Believing that informed and involved students are more likely to participate in the democratic process, Hofstra University formed The Center for Civic Engagement to encourage students to become active citizens. The Center was founded, in part, so that students understand the necessity of citizen involvement if democracy is to go forward. Among the principles the Center stress are freedom of speech and expression, respect for others, appreciation for diverse persons and viewpoints, the ethics of public issues, personal and group empowerment, social and economic equality, and preservation of the environment.
"Democracies need engaged citizens," said Cynthia Bogard, Ph.D., the Center's founding director. "And the habit of active involvement in one's civic life typically starts in one's youth. The Hofstra community wants to make sure that our students are given every opportunity to practice civic involvement while they are learning with us. We see it as an intrinsic part of the holistic curriculum that Hofstra seeks to provide our students."
