This article is about the AASCU Initiative.

For other uses, see American Democracy Project (527 group in Florida).

Project Mission: For other uses, see American Democracy Project. ...

The American Democracy Project (ADP) is an initiative of 217 AASCU campuses that seeks to create an intellectual and experiential understanding of civic engagement for undergraduates enrolled at institutions that are members of AASCU. The goal of the project is to produce graduates who understand and are committed to engaging in meaningful actions as citizens in a democracy. AASCU logo The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) is an organization of state-supported colleges and universities that offer degree programs leading to bachelors, masters or doctoral degrees. ...

This project uses the definition of civic engagement proposed by Thomas Ehrlich and his colleagues in Civic Responsibility and Higher Education: “ Civic engagement means working to make a difference in the civic life of our communities and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values and motivation to make that difference. It means promoting the quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political processes.” (Preface, page vi) “ A morally and civically responsible individual recognizes himself or herself as a member of a larger social fabric and therefore considers social problems to be at least partly his or her own; such an individual is willing to see the moral and civic dimensions of issues, to make and justify informed moral and civic judgments, and to take action when appropriate.” (Introduction, page xxvi).

Civic Engagement in Action Series:

To bring the aforementioned goals to fruition, ADP has instituted a series of initiatives entitled the Civic Engagement in Action Series that involves a group of ADP campuses and external partners. There are six initiatives:

1) The Stewardship of Public Lands

2) 7 Revolutions

3) Participatory Citizenship: American Democracy and the Jury System

4) Political Engagement Project

5) Strategies to Encouraging Voting

6) Civic Engagement and the First Year

Each of the initiatives deals with some critical national issue. Many of the initiatives use a case study as a way to illustrate the concerns and processes at work. The Civic Engagement in Action Series has developed and will continue to develop a variety of materials, program ideas, and recommendations for all campuses participating in the American Democracy Project.

Constitution Day:

In addition to these initiatives, the national office of the American Democracy Project also strives to support member campuses as they celebrate and honor Constitution Day. Constitution Day is an American federal holiday that recognizes the ratification of the United States Constitution. It is observed on September 17, the day the U.S. Constitutional Convention signed the Constitution in 1787. Constitution Day is an American federal holiday that recognizes the ratification of the United States Constitution. ... The United States Constitution is the supreme law of the United States of America. ...

The law establishing the holiday was created in 2004 with the passage of an amendment by Senator Robert Byrd to the Omnibus spending bill of 2004. Before this law was enacted, the holiday was known as "Citizenship Day". In addition to renaming the holiday "Constitution Day and Citizenship Day," the act mandates that all publicly funded educational institutions provide educational programming on the history of the American Constitution on that day. In May 2005, the United States Department of Education announced the enactment of this law and that it would apply to any school receiving federal funds of any kind. Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Robert Byrd Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Robert Byrd Robert Carlyle Byrd (born November 20, 1917 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina), a Democrat, is West Virginias senior United States Senator. ... An omnibus spending bill is a bill that sets the budget of many departments of the United States government at once. ...

External links

• American Democracy Project
• American Association of State Colleges and Universities website