The mission of the James Madison Center for Civic Engagement is to educate and inspire people to address public issues and cultivate a just and inclusive democracy. JMU Civic emphasizes the acquisition of knowledge to make one a more informed participant in democratic institutions and processes, skills to make one a more effective participant, and values that embrace pluralism, open-mindedness, empathy, respect, diversity and inclusion.
JMU Civic:
- collaborates with students, faculty and staff on year-round nonpartisan voter education and engagement initiatives. Nearly 90% of our students are registered to vote. JMU has earned the Voter Friendly Campus designation, and was recently named among America’s best colleges for doing the most to encourage students to vote.
- partners with faculty and departments across campus to integrate civic learning in courses and academic programs.
- provides resources and opportunities for students to learn about and discuss public issues in an academic environment, and to develop and implement plans for informed participation in civic life.
- develops and assesses civic learning outcomes with JMU's Center for Assessment & Research Studies.
- works alongside community, state and national partners on civic learning initiatives and events.
Your contribution today to the James Madison Center for Civic Engagement can fund the following:
$25 – “Tent Talks” on the Quad where students participate in conversations on challenging and complex issues in a respectful, educational and constructive manner.
$100 – Student participation in state and national conferences to present their civic learning and democratic engagement work and learn from others.
$500 – Traveling Town Hall to bring candidates for public offices from across the political spectrum to meet students where they are.
$1,000 – Two-day Arc of Citizenship experiential learning tour from James Madison’s Montpelier to Harrisonburg to learn about the history and ongoing struggles for freedom, rights and justice, and the contributions to American democracy that social movements have made.
$2,500 – An undergraduate Democracy Fellow and their civic engagement work for one academic year.
$10,000 – Reaching full participation in elections through education and nonpartisan programming throughout the campus experience.
James Madison Center for Civic Engagement
Provide general support for the James Madison Center for Civic Engagement, a nonpartisan entity that works in partnership with JMU students, faculty, staff and with community, state and national partners to support civic learning and democratic engagement.
