“Strategy is as intellectually challenging as empirical research and moral argument, but it’s much less studied, taught, and integrated,” said Peter Levine, Tisch College director of research and director of CIRCLE.

Levine lays out his vision for the importance of strategy in his book, We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For: The Promise of Civic Renewal in America, forthcoming from the Oxford University Press.  He spoke about his ideas at the Philosophy & Civic Engagement symposium.  The symposium was organized to celebrate Levine’s recent appointment as the Lincoln-Filene Professor of Citizenship and Public Service and his secondary appointment as a research professor in the School of Arts & Sciences philosophy department.

“Broadly, civic engagement is in decline,” said Levine.  “We’ve lost the structures that recruit, educate, and permit people to engage effectively as citizens.”

However, Levine says we also live in a period of remarkable civic innovation.

“There are at least one million Americans at work right now on sophisticated and locally effective forms of civic engagement,” he said. “People are motivated to work together on public problems, but policies frustrate the best kinds of engagement.  What’s needed are strategies to change those policies.”

Philosophy, particularly moral philosophy, has a special role in shaping those strategies and defining good citizenship.

“Moral concepts are indispensable,” said Levine.  “Test scores are a good example.  Research might show that smaller class sizes raise test scores, but it can’t tell you if those tests measure something valuable, or if the cost to hire more teachers and build more classrooms is worth paying, or if the state has the right to raise the necessary revenues.  Those are value judgments, and civic engagement makes our value judgments wiser.”

Levine argues that the fundamental reason for the kinds of civic engagement that Tisch College promotes and that CIRCLE studies is to strengthen Americans’ moral reasoning and our capacity to solve social problems.

“Civil society functions best when many kinds of people bring their experiences into a common conversation, and then take what they’ve learned back to their work, in an iterative cycle,” he said.  “If individuals constantly rely on the same small number of foundational beliefs, it quickly becomes impossible for them to converse or engage. It’s easier to talk to someone with many interests, commitments, and ideas, because each of those is a point of contact, like an organic molecule with lots of surfaces where other molecules can bond.”

Rather than understanding moral reasoning as a linear sequence of steps, Levine envisions it as a network that connects nodes of concrete data and abstract values in webs of associations and configurations, tied together by implications and influences.

For example, you may have a node that “love is good.” However, love can be wrong or can lead to tragedy, as in Romeo and Juliet. Levine argues that our minds are flexible enough to manage the complex meanings and associations that come with value-heavy terms like “love.”  We have the capacity to route around conflicting assumptions.

“A strong network does not rest on a single node,” he said.  “Its many pathways allow many routes from one node to the next.  Yet, in real functioning networks, all the nodes do not bear equal importance: the most vital 20% carry 80% of the traffic.  That’s true for the Internet, the brain, and, I think, civil society.  A moral mind works like a robust network.”

Levine thinks that this network model of the moral mind captures both how deeply interconnected we are, and how social our processes of reasoning are.

“Each person’s network is at least slightly different from everyone else’s,” he said, “but any two networks share at least some of the same nodes.  So we can think of the whole community as one elaborate interpersonal moral network, full of tension as well as consensus.  Civic engagement is a process of enriching and enhancing that shared network.”

For Levine, civic engagement is most valuable when deliberation (talking and learning about public matters) is connected to work and making things, particularly collaborative efforts that produce things of public value.  Talking and working together forges relationships that he calls “scarce but renewable sources of energy and power.”

We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For assembles evidence that this kind of engagement, although waning in America, actually solves social problems. The book concludes with strategies for civic renewal.

“Medicine is teamwork,” said Matthew Shepard, M13.  “The teams are almost always interdisciplinary – you have to rely on people’s specialties.”

Shepard played a role in a variety of teams at the Sharewood Project, a free health care organization run by medical students and physicians, first as a volunteer and then as the Administrative Director.

“I came to Sharewood on my second day at Tufts,” he said.  “I’d heard it about it during the application process, and I knew I wanted to get involved.  At the clinic, medical students assume the role of a care provider early on, and that can be a deer in the headlights experience.  But that’s how I learned practical skills, like how to talk to patients, ask the basic questions, and really hear the person in front of me.  Everyone has such different life experiences, to get good outcomes patients need to feel that they’re listened to and that their concerns are addressed.”

When Shepard arrived, the Project had been running for over a decade.  When he became Administrative Director, his goals were to improve what was already in place, and expand the reach of the practice.

