The Division of Student Life is placing civic learning at the center of the student experience with the launch of the university’s inaugural Civic Learning Week, set for March 9-13. 

Through events and partnerships co-led by the Division of Student Life and U-M’s Democracy and Civic Engagement Initiative, the week underscores a growing institutional focus on preparing students to be both engaged citizens and workforce-ready graduates.

Inspired by a national weeklong effort to support civic education, U-M’s Civic Learning Week will explore the power individuals hold to shape their communities and democratic institutions. 

The initiative also reflects a broader commitment within the Division of Student Life to connect students’ academic experiences with opportunities to apply what they’re learning in real-world contexts and engage with their community.  

“Civic learning empowers our students to understand the world around them and to help shape it thoughtfully, through their choices, conversations and commitments,” said Martino Harmon, vice president for student life. “At its heart, this effort is about fostering a culture where civic values become lifelong habits.”

The Ginsberg Center may be a familiar name to the U-M campus community — particularly around election seasons — but it represents just one part of a larger ecosystem. More than 20 Student Life units work throughout the year to cultivate the everyday habits of democracy, including: 

• Dialogue and perspective taking.
• Working across difference.
• Shared decision-making.
• Civic responsibility for community well-being.

“Civic learning is more than showing up to the ballot box,” said Neeraja Aravamudan, director of the Ginsberg Center and a member of U-M’s Democracy and Civic Engagement Initiative’s Steering Committee. “It’s about giving students the tools to engage with their community, navigate differences and take action in everyday life — and then giving them repeated opportunities to put those skills into practice, on and off campus.”

Programming will range from workshops that help students explore civic engagement pathways aligned with their interests, strengths and motivations to conversations with an elected official and facilitated gatherings where participants can unpack the news and reflect in community.

The Division of Student Life is developing a longer-term collective impact approach to connect its civic learning efforts, making it easier for students to get involved. Central to that effort is guiding students to link their values and beliefs with action — turning who they are and what they learn in the classroom into meaningful community engagement.

Across the division, this type of experiential learning happens year-round through projects and partnerships with peers, community organizations, local businesses, and public service programs. 

Civic Learning Week serves as a window into that ongoing work, illustrating how these experiences help students tackle real-world challenges while developing skills to collaborate and lead within their communities.

“Initiatives like this are a reminder that learning doesn’t stop at the classroom door,” said Louise Jackson, director of the University Career Center. “We want to help students see themselves as active participants in their communities and feel prepared for professional success after graduation.” 

Now that Civic Learning Week is underway, organizers hope the inaugural week will spotlight existing opportunities while also sparking new partnership ideas, encouraging all of the U-M community to explore fresh ways to collaborate and engage with their community.