Dear friends,
I’m excited to begin my service as the Pierre and Pamela Omidyar Dean of Tisch College.
Returning to Tufts is truly a home coming for me; this institution has meant so much to me and my family. I am particularly excited to lead Tisch College, one of Tufts’ signature initiatives. I look forward to building on the college’s solid foundation, applying my passion for active citizenship and civic engagement to propel Tisch College to new heights.
In the coming years, Tisch College will continue to educate active citizens at every Tufts school, generate new knowledge through civically engaged research, and serve as a national leader showcasing the role of academia and higher education in civic renewal.
Educating active citizens
Working with students at every Tufts schools, Tisch College helps students connect their personal and professional interests to active citizenship. In May 2013, we were proud to welcome 10% of the graduating classes from the School of Arts and Sciences, the School of Medicine, and the School of Dental Medicine were inducted into Honos Civicus, an honors society founded by Tisch College 2009 to recognize graduating students for their outstanding civic development during their time at Tufts.
In the last academic year alone, 3,122 students from all Tufts schools contributed to a cumulative 240,784 community service hours. Additionally, 1,933 undergraduates enrolled in 137 courses with active citizenship component such as service or advocacy.
Generating new knowledge
With a rich group of 44 faculty members from seven Tufts schools holding secondary appointments in Tisch College, we are pleased to serve as a unique and critical convener of interdisciplinary dialogue. Through efforts such as our Faculty Fellows program and Tufts Community Research Center (TCRC), we further support faculty research efforts done in partnership with communities or which fulfill a civic need.
Additionally, our Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) is the leading source of authoritative research on the civic and political engagement of young Americans. CIRCLE fills important research gaps and plays a significant role in changing the public discourse about young people as citizens. In the past year, nearly 300 articles and media broadcasts referenced CIRCLE data.
National leadership
Tisch College is a leader in the national movement of civic renewal, focused on defining the role of higher education in this movement. We are currently beta testing Civic Seed, an innovative, multiplayer game that prepares students for community engagement. The game is designed to be adapted to other organizations and institutions.
Additionally, to date 100 doctoral students and community leaders from around the world have completed Tisch College’s interdisciplinary Summer Institute of Civic Studies, which actively builds civic studies as a rigorous academic field. Civic studies is the intellectual component of civic renewal, an emerging national movement to strengthen democracy by engaging citizens.
I look forward to working with and learning from all of you in the coming years to strengthen Tisch College and our communities locally and globally.
Best,
Alan D. Solomont
Pierre and Pamela Omidyar Dean
Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service