The 2013 Summer Institute of Civic Studies at Tisch College, Tufts University, is now accepting applications. Organized by Peter Levine (CIRCLE) and Karol Soltan (University of Maryland), the fifth annual summer program will be an intensive two-week seminar that brings together advanced graduate students, faculty, and practitioners from diverse fields of study to learn about and discuss topics related to citizenship.

Writing for the New York Times “At War” blog, James Dao takes a look at a new program in New York City that helps veterans and their families navigate the complex web of federal assistance programs. The Single Stop Veterans Initiative is an off-shoot of Single Stop USA, which has provided counseling to the city’s poor for more than a decade.

In this morning’s New York Times, David Brooks writes about “suffering fools gladly,” noting that politeness and manners “end up shaping the people we are within.” Brooks suggests that civility is an important aspect of a strong civil society—a point that was not lost on George Washington, for example, who made a point to conform himself to his “Rules of Civility and Decent Behaviour in Company.”

The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) recently completed a study of the iCivics computer-based teaching module called Drafting Board. iCivics is an online civic education platform founded by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor that seeks to prepare “young Americans to become knowledgeable, engaged 21st century citizens” by providing educational video games and teaching materials available at its website.

The folks over at the National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC) have once again compiled a list of their favorite reads for the holiday. As they note, “Whether you’re looking for some stocking stuffers, 8 nights of candlelit reading, or just a good book to curl up with while Mother Nature lets it snow, our Holiday Book List has something for all the civic-minded boys and girls.” (See their list from last year here.)

After serving for 18 years in the U.S. Senate, Arizona’s Jon Kyl delivered his farewell address to the Senate yesterday afternoon. Kyl first represented Arizona in the House of Representatives from 1987 to 1995 and then was elected to serve in the Senate. In his farewell remarks, Kyl emphasized the importance that civic education plays in shaping civil society and teaching students what it means to be American.

Writing in The Atlantic, Eric Liu, a former Clinton speechwriter and creator of Citizen University, warns that with all the discussion that’s sure to come about immigration reform, we must be careful not to neglect discussing the destination: citizenship itself.  “What is this thing that needs to be earned?” he asks. “What, besides a bundle of rights, does the status entail and require? What do longstanding citizens take for granted and what is asked of brand-new Americans?”

The American Enterprise Institute is now accepting applications and nominations for the 2013 Summer Institute, a month-long, fully funded experience for 25 select college undergraduates to come to Washington, D.C. and learn about the principles of public policy analysis from AEI scholars.

The U.S. Citizenship Test is a required step in the naturalization process. All U.S. citizenship applicants, with some exceptions, must pass the citizenship test before taking the Oath of Allegiance and officially becoming U.S. citizens. Do you have what it takes to be a citizen? Take the test after the jump.

From the Wall Street Journal: One year after Congress voted to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” elite universities such as Harvard, Yale and Columbia have ended Vietnam-era bans on the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) with highly publicized signing ceremonies among senior military officers and university leaders. Yet for all the fanfare, Yale is the only university that will have cadets training on campus next fall.

From The Weekly Standard: What exactly do we celebrate on Veterans Day? To be sure, we mean to honor the brave men and women, living and dead, who have fought America’s battles, past and present. But honor them how, and for what? About these matters, we lack a clear national answer.

From the New York Post: The re-embrace of ROTC by elite schools marks the end of a shameful chapter in our nation’s history. But ROTC cadets on these campuses—indeed, across much of the nation—still face serious obstacles to their aspiration to serve their country.