Some institutions are deeply engaged with their neighboring communities, and they understand that partnerships provide opportunities for civic learning while generating knowledge and other public goods. Three educators shared the details of their local civic involvement.

Amber Wichowsky is the Associate Professor of Public Affairs & Leadership Wisconsin Endowed Chair for the Division of Extension, University of Wisconsin-Madison. She compared the impact of extension school work both in New Jersey at Marquette University and in Western Madison, Wisconsin.

Fonna Forman, Professor of Political Science & Founding Director of the Center on Global Justice at the University of California, San Diego studies life at the U.S. - Mexico border with students and academics from many disciplines, all of whom are invested in understanding life in the region on both sides of a political wall, their shared culture, opportunities and humanity.

Leslie Garvin, Executive Director, North Carolina Campus Engagement, puts an emphasis on inclusion as the heart of her work and love as the spark that ignites efforts to leverage the talent at colleges and universities for community good. This panel is part of the Civics in Higher Education National Summit that took place on the Tufts University campus on April 10, 2026.

Discover more about the summit: https://tischcollege.tufts.edu/news-events/conferences/civics-higher-education