Institute for Ethical and Civic Engagement

The Institute for Ethical and Civic Engagement

For our democracy to flourish, our citizens must integrate knowledge with its ethical and civic dimensions in order to apply that understanding for the common good. As an institution of higher learning, the University of Colorado at Boulder has enormous potential to help young people gain this foundation, and as a public university, we have an obligation to do so.

The Institute for Ethical and Civic Engagement was created specifically to nurture and encourage ethical and civic education at CU-Boulder. We invite you to join us in preparing our students for a lifetime of service to society as thoughtful, just, and engaged citizens.

The Missing Dimension: Engagement

In recent years, the University of Colorado at Boulder , like most large research universities, has concentrated on two pillars of the university mission: discovering and disseminating knowledge. Forging a third pillar of ethical and civic engagement is the Institute's mission. Explicitly integrating knowledge and its ethical and civic dimensions is key to helping our students strive to be responsible and engaged citizens. Such integration will greatly enhance the value of their university experience with striking consequences for our students, our universities, and our nation.

Students who graduate without the skills to reflect on their knowledge or the experience of using it as citizens fall short of their full potential. They have learned to create a career, but not shape a society. Our students should leave the university well-equipped to incorporate ethical and civic points of view in all their decisions, professional as well as personal.

One key advantage of a democracy over other forms of government resides in its ability to draw on the talents and experiences of a large and varied citizenry. When that varied citizenry brings informed ethical and civic viewpoints to public service and to private careers, whether at the local, state, national or global level, the democracy grows stronger.

Seen in this context, the Institute for Ethical and Civic Engagement serves the University of Colorado at Boulder in a number of ways. It invigorates the university's commitment to prepare our students explicitly for a life of just action and responsible citizenship, and, in doing so, reaffirms our commitment to revitalizing the civic fabric of local, state, national and international communities.

Our Rationale

In insisting that education have an ethical and civic dimension, we are not advancing a particular moral system or political agenda. Rather, we believe that higher education can teach students to employ both substantive knowledge and ethical reasoning to evaluate complex situations, to develop their own independent judgments, and to act on them-in both their personal and professional lives.

We also believe that institutions of higher learning can not only cultivate in their students an appreciation for the responsibilities and rewards of civic engagement but can also impart the knowledge and skills to make them highly effective participants in the creation of a more just society.

Finally, we believe that ethical engagement and civic engagement are inseparable. Our democratic principles arise from an ethical analysis of society and include such values as integrity, impartiality, and fair play. At the same time, many of the problems that citizens confront in the course of government, public service, or other forms of civic engagement require ethical analysis.

The Task Before Us

We recognize that establishing ethical and civic engagement as a core value of a university is not a simple process, involving only the introduction of a few new courses or a required reading list. On the contrary, we envision a gradual, sustained effort that includes curricular changes to integrate ethical and civic learning with substantive knowledge and intellectual reasoning more effectively. In addition, we see greater emphasis on ethical and civic engagement through co-curricular activities and greater collaboration with community groups.

This is a complex, though exciting undertaking. Fortunately, activities already under way at the University have provided a starting point. The INVST Communities Studies Program, the Department of Philosophy's Center for Values and Social Policy, the Service Learning Center and the Department of Continuing Education's Outreach Program are well established. In recent years, we have launched a student-run honor code, the Puksta Scholars Program, and the Colorado Creed. Efforts to promote social responsibility and ethics are under way in the Leeds School of Business, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, the College of Architecture and Planning and in the College of Engineering and Applied Science.

The Institute for Ethical and Civic Engagement

The Institute for Ethical and Civic Engagement will build on the momentum that has already been established to make ethical and civic engagement a defining characteristic of our educational community.

The institute serves as a forum, catalyst, coordinator and, especially, a forceful proponent for faculty members, students, administrators, and community leaders who wish to encourage ethical and civic education at CU-Boulder so we can effectively integrate these dimensions of education into our curriculum, co-curricular programs, and campus culture. As part of this effort, we assist colleges, schools, departments, and student organizations to develop model projects, certificate programs, capstone projects, and courses in this area. And we serve as a catalyst for creative thinking, bringing local, national and international leaders to campus and hosting conferences, workshops, and seminars for the exchange of ideas.

We believe that the Institute for Ethical and Civic Engagement has the potential to significantly strengthen the educational community at the Boulder campus, to support other campuses in the university system in their efforts to foster ethical and civic engagement, and to serve as a national resource for universities pursuing similar ends.

Through its actions, the institute will help renew the University's commitment to the ethical dimensions of education, provide our students with a more meaningful learning experience, and contribute to the vitality of the many communities we serve from the local level to the global.

We invite you to join us.