Funding Democracy

This chapter focuses on the importance of budgets in higher education and their role in advancing civic engagement on college campuses. In a period marked by calls for societal change following the 2020 presidential election, the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, higher education may be the only institution left to respond to society's ills. Institutions must find ways to deliver high-quality education safely, while also encouraging active civic learning as a part of the experience. Higher education's investment in civic education will be a key component to any response to the challenges facing America. Institutions must prepare to respond in kind during a period marked by financial uncertainty.