A strong community is composed of a variety of views and experiences, some of which are easy for us to understand and some of which are not. But the combination of the whole brings better ideas and better initiatives, so our commitment must be to embrace the unfamiliar and the different.
- Andrea Talentino
Activation Plan
Below is an overview of some campus activities:
- Training with PEN America: PEN staff provided training for administration, board, faculty, and students on free expression, including workshops for Residential Life staff and senior administrators.
- Voter Registration Support: Collaboration with the Rock Island County Clerk’s Office for voter registration and election information; assistance with absentee balloting for students.
- Ellwood Curtis Family Lecture: Annual public affairs lecture series, featuring recent speaker Emerson Sykes from the ACLU.
- International Presentation: In 2023, presented on democracy and higher education at Uppsala University in Sweden, highlighting differences in civic engagement approaches.
- N-Solve Partnership: Collaborating with the student Politics Club to use N-Solve resources to enhance voting and engagement in U.S. democracy for the 2024 election.
- Democracy in America Lecture Series: An upcoming lecture series organized with the Rock Island Public Library, focusing on “Democracy in America” with four free public presentations.
- Restart of Sustained Dialogue: Resuming the pre-Covid initiative to foster meaningful dialogue, allowing students to discuss contentious issues, share personal stories, and develop strategies to address community challenges.
Andrea Talentino
President, Augustana College
Related articles:
Join the growing consoritum of campus leaders urgently committed to collectively restoring higher education’s role in democracy.
Andrea Talentino
President, Augustana College
Below is an overview of some campus activities:
- Training with PEN America: PEN staff provided training for administration, board, faculty, and students on free expression, including workshops for Residential Life staff and senior administrators.
- Voter Registration Support: Collaboration with the Rock Island County Clerk’s Office for voter registration and election information; assistance with absentee balloting for students.
- Ellwood Curtis Family Lecture: Annual public affairs lecture series, featuring recent speaker Emerson Sykes from the ACLU.
- International Presentation: In 2023, presented on democracy and higher education at Uppsala University in Sweden, highlighting differences in civic engagement approaches.
- N-Solve Partnership: Collaborating with the student Politics Club to use N-Solve resources to enhance voting and engagement in U.S. democracy for the 2024 election.
- Democracy in America Lecture Series: An upcoming lecture series organized with the Rock Island Public Library, focusing on “Democracy in America” with four free public presentations.
- Restart of Sustained Dialogue: Resuming the pre-Covid initiative to foster meaningful dialogue, allowing students to discuss contentious issues, share personal stories, and develop strategies to address community challenges.
A strong community is composed of a variety of views and experiences, some of which are easy for us to understand and some of which are not. But the combination of the whole brings better ideas and better initiatives, so our commitment must be to embrace the unfamiliar and the different.
- Andrea Talentino