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Project Pericles Releases 2026-2028 Strategic Plan: “Shaping Civic Futures”

Project Pericles has unveiled Shaping Civic Futures, our 2026–2028 Strategic Plan to reimagine higher education’s role in strengthening democracy. Through three priorities (Pedagogical Influence, Consortium Strength, and Thought Leadership) we aim to renew civic learning as a defining feature of American higher education and ensure civic agency and engagement become defining outcomes for every student.

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Student Spotlight: How the Liberal Arts Ethos Shaped Tejas Soman’s Passion for Civic Inquiry

By design, small liberal arts colleges foster the kind of relationships that prepare students for deep inquiry and real-world impact. As a 2018 graduate of Hendrix College–and now a second-year law student at New York Law School–Tejas Soman can testify. During the Spring 2016 semester of his sophomore year, Tejas tried out a public policy class taught by Dr. Peter Gess and quickly realized that Dr. Gess liked to experiment with his teaching and learning methods. Earlier in the semester, he hinted that the students might be involved in a program called Debating for Democracy (D4D). However, he didn’t say much about what that would mean. “And then a couple of weeks before, he said, ‘I’ve decided to give you guys this assignment,’” Tejas says. That assignment turned out to be Project Pericles’ “Letter to an Elected Official” Debating for Democracy Competition. In small teams, Tejas and his peers researched

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Project Pericles Announces Spring 2026 Civic Story Lab Fellowship

New York, NY – Project Pericles is pleased to announce the seven college campus teams who have been selected to join the inaugural National Civic Story Lab Fellowship. Supported by the Eugene M. Lang Foundation, the Civic Story Lab empowers clusters of faculty mentors, community partners, and undergraduate students to tackle meaningful civic problems while shaping the public narratives surrounding them. Selected through a rigorous evaluation process, each campus team will receive a grant of $7,500 to support their work throughout the spring of 2026. As part of the Fellowship, teams will strengthen student civic agency, build sustainable community partnerships, and showcase the vital role of higher education in democratic renewal. Throughout the program, student fellows will also produce original media that documents how young people are contributing to local, grassroots changemaking. “The Civic Story Lab Fellowship is grounded in a critical premise: who tells civic stories matters,” said Sanda

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Civic Prosperity Through Humanities-Based Learning: Expanding Our Impact and Reach

The Mellon Foundation has awarded Project Pericles support for a new three-year initiative, Civic Prosperity Through Humanities-Based Learning: Deepening Local Impact with National Vision. Building on a prior three-year Mellon-funded program, which reached over 6,500 students across more than 100 institutions with 85% reporting stronger civic engagement, this initiative will deepen local impact, broaden national reach, and strengthen the networks that make this work possible.

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The December Periclean (2025)

The December 2025 issue of our monthly newsletter reflects on the past year and the year ahead, spotlights Carleton College’s Philsophy Lab course, recaps the National Student Vote Summit, and announces our latest round of Periclean Faculty Leaders and Mini-Grantees.

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Project Pericles Announces Spring 2026 Civic Engagement Mini-Grants

Project Pericles is pleased to announce the recipients of the Spring 2026 Civic Engagement Mini-Grants program, supporting innovative courses and projects that place civic learning at the center of higher education. Funded by the Mellon Foundation and the Eugene M. Lang Foundation, these $1,000 grants empower innovative educators to design pedagogical approaches that strengthen students’ civic agency and learning.

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