Rutgers Democracy Lab Spotlights Civic Impact at Inaugural Showcase

Against the backdrop of the lush greenery lining the Cook Student Center, students, faculty, and staff from across Rutgers poured in to participate in the Rutgers Democracy Lab’s (RDL) inaugural showcase. The gathering, which drew more than 300 attendees, was followed by the RDL’s Centers, Institutes, and Labs of Democracy: Supporting Civic Learning and Engagement on College Campuses and Beyond national convening, reflecting the far-reaching impact of the RDL’s programming and solidifying its role as a hub for the study and practice of democracy. It provided a platform for students and faculty to present their work, while inviting all members of the Rutgers community to explore how RDL can support—and connect—their academic, professional, and civic aspirations. It was the culmination of a year of public work, as well as an opportunity for Rutgers to articulate a forward-looking vision for how a democracy lab can help strengthen civic life on campus and beyond.

A Rehearsal Space for Democracy 

As guests settled into their chairs, RDL’s inaugural director, Dr. Nicholas Longo, introduced Dr. Jason Geary, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs for Rutgers University–New Brunswick, to provide opening remarks.

Provost Geary reflected on how RDL’s mission and work fit into the goals of the Rutgers–New Brunswick Academic Master Plan, developed under the leadership of Rutgers–New Brunswick Chancellor Francine Conway. He also noted: “This work aligns squarely with President Tate's vision to promote social mobility” by ensuring students can “advance not only their own aspirations, but also the health and vitality of our democracy.”

Provost Geary concluded by providing a roadmap: “Civic education is both a practice and a field of inquiry,” a dual imperative realized through RDL’s model that “ultimately engages all facets and disciplines of the university, from the arts to STEM.” His remarks underscored the comprehensive vision at the heart of the Rutgers Democracy Lab’s philosophy: every student, regardless of background, skill set, or major, has something valuable to contribute to democracy. 

Dr. Longo followed Provost Geary’s comments by explaining RDL’s theory of change through a simple metaphor: a rehearsal space for democracy. “We want students to have meaningful, healthy opportunities to practice democracy while they’re on campus,” Dr. Longo emphasized, “so that when they graduate, they’re ready to be civic professionals—leaders who connect their work to a larger public purpose, no matter their background or major.” This vision reflects RDL’s ongoing work to lead the development and sustainment of a vibrant democratic culture on Rutgers campuses. 

Dr. Longo also explained the necessity of RDL’s operational strategy in responding to measurable, and for students, palpable “longer-term civic decline.” Drawing on years of research and observation, he stressed that a democratic ecosystem characterized by eroding trust, polarization, and isolation requires universities to deepen their commitment to renewing civic education. 

"Grand challenges won't be solved unless colleges and universities commit to democracy, not just as an abstract ideal, but as a living practice.”

Student- and Staff-Led Innovation: Lightning Talks and Poster Presentations

Energized by Provost Geary’s and Dr. Longo’s statements, attendees were invited to explore the Lab’s work through simultaneous lightning talks by RDL Faculty and Staff Democracy Associates and poster presentations by RDL-affiliated programs and RDL-supported projects. 

At the easternmost end of the room, Faculty and Staff Democracy Associates shared research exploring innovative approaches to civic engagement across disciplines. Initiatives spanned digital media, business ethics education, and voter information research, alongside hands-on policy advocacy through programs including the Rutgers Health Policy and Advocacy Corps, the New Jersey State Policy Lab, the Rutgers Scarlet Service, and many more.

Jack Hemphill of the Rutgers Health Policy and Advocacy Corps, for example, discussed the Corps’ role in providing students with community-based learning experiences to get acquainted with health policy and advocacy. Hemphill discussed the Corps’ digital badge, a credential that affirms student proficiency in a host of learned skills across their internship program, including: advocacy fundamentals, trend analysis, and engagement strategies for government actors and decision-makers. Hemphill also outlined core learning outcomes for Corps internship participants, noting that students emerge with knowledge of health policy challenges, federal-state policy developments, and healthcare financing mechanisms applicable to professional life. 

While Faculty and Staff Associates presented their work, guests were encouraged to engage with over a dozen student poster presentations showcasing the intersection of democracy across various disciplines, with projects including Gamifying Civic Education to Re-engage America's Youth, Common Grounds Cafe: A Third Space Initiative, and My Voice Through Advocacy. Student interns also shared individual projects from RDL’s Think & Do Tank, including the New Jersey Transit Internship Subsidy Proposal, as well as ongoing research from the Technology and Democracy Research Hub on apolitical content creators and political trust.

The RDL Civic Engagement Hub: Inspiring Democratic Engagement poster presentation by members of the 2025-2026 cohort of RDL’s Think & Do Tank was one of many posters that spoke to RDL’s inaugural theme of Inspiring Democratic Engagement. The poster documented the process of implementing a university-wide hub with programming to attract students not traditionally engaged in civic or political spaces. Students spoke of the success of their founding event, Navigating Democracy in The Digital Age, in attracting Engineering and Computer Science students and encouraging them to consider the democratic dimension of their fields. 

Developing Civic Opportunities for the Years Ahead

Ultimately, the showcase brought the Rutgers community together to celebrate and reflect upon the work being done to strengthen democracy. At the same time, the event was an invitation to join the interdisciplinary pathways being developed on campus for the study and practice of democracy. Participants noted that it felt like the kind of dynamic environment for intellectual exchange, discovery, and exploration necessary to revitalize civic life. 

Ariana Sorto, a junior at Rutgers University–New Brunswick who was initially unfamiliar with RDL before attending the showcase, felt a renewed sense of hope in the university’s commitment to civic engagement. “It's easy to get caught up and think that no one cares about these things,” she commented, “but here’s a room full of people who really do care.”

While the showcase celebrated RDL’s work and invited exploration by the Rutgers community, it also charted pathways for more deeply embedding democracy research and programming into the Rutgers student experience. Dr. Longo centered three strategies as pivotal to widening civic opportunities for students in his remarks that point to how RDL plans to scale its impact across and beyond Rutgers:  

1. Catalyzing innovation. The Lab will continue to support incubators, such as the Think & Do Tank, that enable students to think through complex public issues at the local, state, and national levels and work with policy experts to implement actionable solutions.
2. Embedding civic practice into campus life. The Lab will work with faculty to integrate civic themes across courses to ensure students are not just equipped with civic tools, such as written and oral communication, but are given opportunities—like those offered through the Talking Across Difference program—to employ them in real-world contexts.
3. Scaling lessons across Rutgers and beyond. The Lab will contribute to field-wide conversations about the future of civic education by promoting collaboration across new and emerging partners to strengthen the field of civics in higher education. For example, RDL’s Centers, Institutes, and Labs of Democracy: Supporting Civic Learning and Engagement on College Campuses and Beyond national convening from April 23-25 featured leaders of civic engagement initiatives, many of which were in attendance at the showcase.

The third strategy in particular resonated with Arielle del Rosario ‘12, Associate Director of Project Pericles, a national non-profit organization that integrates civic engagement and community-based learning into higher education curricula.

“It made me feel really proud to be an alum," Arielle said. "Rutgers is becoming a lighthouse for the field of democratic engagement and civil dialogue. You’re cultivating innovative practices, testing things out, and seeing what can be transferred and scaled at other institutions.” Arielle left feeling “optimistic” and sees Rutgers playing a leading role in “mov[ing] the needle toward a democracy that fully represents all voices.”