Center for Civic Engagement
The Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) was founded in 2018 with the enthusiastic support of Oakland University’s leadership to be a key force in OU’s community engagement efforts. The Center's work focuses on two main areas: public discourse and civic literacy.
In today’s polarized and rancorous political environment, public discourse is lacking. Many Americans find it difficult to converse about important issues; some have even lost relationships with family and friends over the inability to talk to each other.
To address this, the Center serves the OU campus and surrounding community as a “convener of conversations” about issues of public importance. OU is becoming the place where important discussions about civic life happen. But it is not enough to just convene; we strive to conduct conversations that are civil, respectful, deliberative and productive.
The Center is also committed to diversity of thought. We include multiple and varied perspectives when we gather to discuss important issues. Sometimes these diverse perspectives fall along partisan lines, but not always; other times they are simply different ways of confronting an issue.
To help improve civic literacy, in addition to providing opportunities to engage on important issues, the Center often provides fundamental and unbiased information about taking part in American democracy.
For more information on the Center for Civic Engagement, please contact Dave Dulio at [email protected].
Transcript
My name is Dave Dulio and I am a professor in the Political Science Department at Oakland University. I’m also really pleased to say that I am the director of a new and exciting initiative here at OU – the Center for Civic Engagement.
Generally, “civic” refers to those aspects of our lives that involve being an active participant in our democratic society. Activities for the Center will focus on things like political participation, enhancing civic literacy, and hosting civil, respectful, and deliberative conversations about issues of public concern.
Civic engagement on our campus is not new; it has been happening here for years. In fact, that’s why we are here at historic Meadow Brook Hall. Civic engagement at OU can be traced back to Matilda Dodge Wilson, OU’s founder, who was the first female lieutenant governor or Michigan (or any state) and who served on the state board of education. One could say that civic engagement is in our blood. In more recent years, we’ve hosted a presidential primary debate and had numerous dignitaries visit campus to address our students and members of the community. We’ve also created special collections in Kresge Library featuring former members of Congress and hosted countless of discussions about issues ranging from election results to foreign policy.
The Center will work to broaden these efforts and make them more accessible, conduct them more intentionally, and support the efforts of others who engage in civic engagement efforts across campus.
One of the main goals of the Center is to establish for Oakland University as a “convener of conversations” related to issues of public importance. This could be in the form of town hall meeting focused on issues or with elected officials, panel discussions about relevant public policy issues, candidate debates, or other formats.
The opportunities to expand civic engagement work on campus are nearly boundless and extend to all corners of campus. Issues of public (and campus) concern stretch across our institution.
In the weeks, months, and years to come look for the Oakland University Center for Civic Engagement to be the pre-eminent platform for civic engagement work in Southeast Michigan.
As “a convener of conversations,” the Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) provides the Oakland University (OU) campus and surrounding community with an opportunity to engage on any number of important issues. Past events have included candidate debates during campaign season; a Lincoln-Douglas-style debate in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court case that overturned Roe v. Wade; the formation of the Abraham Accords; and myriad other topics. Many of these programs, as well as videos of political analysis for media outlets, are available on the CCE YouTube channel.
The Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) serves the Oakland University (OU) campus and surrounding community as a “convener of conversations” about issues of public importance. OU is becoming the place where important discussions about civic life happen. But it is not enough to just convene; we strive to conduct conversations that are civil, respectful, deliberative and productive.
Indeed, civility is a central component of our work. The Center’s first Advisory Board crafted guidelines for discussion and engagement titled the “Tenets of Civic Engagement and Productive Dialogue” to:
- Engage in respectful dialogue
- Employ honest listening
- Model civil behavior and tone
- Support free and open discourse
- Consider viewpoints other than your own
- Find opportunities to agree, not just disagree
At nearly every Center event or program, the audience is reminded of these parameters as a way to set the desired tone.
The Center often partners with The Great Lakes Civility Project, led by renowned Michigan journalists Nolan Finley and Stephen Henderson. They have visited campus to speak to faculty groups and students as well as a broader audience that includes the larger off-campus community.
The Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) also works to highlight Oakland University (OU) faculty who have expertise in a wide range of fields and topics. In our “Office Hours” series, we sit down with faculty experts to discuss timely topics in an engaging format to provide information on these important issues. The CCE YouTube channel provides recordings of each Office Hours session.
The Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) at Oakland University (OU) is the proud recipient of various awards that are a testament to the quality work being done surrounding engagement activities on campus and in the community. Such recognition would not be possible, however, without the extensive support of those who pave the way for the CCE’s work to be successful, including students, staff, faculty and OU leadership such as President Ora Pescovitz and the Board of Trustees.
- OU recognized as a 2022 Most Engaged Campus for College Student Voting
- Oakland University named among America’s Best Colleges for Student Voting
- Oakland University receives Gold Seal for excellence in student voter engagement
- OU recognized as a ‘Voter Friendly Campus’ for back-to-back election cycles
- Center for Civic Engagement leads the way on National Voter Registration Day
- OU receives gold seal for excellence in student voter engagement
- Oakland University achieves ‘Voter-Friendly Campus’ designation
- OU one of America’s ‘Best Colleges for Student Voting’
The Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) at Oakland University (OU) is grateful for the students who dedicate their time and talents to advancing civic and democratic engagement efforts, bringing much-needed awareness to issues impacting community engagement in the OU community and beyond.
The 2022-23 academic year was arguably the most important and successful year that the Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) has had since its founding in fall 2018. The video below contains highlights of all of our activities.
Transcript
The 2022-2023 academic year was arguably the most important and successful year the Center for Civic Engagement has had since its founding in the fall of 2018.
Highlights include: OU hosted three candidate debates for statewide and federal offices on campus during the 2022 election cycle, with the gubernatorial general election debate garnering OU over $1 million in advertising exposure value.
We also continued to build our reputation as a “convener of conversations” hosting multiple programs and events that brought over 5000 participants to our events in-person and virtually.
We continued our work in student election engagement and received national recognition for this work.
The Center partnered with organizations on and off campus that brought greater community awareness to OU and expanded our reach into the community including the ALL IN Democracy Challenge, the Campus Election Engagement Project, the Campus Vote Project and others focused on student election engagement. The Office of the Mayor in Rochester Hills, the Rochester Regional Chamber and the Great Lakes Civility Project were all great partners in the 2022-2023 academic year. And of course, we worked with a number of OU schools, departments and offices.
The debate work began in May when we hosted Haley Stevens and Andy Levin for a debate in the 11th congressional district primary. It was moderated by Emily Lawler from the Detroit Free Press and Chad Livengood from the Detroit News. This drew an in-person audience of more than 200 and was viewed online via the OU YouTube site by more than 3000 people.
Not originally planned for OU as the venue, WXYZ called OU at the last minute to help in a crisis when weather was going to disrupt their GOP gubernatorial primary debate. They came to us knowing that OU has a reputation for doing this work. A great team effort accomplished this in roughly two days.
In October, just before the general election, we again worked with Channel 7 and the other Scripps TV stations in Michigan. Gretchen Whitmer and Tudor Dixon visited campus for a debate that was aired in every media market in the state. OU was the only campus in Michigan to host a debate for the governor’s office or any statewide office.
This debate garnered OU more than $1 million in exposure value as the OU logo was on screen for the entire hour throughout the state.
The importance of bringing civility to public discourse has been a focus of the Center’s work from the beginning. To this end, we continued our strong relationship with the Great Lakes Civility Project, partnering again for multiple programs.
The first was specifically for the Athletics Department’s “Crucial Conversations” series.
It brought 40+ second-year student athletes together to hear from Nolan Finley and Stephen Henderson about how to have critical conversations and how these can and should go beyond political discussions.
The first Civility Day saw over 150 attendees gather to engage on issues of civility with Nolan Finley, Stephen Henderson, US Representatives Debbie Dingell and Fred Upton, OU Senior Vice President for Student Affairs & Chief Diversity Officer Glenn McIntosh as well as local faith leaders.
In May, the CCE began a fruitful partnership with OU’s Galileo Institute for Teacher Leadership. We held multiple meetings with representatives from school districts (e.g., superintendents, principals, board members) as part of a series of workshops titled “Engaging Your Stakeholders and Restoring Civility During Uncertain Times.”
A major focus was helping school leaders create an atmosphere where civil discussion can take place around even divisive issues. This was accomplished by the CCE and Galileo coming together to offer expertise to these stakeholder groups.
