At this participatory workshop, Nick Longo, professor of Global Studies at Providence College, offered a framework and practical strategies for embedding civic engagement across the curriculum. The session drew upon a new publication, Practicing Democracy: A Toolkit for Educating Civic Professionals (AAC&U and Campus Compact), a guide that is divided into 12 lessons that use civic prompts and conversation starters for deliberative dialogue in the classroom.
In preparation for the 2024 election and post-election season, the workshop offered educators opportunities to engage in critical reflection about how to incorporate democratic discussions in their classrooms. The ultimate goal was to practice strategies for helping students connect with others across differences and become “civic professionals”—people prepared to facilitate inclusive and participatory problem-solving in communities.
Nick Longo, PhD
Nicholas V. Longo is a chair and professor of Global Studies and co-director of the Dialogue, Inclusion, and Democracy (DID) Lab at Providence College, where he also serves as a faculty fellow for engaged scholarship for Center for Teaching Excellence.
Nick is a faculty mentor and board member of College Unbound, a college working to re-invent higher education for returning adult learners. He consults with some of the leading national civic engagement organizations, including serving as a deliberative dialogue fellow for Campus Compact, a faculty consultant for AAC&U’s Institute for Engaged and Integrated Learning, a faculty fellow for the Institute for Citizens & Scholars summer institute on Dialogue Across Difference, and an affiliated facilitator for the Constructive Dialogue Institute. He formerly served as a program officer at the Charles F. Kettering Foundation, the inaugural director of the Harry T. Wilks Leadership Institute at Miami University in Ohio, and the director of Campus Compact’s national youth civic engagement initiative, Raise Your Voice.
Nick is author of a number of books, articles, and reports on civic education, deliberative dialogue, youth civic engagement, and community-based learning. His publications include Why Community Matters: Connecting Education with Civic Life (SUNY Press) and several co-edited volumes, including Creating Space for Democracy: A Primer on Dialogue and Deliberation in Higher Education (Stylus) and Deliberative Pedagogy: Teaching and Learning for Democratic Engagement (Michigan State University Press). He was awarded the Early Career Research Award from the International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement (IARSCLE) in 2009 and was the 2022 recipient of the Innovation in Teaching Excellence Award from Providence College. He holds a master’s in public affairs and a Ph.D. in education from the University of Minnesota.
Nick lives in Providence, Rhode Island with his wife, Aleida. Together, they have a great passion for educating the next generation of democratic citizens, starting with their children, Maya and Noah.