Get involved
As an institution of higher education, Wagner College supports the development of a civically engaged academic environment by deepening relationships among students, faculty, staff, and community members through classroom, co-curricular, and place-based learning. In all of these contexts, it is vital to reflect critically on experience and to relate new insights to both local and global concerns.
At its best, college-supported civic engagement increases motivation to go on learning, raises civic consciousness and commitment, fosters empowerment through hands-on participation that addresses community-identified issues, and supports the continuous improvement of our overall quality of life.
The range of civic engagement options includes but is not limited to:
- Direct Service
- Place-Based Learning
- Internships
- Public Policy Advocacy
- Community Forum Participation
- Social Challenge Discussions
Programs, Projects, & Campus Engagement
The intersection of academics and practical experience upholds Wagner’s commitment to nurturing civically engaged students. Students have the option to enhance their academic journeys through community experience by minoring in Civic Engagement to develop a civic identity and provide future employers with concrete evidence of students’ commitment and experience in civic engagement.
Project Pericles’ Debating for Democracy (D4D)™ is a series of distinctive campus-based programs that represents the mission of Project Pericles in action. Wagner College students have participated in D4D Letters to an Elected Official Competition multiple years, and have been selected winners for their letters.
2022: “Urge to Pass Assembly Bill A7807: Establishment of LGBTQ+ Long-Term Care (LTC) Facility Residents’ Bill of Rights” to Assemblyman Michael Cusick (D-NY) by Jacquline Guzman (’23) and Ava De La Cruz (’23)
2021: “Support and Make the For the People Act (SR.1) a Top Priority during the 117th Congressional Session” to Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) by Andrew Kolar (’22) and Seong Gillespie (’23)
2020: “Expand Legislation of FIRST STEP Act (H.R. 5682) to Restrict and Manage Mandatory Minimum Sentencing” to Rep. Max Rose (D-NY) by Rajiv Redd (’23) and Ahmad Lyons (’21)
WagnerVotes is a non-partisan community of Wagner College students, faculty, and staff dedicated to educating the student population on all aspects of the voting process. The organization understands voting to be an important element of civic engagement and works to engage students in democratic processes. WagnerVotes has spearheaded campus-wide voter registration and education programming.
The Food Recovery Network is a student-led organization dedicated to combating food insecurity and food waste in the Staten Island and Wagner College community. As an organization, we strive to raise awareness in the campus community about food waste. We hope to educate students about disparities in Staten Island and create a more informed student body. Our ultimate goal is to reduce food waste on campus in every aspect.
Students recover leftover food from the dining hall twice per week which is picked up by a local food pantry for community distribution.
Napela is a Staten Island non-profit that supports African immigrants through “a collective action to improve livelihood.” Students work with West African refugee and immigrant women on their literacy skills and studying for the US citizenship exam.
Here you can see the NY1 story highlighting Dr. Bernadette Ludwig and students’ involvement with Napela.
Formerly Affiliated Campus Engagement Activities and Groups
AusomeTech is an organization that provides Autistic students the opportunity to learn how to create animations using Scratch and expand their technology skills. Wagner students who volunteered with AusomeTech got the chance to participate and led interactive sessions during which they collaborated with the AusomeTech students on projects. There were also fun sessions where everyone got to play games and use the VR headsets.