“We treat the immediate problems our patients are presenting with,” said Shepard, “and our longer-term goal is prevention.  The best way to do that is to help our patients get into the wider system.  Over three quarters of the people we treat at Sharewood lack access to health insurance, and a lot of them are unfamiliar with how American healthcare works.  If we can get them a primary care doctor, that’s one of the biggest impacts we can have on their long-term health.”

To connect patients with doctors, Shepard and his team partnered with MassHealth and other organizations.  All Sharewood case managers are now certified by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to access the MassHealth portal and help enroll new members.

In June, Shepard will begin neurosurgery residence at the University of Virginia Health System.

“Active citizenship means findings the needs that exist in communities, and doing something about them,” said Shepard.  “You have to be humble, and accept that your responses need to be appropriate to the people you’re trying to serve.”

Emily Joseph, D13, put active citizenship at the core of her dental education.  As a member of Tufts Smile Squad, she did outreach and education to children, helping to make visits to the dentist less frightening.  Working with the non-profit Bridge Over Troubled Waters, she provided care to homeless adults and teens.  During a mission trip to the Dominican Republic, run by the Hispanic Dental Society and the Alpha Omega Dental Fraternity, Joseph brought her skills to underserved communities in the developing world.

Of all her experiences, Joseph cites her Community Service Learning Externship at the Winslow Indian Health Center in Arizona as having had the biggest impact, both on her education and development as a dentist, and on the people she served.

“Most of our patients came from the Navajo reservation,” said Joseph.  “It was a diverse population in terms of disease.  Studying oral pathology in a school in the city, where there are so many providers, you tend to see very few cases.  But in a place where access to care is a real challenge, the variety is much greater – I saw one hundred and fifty very different patients in the time I was there.”

“Before the externship, I don’t think I’d fully realized how much cultural and spiritual beliefs affect health and education,” she continued.  “For example, it’s difficult to discuss the possibility of mortality with anyone, but many of the patients at Winslow would interpret saying that something carried a risk of death as though the speaker were wishing death upon them.  It was much more important to talk about the benefits that could result, and explain things as fully as possible.”

Joseph sees service as essential to her work.

“It can feel like another drop in the ocean, but that’s a drop that wasn’t there before,” she said.  “We’re all a part of the same world, and doing something that might seem very small can make a huge difference in a person’s life.”

The induction ceremony was a unique opportunity for the most engaged undergraduates to come together across disciplines and interest areas to celebrate their accomplishments and to reflect on their individual path to active citizenship at Tufts.

Honos Civicus society members reflect on their experiences

Honos Civicus society members show off their certificates

Honos Civicus society members show off their certificates

129 undergradautes were inducted into the society this year

Honos Civicus society members reflect on their experiences as undergraduates

Tisch College Dean ad interim welcomes the newest members of the Honos Civicus Society

“At Tisch College we believe that there are many pathways to becoming an effective active citizen,” said Nancy Wilson, Tisch College dean ad interim, in welcoming the crowd. “You have all taken different courses and engaged in different co-curricular activities, but your common goal of improving the world around you has brought you to the Honos Civicus society today. Congratulations on your many accomplishments.”

A growing network of engaged alumni, Honos Civicus annually welcomes graduating seniors from the School of Arts and Sciences and School of Engineering who have excelled in growing their active citizenship capabilities through courses and co-curricular activities during their time at Tufts. Learn more about Honos Civicus Society selection criteria.

The 2013 undergraduate Honos Civicus inductees are:

“Using your newly acquired professional knowledge, your clinical skills, and of course, your compassion, each of you has contributed significantly to addressing health disparities and had a significant impact on society,” said President Anthony P. Monaco in welcoming the society’s newest members. “All of you have made differences in the lives of individuals and improved opportunities for medical and dental care. Your service has been a profound opportunity for education as well. You have learned about the connections between race, socioeconomic class and healthcare disparities. You have gained knowledge and wisdom from your faculty, your patients, community members and each other.”

Led by Nancy Wilson, Tisch College dean ad interim, the dental and medical students had the opportunity to reflect together about how their engaged experiences shaped their development.

“All of you have done tremendous work,” Dean Wilson remarked, “As you reflect on what you have already achieved I hope you will find in that work an inspiration to continue to be engaged.”

Before being formally inducted, Laurence Bailen, M93, president of the Tufts Medical Alumni Association and Mary Jane Hanlon, D97, a representative of the Tufts Dental Alumni Association, welcomed the students to each schools’ alumni society and the school deans praised the student’s accomplishments.

