Preparing Students to Shape the Future
Rajiv Vinnakota on why civic preparation should be central to the college experience Young people are not indifferent about the future of the country. They want to contribute, solve problems, and make their communities stronger. Too often, they simply do not know where to begin. That was the message C&S President Rajiv Vinnakota brought to […]
New Report: Students at Civic-Preparedness Campuses Outpace College Peers and U.S. Adults on Civic Skills
PRINCETON, N.J. — SEPTEMBER 9, 2026 — Students at colleges doing deliberate, campuswide civic-skills work report significantly stronger confidence evaluating information and more frequent engagement across difference than both college students nationally and U.S. adults overall, according to a new impact report released today by C&S (Institute for Citizens & Scholars). Campus by Campus: 2025–26 […]
C&S Welcomes New Trustees as It Invests in the Next Generation of Civic Leaders
Board appointments bring experience in technology, philanthropy, education, civic engagement, and communications. PRINCETON, NJ — August 19, 2026 — C&S today announced the election of four new trustees to its Board of Trustees: Marc Brown, Rebecca Fishman Lipsey, Alejandro J. Ramos and Dillon St. Bernard. The appointments strengthen C&S’s leadership as the organization expands its […]
C&S Names 35 Faculty Fellows Advancing Civic Learning Across Higher Education
Second cohort represents 27 institutions and 31 fields, bringing productive conversations and collaborative problem-solving into classrooms and campus culture PRINCETON, N.J., August 6, 2026—C&S today announced its second cohort of Faculty Fellows: 35 educators from 27 colleges and universities who are helping students build the skills to participate, work across differences, and solve problems together. […]
New Class of Carnegie Young Leaders Announced
New Class of Carnegie Young Leaders Announced 71 teams spanning 37 states and D.C. awarded funding and yearlong support to drive community impact PRINCETON, N.J., JULY 22, 2026 — Across the country, young people are not just raising their voices, they are solving problems in their communities. C&S, in partnership with the Andrew Carnegie Foundation, today […]
From Overgrown Lot to Community Garden
C&S Carnegie Young Leader Sofia Nunez and her team set out to start a free community garden in Birmingham to increase food access, turn an overgrown lot into a useful space, and bring neighbors together. The project did not go according to plan. It became bigger, more complicated, and more meaningful than Sofia expected. As […]
How Seven Girl Scouts Got Anchorage Schools to Ban Plastic Glitter
C&S Carnegie Young Leader Emily Brubaker and her Girl Scout troop led a successful campaign to replace plastic glitter in Anchorage classrooms with biodegradable alternatives. Their resolution passed unanimously and has the potential to affect 43,000 students. Here’s how they did it, as told by Emily Brubaker: Finding Adult Allies We first connected with Anchorage […]
America’s Conversation Crisis—And One Simple Skill That Can Fix It
Rajiv Vinnakota , President America has a simple problem hiding in plain sight: we’ve forgotten how to talk to one another about hot topics like immigration, healthcare, or education. You can see it everywhere—families navigating tense dinner-table moments, students clashing on campuses, and colleagues walking on eggshells at work. Disagreement isn’t the issue. The real crisis […]
MMUF Travel & Research Grants for Grad Students Now Open
The MMUF Travel & Research Grants provide eligible graduate students with the financial means to complete their research prior to the start of dissertation writing. Travel & Research Grants are part of the MMUF Advancement Program, whose Fellows gather to prepare graduate school applications, receive funding for additional research, and professional support throughout their dissertation research. […]
Colleges Are Stepping Up: New Snapshot Shows Rising Investment in Civic Preparedness
A new snapshot from College Presidents for Civic Preparedness—a national coalition of more than 100 college leaders convened by C&S—shows growing investment in campus-wide civic development. College presidents are increasing their commitment to building an active civic culture, embedding this work more deeply across classrooms, residence halls, student life, and community partnerships. Even with a challenging […]