Invited Commentary: Democratic Engagement and Community Engagement: The American Democracy Project at California State University San Marcos

Abstract

The American Democracy Project (ADP) at California State University San Marcos (CSUSM) is unique in its structure, as it is a prominent program of the Civic Learning Initiative in the Division of Community Engagement. By situating ADP in the context of community engagement, the university effectively institutionalized ADP for the long run, regardless of designated campus coordinator. Yet, the aspect of ADP at CSUSM that the authors most value and which they sought to share at the 2017 annual Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement conference in Baltimore, is the invaluable benefit of implementing programming related to the health of American democracy in the context of—and in collaboration with—regional communities. This article describes the institutional background of ADP at CSUSM, ADP programming, and the benefits of centering ADP within the community engagement context. The authors maintain that CSUSM’s commitment to democratic engagement and community engagement can serve as a model for the implementation of ADP on other ADP campuses.