“I’ve never seen anything like the community engagement at Tufts,” said Huw Thomas, dean of the School of Dental Medicine. “The level of commitment from our students is amazing and inspiring.”

“You are changing the way healthcare professionals think about their work,” said Harris Berman, dean of the School of Medicine. “It’s not just about working with individuals but about your larger impact on the world. The programs you’ve created and strengthened will live on and serve as the groundwork for future growth. You have made Tufts better, made the community better, and you have made the world better.”

Honos Civicus Society 2013 members are:

School of Dental Medicine

C Marissa Alikpala, D13
Lindsey Brangwynne, D13
Diego Camacho, D13
Danielle Currier, D13
Patricia Domings, D13
Helen Fassil, D13
Sarah Greenlaw, D13
Emily Joseph, D13
Gregory Josephsen, D13
Jennifer Kusner, D13
Gregory Lane, D13
Rachel McKee, D13
Rachel Misuraca, D13
Lauren Murphy, D13
Michael Neglia, D13
Laura Rein, D13
Erica Stutius, D13
Elissa Teasdale, D13
Denise Tong, D13
Vincent Trinidad, D13
Daniela Urciuoli, D13
Carlin Weaver, D13
Julie Williams, D13

School of Medicine

Shauna Hutchinson Andersson, M13
Heather Bradford, M13
Graham Brant-Zawadzki, M13
Jonathan Brower, M13
Sarah Cairo, M13
Amy Chong, M13
Lily Conover, M13
Molly Douglas, M13
Susan Eklund, M13
Colleen Fant, M13
Sally Greenwald, M13
Michael Hemond, M13
Christina Johnson, M13
Kunal Kothari, M13
Michael Kwak, M13
Jacqueline Latina, M13
Kathleen McKenna, M13
Adam Nadolski, M13
Anoop Raman, M13
Moira Rashid, M13
Vicky Reichman, M13
Matthew Shepard, M13

Just decades ago women and our advocates fought for parity in access to education and workplace. This narrative has shifted a lot. Now, women have achieved parity or near parity in many sectors and girls are ahead of boys in many academic subjects and college completion.

Girls and young women are ahead of their male counterparts on many indicators of civic engagement, including volunteering, membership in community associations, and voting. Female college students are far more likely to spend large number of hours on volunteer service, take service learning courses, and value helping others in need more strongly than male students. After college, women are overrepresented in intensive service programs like AmeriCorps and Teach for America. The National Assessment of Educational Progress Civics test results indicate that girls perform as well as, if not better than, boys on civic knowledge tests.

So, it appears that women have no problem becoming civically engaged, and they are high achievers in academics, including civics.

Yet, scholars have shown that women are grossly underrepresented in our political leadership and there is clearly a pipeline gap. And we find the same pattern of high achievement and underrepresentation in the corporate sector, law, and leadership in higher education (with an exception of community colleges).

On one hand, we have girls and women who are high civic achievers and yet, our daughters are still growing up seeing few female political leaders.

Challenges

When we look at the figures closely, we can identify several important challenges for which we need solutions:

1. Interest gap

First, young women are much less interested in political engagement than men. The gender gap in discussion of political issues is actually expanding.

2. Confidence Gap

Second, women are far less likely to claim personal characteristics such leadership and public speaking skills, competitiveness, social skills and popularity, all of which are the very qualities we want in our political leaders.

The gender gaps have not narrowed since the 1960s, which is when the survey began.

3. Expectations Gap

Young college women are less likely to have ever been encouraged to run for an political office by pretty much everyone in their lives, including parents, grandparents, teachers, coaches, and even friends. Interestingly, women are just as likely to be encouraged to run for student government positions as men. So women are expected to lead to a certain level, but not at a higher level.

4. Race and Class Gap

A closer look at the data suggests that women of color and women who are disadvantaged are left far behind their White and educated counterparts in most indicators of civic participation. Furthermore, women of color are less likely to report feeling connected within the community by contacting public officials, trust of neighbors or regularly visiting family and friends. They were even less likely to be encouraged to express opinions within their own family.

Ignoring these race and class gaps can mask important challenges we have. When we simply compare genders without considering their racial backgrounds, there are little gender differences in most of the comparisons.

5. Assessment Gap

Lastly, we currently rely on standardized tests for assessment of civic competency in K-12 grades. These tests assess knowledge quite well, but they are not designed to measure dispositions, motivation or skills, especially the ones needed for political leadership.

