Much has been said and written lately concerning the sad state of civic literacy among America’s young people. With the drop in participation in politics and voting even among college-educated young adults, not only is the breadth and depth of the electorate in decline, but the source of informed leaders for the future is in some jeopardy. That is a problem for democratic government in the United States, which depends on an educated citizenry and on a stock of well-informed leaders who are willing and able to fill the many elected and appointed positions at all levels of government.

The Congress to Campus Program addresses several aspects of the civic learning and engagement deficit among the country’s college-age young people, combining traditional educational content with a strong message about public service. The Program sends bipartisan pairs of former Members of Congress – one Democrat and one Republican – to visit college, university and community college campuses around the country. Over the course of two work days, the Members conduct classes, hold community forums, meet informally with students and faculty, visit high schools and civic organizations, and do interviews and talk show appearances with local press and media.

The Program provides a distinctive and powerful means to educate the next generation about American government, politics and public affairs. The sponsoring school is responsible for the schedule of events for each visit (with guidance from Program staff), for the visit’s on-site costs, and for a contribution toward the administrative program costs of the program (based on the school’s financial resources). The Members provide solid content, discussing how Congress and the government really work and relating their experiences as candidates and politicians, all combined with an appeal to public service and an important message about bipartisan cooperation.

The Program has enjoyed marked growth in the last three years, while also assuring that Members and the host schools enjoy a substantive, worthwhile experience. For each visit, the Association works with the host school to provide advice about the kinds of activities to schedule, to coordinate arrangements, and to review the schedule and program content. We systematically review the experience from each visit to distill lessons learned that can improve the planning and execution of subsequent visits.

Past campus visits have always received good evaluations from faculty sponsors. In 2002-03 and 2003-04 we also developed quantitative data to determine the impact of the Program, having the sponsoring faculty at each school administer a simple questionnaire. By surveying a sample of students who participate in the Program’s campus activities and a sample of comparable students who do not, we now have a better idea of the Program’s effectiveness. The students exposed to the Program express more positive attitudes toward public officials and public service career options that are statistically significant compared to students with no exposure to the Program.

The Stennis Center for Public Service is an organization established by law as an entity of the Congress and has been the Association’s partner in managing the Program since 1996. In 2002, the Association engaged the Center for Democracy & Citizenship to manage the Program in partnership with Stennis; it is part of the Council for Excellence in Government, a qualified 501(c)(3) organization. As of June 1, 2007, the Association welcomes the Congress to Campus Program back in house.

For additional information contact former Congressman Matt McHugh, U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress, 1401 K Street NW, Suite 503, Washington, DC 20005; 202-222-0972; ctc(at)usafmc(dot)org or Brother Rogers, Assistant Director for Programs, Stennis Center for Public Service, Box 9629, Mississippi MS 39762; 662-325-8409; brother(at)stennis(dot)gov.

APPLICATION FOR CONGRESS TO CAMPUS VISIT