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The only university-wide college of its kind, Tisch College studies and promotes the civic and political engagement of young people at Tufts University, in our communities, and in our democracy.
Grid of faces of speakers for spring 2023 speaker events at Tisch College

Tisch College will bring changemakers to campus and host conversations centered on the theme of citizen activism and the question, what is ours to do in this moment? Hear from civil rights leader Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, author and Supreme Court reporter Dahlia Lithwick, and many more.

Image of Dean Dayna Cunningham with chyron reading Dean Dayna Cunningham

Democracy in the United States is under its biggest threat in decades. In the Saving Democracy series, Tisch College experts explore the challenges facing democracy today and our best hopes for safeguarding it.

Physician Mitchell Lunn speaks at a Tufts event.

Physician Mitchell Lunn, A04, engages communities that are largely ignored in medical research.

Ruby Belle Booth Headshot

“I’ve always been more interested in the civics of it all.” Ruby Belle Booth, A21 began working with Tisch College’s Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE) as an undergraduate and continues to study and support young voters as the research center’s Elections Coordinator.

Dean Dayna Cunningham

Dayna Cunningham, the Tisch College dean, outlines key opportunities and responsibilities for higher education in shaping the next generation of engaged citizens.

Education

  • Civic Studies
    The Civic Studies major is an interdisciplinary field of study that provides an intellectually rigorous foundation to engaging with communities and solving problems.
  • Student in a sunflower field in front of a mural reading Groundwork Somerville
    Each summer, more than 100 Tufts students hone their professional skills while contributing to communities near and far through substantive summer internships that pursue the public good.
  • Civic semester students pose in front of Jumbo in matching blue tshirts
    Tisch College and Tufts University offer incoming students the opportunity to participate in a first-semester program that combines academic and experiential learning with a focus on community engagement and social and environmental justice.

Research

  • People sitting on a panel in front of a blue background
    Tisch College's Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning & Engagement conducts some of the nation's leading research on youth voting, civic education, and young people's participation in democracy.
  • IDHE
    Our Institute for Democracy & Higher Education, which studies and promotes the political learning and engagement of college students, will soon release aggregate data on voting and registration rates of students in more than 1,000 institutions.
  • The Massachusetts State House
    Our newest research center focuses on publishing expert, scholarly, nonpartisan analyses on pending legislation and ballot questions in Massachusetts.

Practice

  • Students table for JumboVote
    Tisch College's student-led voter education and engagement initiative works to ensure that all Tufts students are registered and ready to vote in every election cycle.
  • Jumpstart
    Tisch College supports the Tufts chapter of Jumpstart, an early education organization that helps local children in underserved schools thrive.
  • Talloires Network
    Founded and housed at Tisch College, this international association of universities committed to strengthening civic life globalizes our mission and expands our impact around the world.
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