights:

Rooted in the ASU Charter and design aspirations, ASU’s commitment to civic preparedness extends across the institution rather than a single program. Its third Carnegie Community Engagement Classification in 2026, following recognition in 2006 and 2015, reflects this institution-wide commitment