“Voice Your Choice” UMFK and the American Democracy Project
Promising Approaches
Incorporate discussion of current local, national and international issues and events into
the classroom, particularly those that young people view as important to their
lives.
Encourage student participation in leadership and campus and community governance.
Encourage students’ participation in forums that model democratic processes and
procedures, both curricular and extracurricular.
"Voice Your Choice" program was part of the
American Democracy Project sponsored by the American Association of State
Colleges and Universities.
The American Democracy Project is a multi-campus initiative that seeks to create an intellectual and
experiential understanding of civic engagement for undergraduates enrolled at institutions that are members of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). The goal of the project is to produce graduates who
understand and are committed to engaging in meaningful actions as citizens in a democracy. (AASCU Website)
For a full description of activities associated with UMFK’s “Voice Your Choice”
project, please refer to the attached news releases on the subject or visit our web site at www.umfk.maine.edu/valleyvision/ and type “American Democracy Project” in the keyword search.
Special Features
Civic Learning Goals
The University of Maine at Fort Kent was one of hundreds of higher education institutions to participate in the
first year of the American Democracy Project. The focus of the first year of
the project was to begin a national dialogue on the subject of civic engagement
among American college and university students. UMFK’s students started their academic year with an orientation program that celebrated democracy and civic engagement and
that emphasized student involvement in their campus community. The goals and objectives of the American
Democracy Project as stated on the American Association of State Colleges and
Universities (AASCU) web site are as follows:
- to
increase the number of undergraduate students who understand and are committed
to engaging in meaningful civic actions by asking participating institutions to
review and restructure academic programs and processes, extracurricular programs
and activities, and the institutional culture; and
- to focus the attention of policy makers and opinion leaders on the civic
value of the college experience. This project uses the definition of civic
engagement proposed by Thomas Ehrlich and his colleagues in Civic
Responsibility and Higher Education:
- to create a national conversation among many campuses about the theory and
practice of civic engagement;
- to develop institutional commitment by involving senior administrators, faculty,
staff and students; by addressing core institutional mission and purpose; and
by focusing on civic engagement as a learning outcome for undergraduates;
- to initiate new projects, courses and teaching strategies, extracurricular
programs, and other programs to increase civic engagement, supported by the
national project office;
- to measure the civic engagement outcomes of undergraduates on participating
campuses, and assess the impact of this project in contributing to greater
civic engagement outcomes; and;
- to disseminate the models that result to a wide audience of higher
education institutions, individuals, and policy makers.
Contact Information
Voisine, UMFK Director of Student Services at 207-834-7513 or at Voisine@maine.edu
