Call for Submissions: Catalyst, An Interdisciplinary Journal of Service Learning & Community Engagement, Issue 2 – Dec 1

Posted by Catalyst on August 18, 2026

We are currently accepting submissions for the second issue of Catalyst, An Interdisciplinary Journal of Service Learning & Community Engagement, centered on the theme “Our Democratic Imagination: Who will we be in the next 250?”

As the United States approaches its Semiquincentennial — 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence — we find ourselves at a critical crossroads. Recent NPR/Marist polling reveals deep concerns about the health of our American democracy. The majority of Americans believe democracy is under serious threat and identify politically motivated violence as a major problem. Nearly a third suggest violence may be necessary to get the country back on track. Trust in institutions, civic participation, and social cohesion have eroded across communities.

Yet anniversaries offer more than occasions for anxiety. They create openings — moments to reflect on lessons from the past, to reckon with historical harms, and to imagine and build toward more just futures. This moment demands that we ask not only what has gone wrong, but what we want to create together.

Submissions close on December 31^st.

Learn more.

We are pleased that Dr. Tim Eatman, Professor and Inaugural Dean of the Honors Living-Learning Community at Rutgers University-Newark, will serve as Guest Editor.