{"id":12632,"date":"2025-08-07T09:04:26","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T14:04:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wwwtest.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/?post_type=campus_story&p=12632"},"modified":"2025-08-07T09:04:26","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T14:04:26","slug":"building-bridges-expanding-expression-uwo-civic-dialogue-free-speech-efforts-earn-national-partners-standing","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/wwwtest.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/building-bridges-expanding-expression-uwo-civic-dialogue-free-speech-efforts-earn-national-partners-standing\/","title":{"rendered":"Building bridges, expanding expression: UWO civic dialogue, free speech efforts earn national partners, standing"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The University of Wisconsin\u2014Oshkosh (UWO) and its distinctive centers are stepping up their game when it comes to cultivating civic engagement, healthy democracy and student involvement not only on campus but also in the community and Fox Valley region.<\/p>\n

It was a banner academic year. And 2025-26 looks to build on new distinctions, designations and partnerships earning UWO some national spotlight, university and center leaders said.<\/p>\n

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Martini<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cGreat universities are engaged partners and experimenters in these critical topics, and UWO is committed to them,\u201d Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Ed Martini said. \u201cOur relevant UWO centers continue to build collaborations with local, state and national trailblazers dedicated to finding solutions that bridge unproductive divides and confront threats such as misinformation in the age of AI. Meanwhile, we are focused on better engaging students in our classrooms and at campus events to promote more robust, meaningful discussion and debate. We had a big year, and a bigger one is in store.\u201d<\/p>\n

Higher Learning Commission cites UWO as a civic engagement leader<\/strong><\/p>\n

In March, the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), official accreditor of UWO, designated the university as one of, at that time, fewer than 40 institutions in the nation meeting the Civic Learning and Democracy Engagement (CLDE) Coalition\u2019s criteria for designation as a \u201cfull participation institution.\u201d<\/p>\n

UWO\u2019s response to a spring 2024 Civic Engagement survey demonstrated that the university met requirements for one or more of the categories identified in CLDE\u2019s Learning Framework: \u201cDemocratic Knowledge and Levers for Change, Bridge-Building and Problem-Solving Skills, Practical Experience and Projects, and Career-Related Civic and Ethical Learning.\u201d<\/p>\n

The CLDE designation took particular note of UWO\u2019s general education program, which builds in a second-year requirement that all students engage in a community engagement experience designed to enhance civic knowledge and promote learners\u2019 integration and involvement in the broader community.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re proud to be recognized for helping instill these fundamentals in UWO students,\u201d Martini said. \u201cThe CLDE Coalition calls on higher education \u2018to play positive and constructive roles in democracy,\u2019 and we wholeheartedly agree that the learning outcomes they value are the kinds of knowledge, skills and leadership qualities UWO nurtures in students. They propel students and alumni successfully through UWO and into futuristic career and community roles throughout Wisconsin and beyond for decades to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whitburn Center partners with WisACT and The Carter Center<\/strong><\/p>\n

Also in March, UWO\u2019s\u00a0Whitburn Center for Governance and Policy Research<\/a>\u00a0announced its plans to not only join with the\u00a0Wisconsin Alliance for Civic Trust (WisACT)<\/a>\u00a0but also to lead\u00a0 administration of a new program funded by The Carter Center, the Atlanta-based nonprofit founded by former President Jimmy Carter and first-lady Rosalyn Carter in 1982.<\/p>\n

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Larson<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Dr. Sam Larson, Whitburn Center interim director, said The Carter Center\u2019s Conflict Resolution Program works to prevent, mitigate, and resolve conflicts and political violence. This includes \u201ccountering all of the misinformation out there\u2014not just about elections, but media that suggests everyone is divided on everything, which is not the case.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c(Carter) saw the cross-partisan work we (Whitburn) have been doing,\u201d Larson said. \u201cOur initial founding mission aligns really well with WisACT and their goal of bringing together Wisconsinites from the left and right to work together and rebuild trust in democratic institutions. We\u2019re now leading this effort in Wisconsin, along with cross-partisan teams in five other states. The Whitburn Center is on the cutting edge of this.\u201d<\/p>\n

