UPPER PROVIDENCE — AUGUST 14th 2025 — Pennsylvania Institute of Technology President Matthew Meyers has joined College Presidents for Civic Preparedness alongside more than 100 other college presidents from across the country. Their shared mission is to advance higher education’s pivotal role to prepare students to be engaged citizens while upholding free expression.

Through College Presidents for Civic Preparedness, a unique consortium designed by the presidents and convened by the Institute for Citizens & Scholars, participating presidents are dedicated to preparing the next generation of well-informed, productively engaged, and committed citizens; defending free expression, civil discourse and critical inquiry as essential civic norms; and increasing thoughtful engagement and understanding by students for the good of democracy. The consortium, first announced with 15 members in 2023, has grown to 118 members.

Participating presidents are tasked with taking campus-specific and collective action, reflecting three shared Civic Commitments:

• Educating for democracy;
• Preparing students for a vibrant, diverse, and contentious society;
• Protect and defend free inquiry.

Taken together, these commitments embrace both free speech and diversity — two values often pitted against each other — by instead emphasizing meaningful engagement and inquiry with different voices and viewpoints. The commitments stress diversity as a strength of both American democracy and campus life and affirm the truth-seeking role of higher education through curiosity and inquiry. They also enable campus leaders to take substantive action to promote democratic engagement among students — with public accountability for progress through publication of an annual impact report.

“As a college based in the regional birthplace of American democracy and liberty, we’re inspiring the next generation of bold thinkers, leaders, and changemakers,” said Matt Meyers, president of Pennsylvania Institute of Technology (P.I.T.), founded in 1953. 

“From nurses to cannabis business leaders, the future is bright as we teach them best practices in their areas of focus, offer clinical experiences and offer in-depth learning opportunities on the importance of civic preparedness, free expression and the role of higher education making their dreams become a reality,” Meyers said.

Presidents are developing campus-specific programming to advance the Civic Commitments in 2024, including new courses, outside speakers, student orientations, presidential speeches, technology tools, and voter education initiatives. At P.I.T., planned programming includes:

• Presidential Constitution Week Keynote: President Meyers will deliver a signature address during Constitution Week, inspiring the campus community to embrace active civic participation and underscoring how career-focused education empowers students to shape the future of democracy.
• Civic Engagement Embedded Across the Curriculum: P.I.T. is embedding civic learning into courses across disciplines, ensuring students connect their career-focused education with real-world issues through activities like voter registration, digital literacy, and community-based projects that foster civic responsibility in every field of study.
• Voter Power Pop-Up: National Voter Registration Day: P.I.T. will energize the student lounge with an interactive registration station featuring easy-access QR codes, civic swag, and snacks—making it fun and effortless for students to register and get ready to vote.

Besides championing these commitments on our own campuses, the presidents will undertake together and through the Institute a set of collective actions:

• Meet regularly and confidentially for peer learning and the exchange of information, ideas, practices, and tools;
• Support faculty to engage effectively with free expression and civil discourse in the classroom by participating in the Faculty Institute on Dialogue Across Difference;
• Create and seize opportunities for shared advocacy and public outreach on civic preparedness in higher education.

“Higher education has a responsibility to provide students with critical civic skills and knowledge to participate effectively in our constitutional democracy,” said Rajiv Vinnakota, president of the Institute for Citizens & Scholars, a Princeton-based nonprofit that cultivates talent, ideas, and networks that develop young people as effective, lifelong citizens. 

“College campuses are among the most diverse spaces in our country, and college is an important time for students to develop the habits, practices, and norms to live in a multicultural and interconnected democracy," he said. "Doing so can create a ripple effect, making young people more optimistic and increasingly committed about their future and our nation.” 

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Pennsylvania Institute of Technology is a non-profit college dedicated to providing high-quality education and empowering students to succeed. With a focus on personalized learning and career readiness, P.I.T. offers bachelor degrees, associate degrees and certificate programs designed to meet the needs of today’s evolving job market. P.I.T. provides small class sizes, individual attention and flexible instruction, empowering students to achieve their dreams. #PursueYourDreams