The culmination of this series was Civility Day at OU in October.
Turning the workshops into action, the Center Director began working with Farmington Schools on a series of “community conversations” that the district’s Community Engagement Committee wanted to host with stakeholders in their district.
The Director worked with Farmington Schools to plan their sessions and facilitated each of the sessions (January, March and May of 2023).
Our students are getting into the act as well. Two OU students, after conversations with the Director, penned an op-ed in the Detroit News on civility, respectful dialogue and maintaining a friendship despite political differences. They are models to be proud of and we hope others copy.
We are also being recognized for this focus on civility. With civility as a stated priority, OU stands out as an example of others to follow.
One of the main elements of the Center’s work is to make OU known as a “convener of conversations” about issues of public importance.
We continued working toward that goal this year with several events that tackled important issues through stand-alone events and our Civic Engagement Office Hours series.
In the wake of the US Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, we welcomed two nationally-renown speakers on the topic of abortion rights. After Roe: The Constitution, Rights, Policy and Politics was a Lincoln-Douglas Debate – a format specifically chosen for its civil nature – that 150 attendees and more than 300 additional views on YouTube after the event.
We also worked with the School of Nursing to bring legislators and nearly 100 nurses together for a conversation about “the future of nursing.” This also featured an advocacy training session for all attendees. Of course, a focus was tone and being civil as advocates.
We continued our partnership with the Office of Alumni Engagement and the Office of Professional and Continuing Education to bring campus and community our Civic Engagement Office Hours series.
Started during COVID-19 as a virtual event, we brought back in-person options this year by utilizing the Oakland Center’s Winter Garden area where attendees gather and we also capture passersby at lunch time. We also utilized technology to offer these in a hybrid format.
We continued to take on important and timely topics by highlighting OU faculty experts from the School of Business Administration, the School of Health Sciences, the School of Engineering and Computer Science, and the Departments of Political Science and History.
We held six separate discussions about issues like the state and national economy, sustainability, the 2022 elections, the war in Ukraine and the surge of antisemitism on campuses. These brought together nearly 400 participants live and another 150 total views on YouTube after the sessions.
Taking our expertise into the community is also important. To this end, the Director gave 14 public lectures for organizations in the region including the Birmingham Chapter of the American Association of University Women, the Consular Corps of Michigan, Jewish Family Services, and the Senior Men’s Club of Grosse Pointe.
The Director also regularly provided political commentary and analysis for local and national media organizations. According to OU Media Relations this led to stories in hundreds of newspaper articles. The Director did nearly 90 TV and radio interviews during the academic year. Media Relations also provided dollar value estimates for a portion of the radio and TV interviews which totaled over $500,000 in value to the university.
In addition to the political analysis, the CCE is now looked to as a trusted source for facilitation and moderation. Examples include:
- Farmington Schools "community conversations"
- 2022 Rochester Regional Chamber Candidate Forum
- Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan Barnett's Mayor's Business Council
- Rochester Regional Chamber Community Outlook Breakfast
Since its inception, the CCE has always kept an eye on the importance of providing high-quality, non-biased, fundamental information that students can use to be active members of their democratic society.
Often this is centered on voter registration and voter turnout. The Center continued to act as the main point of contact for external, non-profit partner organizations who work in this space including the ALL IN Democracy Challenge, the Campus Election Engagement Project and the Campus Vote Project.
The CCE wrote and executed OU’s 2022 Democratic Engagement Action Plan, required for participation in the ALL IN Democracy Challenge
Based on this work, in 2022, OU received a number of awards for our planning for and implementation of election engagement activities.
OU was named to Washington Monthly’s list of Best Colleges for Student Voting based on our work in 2022, a designation only 230 schools received out of 850 that were considered.
OU was also recognized as a Most Engaged Campus by ALL IN based on our planning for 2022.
In addition, OU was named a Voter Friendly Campus by the Campus Vote Project based on our planning and work in 2022. This is a designation we have earned for three election cycles in a row.
Moreover, OU continued our tradition of having CVP Fellows on campus; these are students who assist the CCE with voter engagement work and are paid by the Campus Vote Project for their work throughout the year.
All in all the 2022-2023 academic year was exceptional for the Center for Civic Engagement. Plans are already being made to grow and build on this success in the coming years.
Political Science
Political Science