WisACT\u2019s programming is now managed by Larson and the Whitburn team, including Dr. Paul Van Auken, UWO professor of sociology. WisACT\u2019s co-founders, former Gov. Scott McCallum, chair of the Whitburn advisory board, and David D. Haynes, a former journalist and editor at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, continue in an advisory role. A privately funded academic center based at UWO, Whitburn\u2019s mission is to conduct nonpartisan, practical, applied research focused on evaluating and improving governance, professional management and public policy in Wisconsin.<\/p>\n

Since its founding, WisACT (www.wisact.org) has been supported by The Carter Center. Carter has worked extensively worldwide addressing healthcare challenges and resolving conflicts. It began supporting democracy resilience networks in the United States in 2020; it now supports networks in Wisconsin and five other states\u2014Georgia, Arizona, Florida, Michigan and North Carolina.<\/p>\n

Larson said the new partnership fortifies the three entities\u2019 common focus on promoting the common good across differences. This starts with strengthening relationships at the local community level. Whitburn\u2019s work, for starters, will involve the assembly of a regional team from diverse social and political backgrounds to \u201ccounteract the polarization narrative.\u201d<\/p>\n

A second phase of the work, Larson said, includes piloting a public service leadership development program next year. The program will provide local government civics education, public service career opportunities, and expand civil dialogue and conflict resolution skills for high school and college students. The UWO Center for Civic and Community Engagement and Dr. Matt Richie, associate professor of Criminal Justice and Director of the Fire & Emergency Response Management program, will be key collaborators. The Whitburn Center recently received three additional grants to support the pilot, including a $19,000 Wisconsin Institute for Citizenship and Civic Dialogue (WICCD) grant, $20,405 Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership grant, and a $125,000 Mosaic grant in partnership with a nonprofit partner, Root Change.<\/p>\n

Upon announcement of their joining, McCallum described the fusion of Whitburn and WisACT as a \u201cperfect fit,\u201d and Haynes said their symbiotic missions will help both respond to takeaways WisACT gleaned in a series of statewide 2024 listening sessions.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth are committed to strengthening democratic institutions with a focus on secure elections and building effective local government,\u201d McCallum said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne key takeaway from our listening tour last summer was a deep concern across our state over the lack of trust in institutions,\u201d Haynes said. \u201cIt\u2019s simply critical that we work together to rebuild that trust.\u201d<\/p>\n

WisACT has developed relationships with other organizations concerned with trust-building, including the Wisconsin Council of Churches, LeaderEthics, All Voting is Local, Keep Our Republic, and the MacIver Institute.<\/p>\n

As The Carter Center joins the fold and fuels the new initiative, Larson said three UWO student research assistants\u2014Areli Alvarez (Master of Public Administration), Amanda Pierron (Political Science and Social Science Education), and Aspyn Rafac (Political Science)\u2014are already helping with literature reviews, presentations, program design, social media and coalition building efforts this summer. A student taskforce will eventually involve student representatives from Universities of Wisconsin campuses to advance youth engagement, she said. She also envisions a fall semester event \u201cpromoting civic health\u201d and a spring 2026 summit is in the works with the UW\u2013Madison Center for Community and Nonprofit Studies.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo me, we\u2019re on the front lines of democracy building,\u201d Larson said.<\/p>\n

Center for Civic and Community Engagement blossoming<\/strong><\/p>\n

UWO\u2019s Center for Civic and Community Engagement<\/a>\u00a0is also driving the civic engagement renaissance, promoting healthy democracy, building bridges, exposing more students to the spectrum of perspectives and speakers and stoking freedom of expression.<\/p>\n

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Lueder<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The Center helps educate students to get active in citizenship and leadership development, offering programming that introduces and connects them local leaders and the issues they are often tackling in their home communities and regions.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery year, our programming and initiatives have expanded, and local and state partners, alumni and funder continue to seek us out, asking us to help sponsor and often design the forums and activities that draw in students and enrich their experience and learning outside UWO\u2019s classrooms,\u201d said Mike Lueder, director of the Center for Civic and Community Engagement and Outreach Affiliate for the\u00a0Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The list of initiatives and activities in 2024-25 grew and includes, but wasn\u2019t limited to:<\/p>\n