Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service  
     
left side photo
  • About
Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service 1
Printer-friendly version

About Tisch College

The Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service is a national leader in civic education, whose model and research are setting the standard for higher education’s role in civic engagement. Serving every student at Tufts University, Tisch College prepares young people to be lifelong active citizens and creates an enduring culture of active citizenship.


Tisch College is a catalyst for active citizenship at Tufts and is the only university-wide program of its kind. By continuously developing and introducing new active citizenship programming in collaboration with Tufts schools, departments, and student groups, Tisch College builds a culture of active citizenship throughout the university. This entrepreneurial approach grows the university’s capacity for engagement, and allows the college to reach every student at all of Tufts schools.


Tisch College offers and supports extensive programming for every member of the Tufts community. Curricular and co-curricular opportunities develop the knowledge and skills of active citizenship among students from every school at Tufts. Additionally, Tisch College supports faculty research in the area of civic engagement, builds capacity to meet community-identified needs among local non-profits, and supports other institutions of higher education around the world in strengthening their active citizenship offerings.

Based on Tufts Medford/Somerville campus, Tisch College is active in the communities in which Tufts facilities are based -Medford, Somerville, Boston's Chinatown and Grafton - as well as in projects based across the United States and around the globe.


Thank you for visiting Tisch College. We invite you to explore the programs and resources we offer to students, faculty, alumni, and to our community partners. Please also visit CIRCLE, our research arm which is a leading source of authoritative research on the civic and political engagement of young Americans.


Please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page or explore the links above.


What is Active Citizenship?

 means building stronger, healthier, and safer communities.  Active citizens are in every sector and field of study, they come from all backgrounds and experiences, but share a commitment to actively engaging in their communities.

Faculty Profile

Richard Lerner

Richard Lerner
Professor, child development

WHY TUFTS: “Tufts has a great liberal arts tradition and is making a difference in the world for individuals, communities and civil society more
generally.

Having the opportunity to work at an institution that has this traditional excellence and yet this commitment, this pillar, to application to real world service is just an enormous opportunity, a great gift.”

CURRENT RESEARCH: Groundbreaking work on the nature of positive development among adolescents. Several longitudinal studies are underway exploring how adolescents develop in positive ways and how this development is juxtaposed with risk behaviors (alcohol, drug use, unsafe sex, delinquency, etc.) often seen during this period.

LATEST BOOK: Liberty: Thriving and Civic Engagement Among America’s Youth

AFTER-HOURS: “I like to spend time with my kids and my wife, who is a professor at Boston College. I also jog everyday and do crossword puzzles.”