Institute for Citizens & Scholars Announces Inaugural Faculty Fellows; Bringing Civic Learning and Inclusive Dialogue to Thousands of Students Nationwide

Princeton, New Jersey — July 31, 2025 — The Institute for Citizens & Scholars announced its inaugural cohort of Faculty Fellows — professors, lecturers, and instructors from a broad range of institutions who are leading efforts to deepen civic learning and foster constructive dialogue in classrooms across the country.

As college campuses grapple with tensions around free speech, political polarization, and the role of higher education in democracy, this new initiative is spotlighting faculty who are stepping up to meet these challenges head-on.

The Faculty Fellows program, a signature initiative of the College Presidents for Civic Preparedness coalition, supports faculty who demonstrate leadership in civic education, inclusive teaching, and student development. Over the past year, these educators participated in intensive seminars, mentoring, and public engagement activities designed to strengthen civic pedagogy and build a community of practice.

Chosen from a wide array of public and private institutions, two and four-year colleges and academic disciplines, the 2025 fellows represent a distinguished group of educational leaders committed to advancing civic learning, engaged scholarship, and inclusive excellence across higher education.

United by a shared belief that democracy is strengthened through dialogue, they are creating spaces where students can practice listening, critical thinking and reflection, and respectful disagreement. Among those included in the Faculty Fellows include:

Kara Dillard, Executive Director of the Madison Center for Civic Engagement at James Madison University, used the training to develop the “Better Conversations Together” program, providing all 5000 first year students a chance to learn mindsets and skills for deliberative democracy and civic discourse.

Angela Graves, Associate Professor, Social and Behavioral Sciences at SUNY Alfred State College of Technology, designed a four-module curriculum that delivers SUNY’s new Civic Discourse general education competency within its Associate of Occupational Studies programs. Designed for students who serve in trades and technical fields, the curriculum is built around real-world themes, such as identity, fairness, labor, and regulation, to foster meaningful, applied dialogue across difference, including the discussion about the differences between a “good” boss and “bad” boss.

Tami Ashford-Carroll, Chair/Health & Sport Management at Benedict College, redesigned the curriculum for the PHE 231 Introduction to Public Health course, creating a community agreement at the beginning of the course, and establishing a safe environment for students to share their opinions and life experiences.

The program supports faculty committed to preparing the next generation for thoughtful participation in American democracy. While much recent discussion has focused on faculty discontent or disengagement, many are instead actively embracing the challenges of today’s higher education environment

“Our Faculty Fellows are meeting this important moment for higher education. These educators are digging into the toughest conversations, helping students wrestle with complex civic questions, and modeling what true democratic engagement looks like,” said Janett Cordovés, Senior Program Director, Institute for Citizens and Scholars. “Higher education’s future depends on courageous faculty like these, and we’re proud to shine a spotlight on their impact. We congratulate these inspiring educators and support their efforts to enrich civic life on campus and in the community.”

A full list of the 2025 Faculty Fellows and their project summaries is available at https://collegepresidents.org/insight/faculty-fellows-2025/

About the Institute for Citizens & Scholars

The Institute for Citizens & Scholars cultivates talent, ideas, and networks that develop young people as effective, lifelong citizens. We unite the left, right, and center to develop breakthrough solutions that create stronger citizens in our country, and we bring these solutions to life by forming strategic partnerships with an intentionally diverse group of young people, scholars and education leaders, and civic and business leaders—including the 27,000 world-leading Fellows in our network. Together, we’re on a mission to ensure that Americans everywhere are civically well-informed, productively engaged, and committed to democracy.

Media contact:

Steve Marchant

(617) 784-7709

smarchant@brodeur.com or press@collegepresidents.org