KU earns national voter engagement recognition, prepares for 2022 midterms
LAWRENCE — Members of the University of Kansas community are invited to join the Center for Service Learning and others in promoting civic engagement at KU in preparation for the 2022 midterm election cycle by becoming a Civic Engagement Ambassador. The program connects faculty, staff, students and community partners who are interested in promoting service learning and civic and community engagement. Those interested can sign up online.
Based on institutional commitment from Chancellor Douglas A. Girod, KU participates in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, a national awards program that recognizes colleges and universities for their commitment to increasing student voting rates. As part of this commitment, KU also engages in the Big 12 Votes Challenge, a collaboration among Big 12 institutions to improve student voter engagement across the athletic conference.
KU‘s 2020 student voter rate of 71% earned the institution a Gold Seal from ALL IN in November 2021, which utilizes NSLVE results to award various seals for excellence in student voter participation. KU’s current and past NSLVE reports can be found on the university’s ALL IN Challenge webpage. The ALL IN Challenge Award Ceremonies recognized hundreds of campuses earning Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze seals. For a full list of seal recipients, visit ALL IN’s Seal Awardees page.
Many campus and community partners who contributed to promoting voter engagement and civic action at KU leading up to the 2020 election were nominated for additional ALL IN awards, including the chancellor. Learn more about these offices’ individual contributions.
In support of these offices and other efforts on campus, the KU Center for Service Learning promotes National Voter Education Week programming and outreach, as well as coordination of the KU Civic Engagement Hub and the Civic Engagement Ambassador program.
“The Civic Engagement Hub was established during the 2020 election to connect with our campus community during the pandemic,” said Susan Klusmeier, vice provost for Academic Success. “Under the leadership of the Center for Service Learning, the university was able to establish a central home for a variety of civic engagement resources and events for students, staff and faculty, including the U.S. Census, voting in elections, discussing civic engagement in the classroom and more.”
Girod signed onto the Higher Education President’s Commitment to Full Student Voter Participation in 2020.
“At KU, our mission is to lift students and society by educating leaders, building healthy communities and making discoveries that change the world,” he said. “This significant increase in student voting in 2020 validates our commitment to empowering students to be engaged citizens and leaders in their communities. Civic engagement ties directly with our Jayhawks Rising strategic priorities, specifically in supporting and sustaining healthy and vibrant communities.”
Through community and campus partnerships, the KU Center for Service Learning advances service learning, community-engaged scholarship, and civic engagement that fosters a commitment to participation for a diverse, just, and global society.