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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.
“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.
Physician Mitchell Lunn, A04, engages communities that are largely ignored in medical research.
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.
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.
Dayna Cunningham, the Tisch College dean, outlines key opportunities and responsibilities for higher education in shaping the next generation of engaged citizens.
Education
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The Civic Studies major is an interdisciplinary field of study that provides an intellectually rigorous foundation to engaging with communities and solving problems. -
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. -
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
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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. -
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. -
Our newest research center focuses on publishing expert, scholarly, nonpartisan analyses on pending legislation and ballot questions in Massachusetts.
Practice
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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. -
Tisch College supports the Tufts chapter of Jumpstart, an early education organization that helps local children in underserved schools thrive. -
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.
In the News
- Research from Tisch College’s CIRCLE that found the 2022 midterms had the second-highest youth voter turnout in 30 years is mentioned in this article. Data on the increase in youth voters between the 2016 and 2020 elections is also linked.The Hill
- Nancy Thomas, director of IDHE, comments on Wisconsin measures that create voting barriers, noting that the state “has a history of trying to suppress the student vote." Findings from CIRCLE on youth voter support of abortion rights are also included.Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
- Evan Horowitz, executive director of cSPA, discusses Governor Maura Healey’s state budget and tax package, including planned cuts, expanded child/family credits, and the impact of millionaire’s tax.GBH
News & Updates
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A first-of-its-kind national journal of literature and art gives voice to hundreds of people affected by incarceration. -
An expanded university program hosts four academics—a veterinary surgeon, a human rights leader, a banking expert, and a professor of international relations—who fled peril in Ukraine and Afghanistan. -
His undergraduate research takes aim at the rise of authoritarianism at home and abroad. -
Speakers include activists, authors, faith leaders, and the former president of Costa Rica. -
Tufts Athletics ended their 2022 season by giving back to local families in Medford. -
Becky Lee’s, M17, passion for treating the medically underserved was fostered by the partnerships she developed while at Tufts University School of Medicine. Her legacy continues as a physician on the Street Team at Boston Healthcare for the Homeless. -
The award recognizes his long service to the city and his collaborative partnership with Tufts . -
The activist and former NAACP Legal Defense Fund president discussed the country’s growing pains as it works to secure voting rights for all . -
Tisch College seeks to reach across the entire University, embedding civic learning experiences across all Schools and programs at Tufts. And in that effort, Leanne Loo, A22, is providing a road map for student learning and community impact. -
Convincing Americans—especially the young and the marginalized— to cast their ballots is essential to the health of our democracy. -
In the summer of 2022, Tufts University made the decision to close the Institute for Global Leadership (IGL) as a Provost-based institute and to transition its programs to the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life. -
An expert at Tufts’ Center for State Policy Analysis gives a detailed—and nonpartisan—explanation of Question 1.