Common Cause: Uniting through Public Purpose

During a challenging time for higher education, we were so inspired to gather in Atlanta earlier this month with over 700 community-engaged scholars, practitioners, students, staff and senior leaders to build connection with one another, engage in difficult but necessary conversations, and explore cutting-edge ideas to strengthen our community.

Each day, one member of Campus Compact's Board of Directors opened our general session with remarks about our purpose as higher education faculty, staff, students, and leaders and our responsibilities to our communities and democracy. Below, find excerpts from these remarks or visit our website to read them in full.

“In a recent conversation among some of my higher education colleagues with an official in DC, when we asked about what to do with this problem of distrust we were advised, “don’t talk about higher ed” rather, talk about your institutions, your impact, the difference that you make. Through our work in community and civic leadership, problem solving, engagement, and education – we have powerful results that does just that, this work has a significant impact. The work that you are doing has results, it builds communities, and it provides our students with skills that they can and do use successfully throughout their professional, civic, and personal lives.“
- Mary K. Grant, President, Massachusetts College of Art & Design

“And this is what this democratic social ethic looks like on our campus - as I’m positive it does for most of you. On the ground on campus, in our neighborhood, and wherever we live and work, I see a reality different from the claims by many who criticize higher education. I see students who see education as a gift that carries with it a responsibility to give back. I see faculty and staff committed to our vision that students receive a three-dimensional education – an education that equips them to make a living, make a life, and build community. And I see alumni and neighbors who care about each other and the world, and who are working each and every day to support a just and inclusive democracy.”
- Paul Pribbenow, President, Augsburg College

“Our colleges and universities do so much more than educate students. We are the standard-bearers of civil discourse and civic engagement. We provide resources and support to our communities on campus and beyond. We make discoveries and create knowledge that improves lives. We are the architects of a just, equitable, and prosperous future. Our students – both local and international – look to us to guide them through these tumultuous times. Our communities count on us for support and partnership. Consequently, we cannot despair, and we cannot stop our work. We must strive, with great resolve, to continue to improve our societies and to educate engaged global citizens who will transform the world for the better.”
-Havidán Rodríguez, President, University at Albany

Read the full remarks →

Public purpose in practice

The Compact25 conference featured exciting and motivating conversations about higher education’s public purpose and how we can drive change through our institutions.

More stories from Compact25 

• Auraria Votes, a non-partisan, tri-institutional civic engagement committee that includes CU Denver, Community College of Denver, and Metropolitan State University shared a great video on Instagram recapping their Compact25 experience.

• The Strategic Partnerships & Community Engagement office from Boston University’s Wheelock College of Education & Human Development shared the details of their staff members’ Compact25 presentations in their weekly recap newsletter.

• The University of Arkansas brought the largest delegation of students to Compact25, including 22 Volunteer Action Center student board members.