Accelerate Faculty

Earlier this month Alverno College was named to Washington Monthly's 2018 America's Best Colleges For Student Voting. A part of The College Guide and Rankings - which rates colleges and universities on their contributions to social mobility, research, and public service - this is a first-of-its-kind list of the schools doing the most to turn students into citizens.

“Effective citizenship is one the eight abilities embedded in our curriculum,” said Scott Zeman, vice president for Academic Affairs at Alverno College. “From day one our students learn to make informed choices and they get involved in community issues. Alverno students are engaged in the political process, more so than at many other institutions, and we couldn't be more proud of them.”

To do its part in improving youth civic engagement, Alverno also participates in the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE), which offers colleges and universities an opportunity to learn their student registration and voting rates. When compared to student voting rates at 1,000 other national institutions, Alverno students voted at a higher rate than the national rate. The numbers, compiled by NSLVE (https://idhe.tufts.edu/NSLVE) tell the story:

Student voter registration rates (% of Alverno students who were registered to vote)

• 2012 83.3%
• 2014 74.2%
• 2016 78.4%

Voting rate of registered students (% of Alverno students who were registered to vote and who actually voted)

• 2012 90.9%
• 2014 66.4%
• 2016 87.9%

Voting rate of Alverno students (% of Alverno students who voted, of the number of Alverno students who were eligible to vote by virtue of age and citizenship) compared to the National Average of student voting rate for all NSLVE institutions

• 2012 75.7% NA
• 2014 49.3% 19.1%
• 2016 68.9% 50.4%

Alverno students not only actively exercise their right to vote. More than two dozen of them took part in poll worker training, and most of them volunteered at the polls on Election Day.

Alverno's inclusion on the list demonstrates the commitment it has made to promote civic engagement among the student body, encouraging students to vote and actively participate in community decisions.

According to Washington Monthly, “Since voting habits tend to crystallize in young adulthood—vote in one election, and you're far more likely to do so again—colleges and universities have an unparalleled opportunity to create voters not just for the next election, but for life. The colleges that invest in student voting aren't just helping their Washington Monthly rankings—they're helping the country.”

Ensuring that the nation's young people - its future leaders - are inspired to engage civically is key to strengthening democracy. On many college and university campuses, less than half of eligible student voters exercise their democratic right to cast a ballot in presidential elections.

Alverno also participates in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, a national, nonpartisan awards program recognizing colleges and universities for improving civic learning, political engagement, and student voting rates. As a part of this initiative, students, faculty and staff have worked together to develop and implement an action plan to improve practice and change culture. Through our efforts, we have committed to graduating active and informed citizens.