CAP is a powerful catalyst for advancing engagement as an institutional priority. This virtual “From Planning to Impact” Call-to-Action Symposium offers an opportunity to hear from institutional and field leaders. Panelists and Fellows will share how involving transdisciplinary partners in civic and community engagement directly connects to institutional impact. Join us for this important convening designed to empower higher education institutions to align internal engagement with the public purpose of higher education to sustain a just democracy.

Dates and Times: May 27 & 28, 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM

Learn more and register.

At the end of our Addressing Wicked Issues Series: Our Climate & Our Health, we will publish a virtual Knowledge Hub for climate change, health outcomes, community engagement work, and where they come together. We need your input! We’re looking for things like:

Featuring Rose Pasquarello Beauchamp, this session will provide a high-level understanding and framing of cultivating climate hope and action for addressing the relationship between climate change and health as a “wicked issue”.

Speakers:
Rebecca Forsythe – Colorado State University
Rose Pasquarello Beauchamp – University of Rochester

Date and Time: Thursday, April 30, 2026, 4:00-5:00 PM

Learn more and register.

Watch the first three sessions to hear from professionals in the field, in disciplines ranging from biology, medicine, environmental science, sociology, dance, and more.

Campus Compact is excited to relaunch Campus Action Planning (CAP)—a framework that empowers campuses to center civic and community engagement as an institutional priority. We’ve got a lot on the agenda—read on to learn how your campus can benefit!

Start now and join the pilot Innovation Cohort. Be the first to get access to the new Campus Action Planning framework by joining our pilot innovation cohort. From June to December, teams from 20 selected campuses will participate in seven months of guided, in-depth support to create and implement their own Campus Action Plan.

Apply by May 11 for priority access.

Participating institutions will benefit from a comprehensive suite of resources, including:

• Financial support: A $3,000 mini-grant to defray costs associated with CAP development and implementation
• In-person learning: Access to a cohort-specific, in-person CAP Institute for a dedicated space for foundational planning
• Ongoing guidance: Monthly virtual cohort convenings led by CAP Fellows, a team of nationally recognized civic and community engagement experts, and periodic specialized webinars based on CAP-relevant topics
• Tailored technical assistance: Access to virtual coaching and personalized help
• Early access to resources: Get a first look at the latest CAP resources and tools via a closed-access shared resource drive

Questions? Join us on April 22, 27, or May 5 for an information session to learn more.

Learn more and apply.

This qualified measurement and evaluation consultant to lead the development and implementation of the assessment and evaluation strategy for CAP. This national initiative supports colleges and universities in creating and implementing adaptive and agile institution-wide strategies for civic and community engagement as well as supporting campuses in the cultivation and advancement of Chief Engagement Officer roles.

The Measurement and Evaluation Consultant will ensure project process and outcomes are measured and documented to inform both immediate improvement and long-term field impact.

• The anticipated timeline for the Measurement and Evaluation consultant is from May 2026 to March 2027.
• Those interested can learn more here (CAP Measurement & Evaluation Consultant RFP)
• Proposal must be submitted by Wednesday, April 29, 2026 at 11:59 PM (PT) by using this form. (Submission Form)

Contact Alexis Bucknam, Campus Compact’s Project Director for CAP, at abucknam@compact.org with question or for more information.

This cohort will consist of up to 20 individuals serving as faculty or staff at member institutions who want to strengthen their capacities to engage in critical community-engaged scholarship and lead change within their institutions and communities.

The deadline to apply is May 22. Don’t wait—start your application today.

Have questions about the program? Need application assistance? Reach out to our professional development team for support.

Learn more and apply.

As we look back on this year’s week (March 9-15), read more about how AmeriCorps members value their experience, and what impact national service has had on their lives.

AmeriCorps Member Reflections:

• Why AmeriCorps and what impact has it had on you?
• What is your favorite memory from your time in AmeriCorps?
• What impact/how have you seen your community change through your service term?

The Compact26 conference featured exciting and motivating conversations about finding hope—hope in the face of difficulty, hope in our collective power, and hope in the future. Revisit our general sessions by watching the recordings on YouTube.

Read more.

There are now more than 200 colleges across the U.S. producing student-powered journalism for their communities–including 40 Campus Compact members. These are innovative models that deliver high-impact, career-shaping learning experiences while strengthening local news in communities that need it most.

Whether your school is part of the Campus Compact network or not, join us to learn about how CCN can help you launch or grow your own program.

What to expect

In this virtual panel, you will hear directly from faculty leaders about how these programs work and how you can start one at your university. Discussions about the benefits of university-led student reporting programs.

CCN actively supports and expands this work and is now offering new resources, guidance, and funding to help additional Campus Compact schools launch their own programs. The Center for Community News at the University of Vermont supports and documents news/academic partnerships in a national network of 200+ universities where student reporting is also contributing to local news.

Date and Time: May 7, 2026, 2:00 PM

Register.

Created for those who are seeking an authentic approach to leadership, the Changemakers Retreat is an immersive, four-day experience designed for community engagement professionals and campus leaders who want to push boundaries.

Break up your day-to-day life in a low-stress environment with people who “get” you. Reflect and reconnect with purpose alongside peers who are similarly dedicated to this work. The retreat is limited in size to ensure a tailored experience. Registration will close on May 15th.

Please note that there is a $450 fee to participate. Participation is open only to faculty and staff at member campuses.

Click here to register and view full details.

