Wagner College President Richard Guarasci has been named chairman of the board of Campus Compact, a nonprofit coalition of 1,100 college and university presidents committed to fulfilling the civic purposes of higher education. President Guarasci assumes his post from outgoing chair James B. Dworkin, chancellor of Purdue University North Central, on July 1.
“It is an honor to serve on the Campus Compact board and to have the privilege to work as its chair at a pivotal moment in the organization’s history. We are renewing our commitment to educating citizens and building communities with a new structure and planning process. This is a wonderful time to be a part of these important initiatives,” President Guarasci said.
The Campus Compact board is primarily made up of a distinguished group of college and university presidents from across the country and internationally. The Board guides the organization in its mission of deepening higher education’s ability to improve community life and educate students for civic and social responsibility.
“It is my honor to welcome Dr. Guarasci as the new chairman of the Campus Compact Board of Directors. He has a clear commitment to service learning, civic engagement and promoting civic and social responsibility in our students,”remarked Chancellor Dworkin. “He begins his term as chair at a very pivotal moment in the history of Campus Compact, as the organization renews its commitment to educating citizens and building communities with a new structure and planning process. This is a wonderful time to be a part of these important initiatives, and Dr. Guarasci is the perfect person to lead these efforts.”
Richard Guarasci has served as president of Wagner College since June 2002. He was elected to the national Campus Compact Board of Directors in 2012.
“As Campus Compact moves forward with a new president and a reinvigorated board, we will be building our national office around some very clear objectives: rebuilding the Campus Compact network and increasing community partnerships. In particular, we want to focus on expanding college completion by strengthening higher education’s commitment to K-12 education,” Guarasci said.
Richard Guarasci serves on two national civic engagement initiatives in addition to Campus Compact: the Leadership Coalition of the “Bringing Theory to Practice” Initiative of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, promoting civic learning and democratic engagement; the Anchor Institution Steering Committee, promoting university-community planned neighborhood partnerships.
Guarasci has also served on the National Task Force for Civic Engagement, advising the U.S. Department of Education in establishing civic learning and democratic citizenship as an essential part of our undergraduate degree. That task force produced a groundbreaking report entitled “The Crucible Moment: College Learning and Democracy’s Future.”
Richard Guarasci has previously served as board chairman of the New American Colleges and Universities, a consortium of more than 20 private comprehensive universities and colleges from across the United States who share a common commitment to civic education combining the liberal arts and professional training.
In addition, Guarasci helps lead a major Wagner College initiative on Staten Island, the Port Richmond Partnership. Through this partnership, the college and its students work in a democratic collaboration with more than 20 neighborhood organizations and institutions to address the challenges of the Port Richmond neighborhood in the areas of health care, K-12 education and economic development.
Richard Guarasci earned his bachelor’s degree from Fordham University, and his master’s in economics and doctorate in political science from Indiana University. He is the co-author of “Democratic Education in an Age of Difference: Reinventing Citizenship in Higher Education.”
About Campus Compact
Campus Compact is a national coalition of more than 1,100 college and university presidents who are committed to fulfilling the civic purposes of higher education. As the only national higher education association dedicated solely to campus-based civic engagement, Campus Compact promotes public and community service that develops students’ citizenship skills, helps campuses forge effective community partnerships and provides resources and training for faculty seeking to integrate civic and community-based learning into the curriculum. Campus Compact’s membership includes both public and private two- and four-year institutions across the spectrum of higher education. Learn more at www.Compact.org
