ABSTRACT
Colleges and universities have deep civic roots. Their founding documents and current mission statements underscore the imperative of cultivating in students the manners and means of assuming leadership positions within society. From their inceptions, colleges and universities have also played an important role as institutions that provide cultural enrichment, and function as economic and social anchors. Utilitarian and economic aims were seen as trumping loftier purposes. Critics charged colleges and universities with serving the interests of disciplinary-bound professors, rather than actively trying to solve pressing real-world problems. One of the largest projects is the International Consortium for Higher Education, Civic Responsibility and Democracy, which was started in 1999 as collaboration between the Council of Europe and three US organizations. A research project is exploring the activities performed on campuses across the world that further democratic values and practices, and will help to promote these activities both on campuses and in wider society.