The most prevalent types of test today will not identify the gap in leadership skill or desire for political leadership. Nor will it identify areas of strength for girls. So, simply increasing the amount of testing and holding schools accountable for civic learning, based solely on civics test is not likely to help us identify the gender gaps or measure the progress we make to close it.

So, what can we do to promote civic engagement, especially for girls and women?

With recent progress in research and practice, we know more about what works in civic education, and I’m excited to tell you that we are starting to get more evidence supporting what’s called New Civics. In this newer framing of civics, students not only gain civic knowledge from textbooks, but they can also learn the content through topics that are relevant for them, and learn through hands-on experiences in their community through projects or service learning, or learn in simulations in classrooms, and in online learning spaces.

Students also develop into civically and politically engaged young adults when they discuss current events, particularly when issues are relevant to young people, and even controversial. Through these occasions, students can not only learn about issues but also practice how to disagree respectfully, argue their points, and compromise at times.

Teachers often face resistance from parents, administrators and the community, but these are the skills we ask of our political leaders. This is the time to teach these skills.

What can be done specifically for girls and young women?

We have a lot of work ahead in understanding what works best for girls. But so far, research implies that

• We must address the interest and confidence gaps: since we know that these gaps are large by college-age, we know we must change what we do with younger girls so that there are young women who want to get into the political leadership pipeline.
  • At K-12 level, social studies must be taught to explicitly show that political leadership is a viable career option for girls of all backgrounds.
  • Institutions of higher education could make concerted efforts to reverse this strong gendered interest by encouraging women to participate in politics.
    (Our research shows that the political discussions are strongly gendered, meaning that women’s peer group just isn’t talking about politics. Courses, student organizations, campus events and climate an all help address this gap. )
• Girls who are interested in helping others and solving problems in their communities, often through service, should be provided with a pathway toward political leadership. This would mean strong mentoring and instrumental support. Currently, both of these things appear to be insufficient.
• Finally, we must stay on course to address the prominent race- and class-gaps among young women. It is critical that we promote leadership by women in general, but without minding the race- and class-gap, we will have an uneven representation of women’s voices and issues in the future.

***

Tisch College’s CIRCLE (The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement) is the leading source of authoritative research on civic and political engagement of Americans between the ages of 15 and 25.

The newest Tisch College board members are:
Matthew M. Bai, A90, Chief Political Correspondent for the New York Times

Charles L. Merin, A04P, Executive Vice President of Prime Policy Group

Ify Nneka Mora, A04, Chief of Staff at The Barr Foundation

Louisa M. Terrell, A91, Director of Public Policy for Facebook

Matthew M. Bai, A90

Matt Bai is the chief political correspondent for the New York Times Magazine, where he covered both the 2004 and 2008 presidential campaigns. He also writes the “Political Times” column that appears regularly in the Caucus, the Times’ blog on government and politics. Bai often explores issues of generational change in American politics and society. His cover articles in the magazine include the 2008 essay “Is Obama the End of Black Politics?” and a 2004 profile of John Kerry titled, “Kerry’s Undeclared War.” Bai is also the author of ”The Argument: Inside the Battle to Remake Democratic Politics,” now available in paperback. The book, which chronicles the rise of the first Internet-age political movement and the people who built it, was honored as a New York Times Notable Book for 2007. He is currently at work on a new book about the failed era of boomer politics. Before joining The Times Magazine in 2002, Bai was a national correspondent for Newsweek and, before that, a city-desk reporter for The Boston Globe. In 2001, he was a fellow at Harvard’s Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School of Government, where he led a seminar on the next generation of political journalism. Bai is a graduate of Tufts and Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism.

