Championing democratic engagement in this year’s commencement season

Over the past year, institutions nationwide have faced escalating attacks on academic freedom, institutional autonomy, and the mission of higher education itself. These challenges have affected not just elite institutions but also public universities and community colleges, raising stakes for the nation’s democratic and economic future.

The From Campus to Community campaign aims to push back on these pressures by reminding graduates—and the public—why higher education matters: it equips students not just for careers, but to help solve today’s pressing societal and community challenges.

The campaign includes presidents from seventy institutions of all sizes and types—urban and rural, public and private, faith-based and secular—underscoring the shared urgency and bipartisan support for renewing civic purpose on campus