James Madison Center for Civic Engagement

Our mission is to educate and inspire people to address public issues and cultivate a just and inclusive democracy.

As a nonpartisan entity, JMU Civic emphasizes the acquisition of knowledge to make one a more informed participant in our democracy, skills to make one a more effective participant, and values that embrace pluralism, open-mindedness, empathy, respect, diversity and inclusion.

What JMU Civic Does:

• We build year-round voter education and engagement initiatives with students, faculty and staff.
• We integrate civic learning opportunities in courses and academic programs with faculty and departments across campus.
• We provide resources for students to learn about and discuss public issues in an academic environment, and to develop and implement plans for informed participation in civic life.
• We collaborate with JMU's Center for Assessment & Research Studies to assess campus-wide civic learning.
• We work alongside community, state and national partners on civic learning initiatives and events.