Charles L. Merin, A04P

Charles L. Merin serves as Executive Vice President of Prime Policy Group and joins the firm from its predecessor, BKSH & Associates Worldwide, where he was a founding partner. He possesses more than 40 years of Washington experience, beginning with service as a congressional staffer. He began his career as a lobbyist in 1976. Chuck has established himself as the premier lobbyist for hospitality industry interests in Washington. His many travel and tourism-related clients include: the United States Travel Association; National Restaurant Association; Dunkin’ Brands, Inc.; Marriott International; National Retail Federation; International Franchise Association; and Loews Corporation. His efforts have created greater cohesiveness among—and a more effective framework for unified lobbying on behalf of—this burgeoning industry. He has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Business for Diplomatic Action, an initiative begun in 2001 to improve American business diplomacy; Board of America’s Trust, a non-profit, non-partisan public policy organization that aims to bridge partisan and other divisions in order to better address the challenges facing the United States; and as a member of the Woodrow Wilson International Center’s “Strengthening America’s Global Engagement” initiative. Chuck is an expert in building legislative coalitions and helping clients forge effective, long-term relationships on Capitol Hill. He is perhaps best known for his close affiliation with the Blue Dog Coalition, an alliance of more than two dozen pro-business, conservative House Democrats whose votes are much coveted. In 1999, the Blue Dog Coalition made Chuck an honorary Blue Dog in recognition of his role as a counselor since their inception in December 1994. National Journal has recognized him as one of Washington’s leading Democratic lobbyists, in part a reflection of his closeness to this key bloc of votes. Prominent political analyst Charlie Cook once described Chuck as “one of Washington’s more perceptive lobbyists.” Chuck has also represented labor, senior citizen, and business trade association interests. During the last two years of the Carter Administration, he was principal liaison between the public and private sectors on a Social Security study conducted under Congressional mandate by the then-Department of Health, Education and Welfare. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in history and a Master’s degree in international relations from the George Washington University. Chuck is married to Sandy Merin and has two grown children. He currently lives in Falls Church, Virginia.

Ify Nneka Mora, A04

Ify Nneka Mora is the chief of staff of the Barr Foundation, whose mission is to enhance educational and economic opportunities, to achieve environmental sustainability, and to create rich cultural experiences – all with particular attention to children and families living in poverty. She works closely with the executive director on organizational development and strategic projects. She also staffs external initiatives with which the foundation is involved. Prior to her current role at Barr, she was one of four Associated Grant Makers fellows who participated in an intense one-year professional grant making fellowship. Her fellowship was at Barr Foundation. While at Tufts, Ms. Mora was a member of Tisch Scholars program and was a Tisch Scholars program coordinator for three years after she graduated in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in quantitative economics. She then received her M.P.P. degree in 2009 from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Louisa M. Terrell, A91

As director of public policy at Facebook, Louisa Terrell liaises with congress on key issues such as intellectual property, privacy, online safety, corporate tax reform, high-skilled immigration, global internet freedom, political online organizing, and advocacy. Previous to her position at Facebook, Ms. Terrell was a special assistant to the president for legislative affairs at The White House, a member of the Obama/Biden transition team, the senior director for federal policy and strategy at Yahoo!, and the deputy chief of staff and counsel to Senator Joe Biden. Terrell received her bachelors from Tufts University in 1991 in American Studies. She received her JD in 1996 from Boston College Law School. While at Tufts, Ms. Terrell was a member of the varsity women’s crew and squash teams.

The Alan D. Solomont Lecture series was endowed by the Tisch College Board of Advisors, as well as friends and colleagues of Solomont in recognition of his exemplary leadership as an active citizen. The inaugural lecture was delivered by House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi in 2011.

Solomont was nominated for the Ambassador position by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the United States Senate in 2009. Previously, he served as chairman of the bipartisan Board of Directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency that oversees all domestic service programs, including AmeriCorps, Learn and Serve America, VISTA and Senior Corps. He spent his professional career in the health and elder care arenas, serving as chairman of Solomont Bailis Ventures, co-founder of HouseWorks, and founder and managing director of Angel Healthcare Investors.

A member of Tufts’ class of 1970 and trustee emeritus, he is the founding board chairperson for Tisch College.

In addition to his involvement with Tisch College, Solomont has served on the board of directors for other nonprofits and for-profit organizations including Boston Medical Center, Boston Private Bank & Trust Co., Angel Healthcare Investors, and The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library Foundation.

As a fellow in Tisch College’s Active Citizenship Summer (ACS) program, Ethan Peritz, A13, worked with the CEEO to develop a four-year pre-engineering curriculum for Somerville High School. Read more about his work: Re-engineering Engineering Education.

With the end of the school year in sight, Ethan Peritz, A13, is preparing to assess the performance of the curriculum for pre-engineering education he helped develop.

“So far it’s been very well received,” said Peritz.  “The students seem to have a much stronger and deeper understanding of what engineering is, and the teachers have been making it their own, which is what we really hoped would happen.”

In June, Peritz will present a paper on the development of the curriculum at the American Society for Engineering Education’s annual conference.

“The paper describes the reciprocal nature of partnerships between public schools and universities and what these two communities can offer each other,” he said.

Peritz is also looking ahead to the fall, when he will be begin teaching math as a Teach for America corps member.

“I’m terrified,” said Peritz, “but very excited.”