Manuscripts from Volume 31, Issue 2:

• Restorative Justice as a Framework for Critical Service-Learning [Andrew Jared Pierce]
• Conducting Racial Justice Research: Perspectives of school and community partners [Theresa Harrison]
• “It is Power for Young People”: Enacting Hope by Amplifying Youth Research for School Change [Abigail Rombalski, Jaiden Leary]
• Uncovering Electronic Service-Learning Design Considerations to Facilitate Civic and Academic Learning: Integrating Student, Faculty and Community Partner Perspectives

Participants will engage with authors directly to gain more insight into not only the findings of each article and how they directly connect to your work, but also the methods and process behind the findings.

Date and Time: Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Learn more and register.

This webinar on Tuesday, April 21, 12:00-1:00 PM is hosted in partnership with Every Campus A Refuge (ECAR), who have released a new report, Meeting the Moment: A Real-Time Rapid Impact Evaluation, that examines how campus ecosystems are responding to the halt of the U.S. resettlement program.

Five speakers will help illuminate the ways in which campuses are meeting the moment, provide resources and opportunities for you to engage, and inspire some hope during a time when we all need it.

Learn more and register.

The 2026 Addressing Wicked Issues series will focus on climate change and health.

Climate change, as a structural issue, affects and will continue to affect all life across our planet. However, the effects of climate change are often unequally and unevenly distributed across different groups and contexts, highlighting the importance of addressing issues of environmental racism, unequal distribution of harms across space, and utilizing an environmental justice approach for cultivating solutions.

All sessions will take place from 4:00-5:00 PM:

• Wednesday, April 1: Setting the Stage: Intersection between Climate Change and Health
• Thursday, April 9: Research & Public Problem Solving
• Thursday, April 16: Community-Engaged Teaching & Learning
• Thursday, April 23: Student Civic Engagement
• Thursday, April 30: Closing Session: Climate Hope

Register here.

Learn more about the summit here.

Find tools and resources to help you in your policy & advocacy work:

• Check out the report “The Exit Interview” from Future Caucus to explore the challenges facing emerging lawmakers and envision where higher education might contribute.
• Read Lorelei Kelley’s article, “Digitizing Democracy: Bridging the Gap Between Congress and Higher Education Through AI and Modernization” to learn how Higher Education can more effectively engage with congress through efforts to modernize.
• Use the “Guide for Organizing Civil Society Field Hearings” resource as a teaching tool to learn about the role of Congress in the Constitution and take action.
• Leverage resources from the Campus Free Expression Project to find policy and program suggestions that restore open discourse on campuses and foster a welcoming and inclusive environment for robust intellectual exchange.
• Access “The Change Leadership Toolkit for Advancing Systemic Change” for a research-based, step-by-step guide for campus leaders at all levels to better understand systemic change, their own systemic change ecosystem, and how they can map out the opportunities they have, the barriers they must overcome, and the strategic change leader “moves” or actions they can take to more effectively and manageably reach change goals.

Compact26 will take place over the course of three days, March 16-18, 2026, and feature a wide variety of engaging, interactive sessions focused on civic engagement, community-engaged research, civic- and service-learning, institutional change, university-community partnerships and more.

Just Added General Sessions:

• March 16: Hope, Institution Building & Possibilities for Civic Love
• March 17: Hope in Practice: Making Room for Each Other in an Inclusive Democracy
• March 18: Advancing Higher Education’s Democratic Promise

Not registered yet? We have increased our capacity for Compact26 to accommodate the largest possible number of attendees, but tickets are limited and will likely sell out this week. If you plan to attend, register ASAP to secure your spot!

The donation comes from Robert W. Gottesman and Trudy Elbaum Gottesman, who share a concern about the trajectory of American democracy and believe that higher education has a critical role to play in bolstering it by expanding civic participation and preparing students to lead in our democracy. Through their foundation, TruBob Fund, they chose to support Campus Compact because of its unique role as a national, member-driven network with deep partnerships.

Campus Compact’s infrastructure enables coordinated, sector-wide support—catalyzing campuses nationwide as they expand student engagement in public life, strengthen the capacity for democratic discourse, and elevate the public mission of higher education.

Read more.

About the role

The manager of narrative & storytelling will contribute to Campus Compact communications strategy and serve as our chief storyteller with the goal of inspiring action, lifting up member voices, and sharing stories of success.

The manager will be a vital part of Campus Compact’s communications and events team, and will oversee a growing body of storytelling and narrative change work focused on building increased public awareness of and support for Campus Compact’s mission and the public purposes of higher education. Reporting directly to the senior director of communications & events, this new role will contribute to developing our narrative change strategy, create key deliverables to support this strategy, help build our public relations and media capacity, and supervise the digital communications coordinator.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled, with priority given to applicants who apply by February 16th, 2026.

Learn more and apply.

About the role

The director of events will oversee our portfolio of events-based programming to deliver on Campus Compact’s mission and support member campuses. Reporting directly to the senior director of communications & events, the director will work in partnership with the events manager to execute our events with excellence and a high degree of professionalism. This new role will own events operations & budget management, lead the development of our overarching events strategy, partner with program teams to envision and deliver a portfolio of events (both in person and virtual), and supervise the events manager. This role will require frequent travel to staff in-person events across the country.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled, with priority given to applicants who apply by February 16th, 2026.

Learn more and apply. 

Our responsibility is to ensure that higher education remains a place where students learn how to engage in public life with courage, care, and critical insight. In today’s environment, we run the risk of students retreating from engagement. When participation feels risky, silence can begin to feel like the safest choice.

Read more.

The fellowship is an in-depth opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to nurture their passions, engage in collaborative action, and address the issues close to them. Through the fellowship, Campus Compact provides in-person and virtual learning opportunities focused on building the skills fellows need to serve as effective agents of change.

Nominations due April 27th, 2026!

Join us virtually to learn about the benefits of the Newman Civic Fellowship program or how to nominate a fellow. At the upcoming info sessions (February 17, March 13), learn all the ins-and-outs of the program.

Learn more and start a nomination.