The New Jersey College Civility Tour event at Rutgers’s Eagleton Institute brought together student leaders from opposing parties to discuss polarization, AI, immigration and democracy, showing that people can agree on the problems while disagreeing on solutions. The authors, Talking Across Difference fellows, reflect on the value of respectful dialogue, and on the need to listen critically when a statement disregards others’ dignity.

On September 17, Rutgers Democracy Lab (RDL) hosted a university-wide symposium that brought together roughly 100 Rutgers doctoral students, faculty, and staff to engage with research projects related to U.S. democracy.

As higher education is seeking new ways to make learning relevant and engaging, a new open-access toolkit co-authored by Rutgers Democracy Lab Director Nicholas Longo (with Carmine Perrotti and Matthew Roy) offers educators a set of tools for making connections in the community.

Freedom House and Rutgers Democracy Lab are pleased to announce a strategic partnership connecting Rutgers students with Freedom House's leading experts on media and technology.

The next generation of changemakers took the spotlight as ten remarkable middle school students from across the state gathered at the Livingston Student Center at Rutgers-New Brunswick for the New Jersey State Finals of the 2026 National Civics Bee. 

In an op-ed for NJ.com, Dr. Nicholas Longo, inaugural director of the Rutgers Democracy Lab and Dr. Elizabeth Matto, Director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics, argue that institutions of higher education must embrace their civic mission by providing opportunities for active, real-world democratic engagement to combat democratic backsliding at home.