A Powerful Moment: College and University Presidents Unite to Inspire Graduates to Lead

College Presidents Launch "From Campus to Community" to Elevate Civic Skills in 2025 Commencement Ceremonies, Reaffirming Mission to Advance Next Generation of Civic Leaders Across America  

PRINCETON, N.J., May 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A coalition of college and university presidents from across the United States today announced From Campus to Community, a new national campaign to champion civil discourse and democratic engagement in this year's commencement season. Participating presidents will incorporate shared themes in their 2025 commencement addresses to inspire graduates to lead with empathy, engage across differences, and think critically in today's polarized world.

The initiative is led by College Presidents for Civic Preparedness, a nonpartisan coalition convened by the Institute for Citizens & Scholars, and comes at a moment of unprecedented political, cultural, and financial challenges. Higher education provides a unique environment: a place to engage daily with those who hold different perspectives. In classrooms, respectful debate is encouraged and disagreement is woven into the learning process. On campus, students live and learn together, actively experiencing the principles of a vibrant, diverse democracy. 

"We are launching this effort in a time of curriculum restrictions, attacks on academic freedom, and the defunding of programs that help students tackle real-world problems," said Rajiv Vinnakota, President of the Institute for Citizens & Scholars. "Higher education is essential to a healthy democracy. Academic values are democratic and American values. However, too often, we treat democracy as a subject to be learned rather than a muscle to be exercised. We need graduates who can not only speak, but listen. Commencement is a powerful moment for presidents to reaffirm that public purpose for all of us—and to call on graduates to carry it forward." 

Campaign Highlights:

Shared Commencement Themes 
Presidents participating in From Campus to Community will highlight their institution's commitment to civil discourse, free expression, and the democratic purpose of higher education in their remarks. They'll encourage graduates to seek out diverse perspectives, engage respectfully across differences, and communicate with confidence and civility—even in disagreement. This effort builds on work that is already underway on campuses across the country. 

Civic Commitments 
This campaign builds on the Three Civic Commitments adopted by the College Presidents for Civic Preparedness coalition: 

• Educating for democracy is central to our mission.
• We will prepare our students for a vibrant, diverse, and contentious society.
• We will protect and defend free inquiry.

Broad Participation 
The campaign includes presidents from over sixty institutions of all sizes and types—urban and rural, public and private, faith-based and secular—underscoring the shared urgency and bipartisan support for renewing civic purpose on campus. A full list of participating institutions is available at https://collegepresidents.org/insight/from-campus-to-community.

Reaffirming Higher Education's Role in Democracy
Over the past year, institutions nationwide have faced escalating attacks on academic freedom, institutional autonomy, and the mission of higher education itself. These challenges have affected not just elite institutions but also public universities and community colleges, raising stakes for the nation's democratic and economic future. 

The From Campus to Community campaign aims to push back on these pressures by reminding graduates—and the public—why higher education matters: it equips students not just for careers, but to help solve today's pressing societal and community challenges.  

"Through College Presidents for Civic Preparedness, we're preparing students to thrive in a society that's dynamic, diverse, and often divided. Colleges must teach democracy like it matters—not only in political science classes, but in how we live, learn, and work together. Not just with free speech policies, but with real investments in conversations across differences," added Vinnakota. "By uniting our voices at commencement and beyond, we signal a collective commitment to democracy, dialogue, and the truth-seeking mission of higher education." 

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. 

About College Presidents for Civic Preparedness 
Convened by the Institute for Citizens & Scholars, this coalition of over 100 campus leaders from diverse ideologies, backgrounds, and institutions is committed to preparing students for active civic engagement. The group is dedicated to providing students regular opportunities to navigate difficult conversations on sensitive issues in today's society. 

SOURCE Institute for Citizens & Scholars