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.
The RDL Democracy Summer Research Fellowship funds 25 projects led by doctoral students from Rutgers - New Brunswick, Camden, and Newark from 15 academic disciplines.
From April 23 to April 25, Rutgers Democracy Lab convened nearly 100 scholars, practitioners, and students to map the changing landscape of civic education and chart a path towards renewing democracy amid growing distrust, disillusionment, and disengagement.
On April 23, 2026, the Rutgers Democracy Lab hosted a campus-wide democracy showcase, bringing together more than 300 members of the Rutgers community to learn about the Lab’s civic opportunities and impact.
Throughout the month of April, Rutgers Democracy Lab supported more than a dozen events and workshops across the university that engaged thousands of students, faculty, and local community members to better understand complex, adaptive problems facing our democracy—and work towards solving them.
In an op-ed for NJ.com, Rutgers Democracy Lab inaugural Director Nicholas V. Longo comments on the growth of university-based civic thought and dialogue initiatives across the United States, arguing that Rutgers Democracy Lab is a model example of how campuses can cultivate civil discourse through structured, student-led dialogue and civic programming.