Washington, DC—February 12, 2025—Campus Compact and the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), in partnership with More Perfect and the University of Virginia’s Karsh Institute of Democracy, announced the Higher Education Democracy Exchange (HEDx), a multi-functional, virtual platform that aims to unite colleges and universities in advancing the civic mission of higher education, promoting democratic knowledge and engagement, and connecting civic learning to public problem-solving across campuses nationwide.
The HEDx platform will offer four core functions:
Working in partnership with More Perfect, the HEDx platform is being developed at a time when American higher education must reimagine its role in advancing democratic goals. Among these are the need for expanding civic literacy, growing national and community-based engagement, promoting civil discourse, supporting engagement in democratic processes, and combating misinformation. The HEDx platform will create mechanisms for addressing what is needed within and beyond higher education to advance the public purposes of colleges and universities individually, and as a whole, in service to democracy.
“Now more than ever we need to be aligned and strategic in undertaking democracy-building work,” said Campus Compact President Bobbie Laur. “By bringing the varied, proven resources, tools, and practices already in place on campuses and in communities across the country together on a single platform, while sparking new innovations, we can make an impact greater than the sum of its parts.”
“The HEDx initiative brings together innovative technology with the civic work that many colleges and universities have been doing for years to more fully realize higher education’s contributions to the public good through a network that can reach every institution of higher education,” said Ashley Finley, Vice President for Research and Senior Advisor to the President at AAC&U. “HEDx is more than a platform - it is a tool for civic engagement and storytelling.”
With input from college students, faculty, and administrators, AAC&U and Campus Compact will begin developing the HEDx platform in the coming months. The platform's public release is scheduled for Summer 2026.
“Democracy is a demanding form of government that depends on citizens understanding democratic norms, values, and institutions,” said John Bridgeland, Founder & CEO of More Perfect, an alliance of 35 of the nation’s Presidential Centers and more than 130 partners working to advance five Democracy Goals, including civic learning. “We are thrilled to be partnering with AAC&U, Campus Compact, the Karsh Institute, and the Ibis Group on such a fundamental mission.”
“HEDx will equip students, educators, and institutions with tools and knowledge required for meaningful civic engagement,” said Melody Barnes, Executive Director of the Karsh Institute of Democracy. “Higher education has a critical role to play in fostering democratic culture, expanding access to trusted information, and strengthening civic participation. By bringing together resources, data, and expertise, HEDx will help institutions of higher learning fulfill their public purpose and prepare students to navigate and shape our democracy.”
The Higher Education Democracy Exchange (HEDx) is supported by a $11.3 million grant from the Ibis Group to More Perfect and its partners advancing Democracy Goal 1 on Universal Civic Learning. The grant promotes civic engagement and learning across several signature investments, including HEDx. HEDx builds upon planning activities developed with generous funding from Lumina Foundation.
“We are thrilled to support leaders and institutions that are aligning their efforts to ensure civic education is central to learning in higher education all across the United States,” said Chi Kim, the Ibis Group Board Chair.
To receive further updates about the HEDx program or indicate interest in participating in its development, visit https://campuscompact.tfaforms.net/60.
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About Campus Compact
Campus Compact is a national coalition of colleges and universities that supports, engages, and challenges higher education to realize its public purpose. Campus Compact empowers colleges and universities to advance their academic and civic missions by partnering with communities to address complex social issues and further equity, justice, and prosperity for all. Founded in 1985, Campus Compact is the nation's largest and oldest national association dedicated to advancing the civic and community engagement mission of higher education. Our members make up a force of thousands of presidents, faculty, researchers, students, and civic and community engagement experts. Learn more at compact.org.
About AAC&U
The American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) is a global membership organization dedicated to advancing the democratic purposes of higher education by promoting equity, innovation, and excellence in liberal education. Through our programs and events, publications and research, public advocacy, and campus-based projects, AAC&U serves as a catalyst and facilitator for innovations that improve educational quality and equity and that support the success of all students. In addition to accredited public and private, two-year, and four-year colleges and universities and state higher education systems and agencies throughout the United States, our membership includes degree-granting higher education institutions in more than twenty-five countries as well as other organizations and individuals. To learn more, visit www.aacu.org.
About More Perfect
More Perfect is a nonpartisan alliance of 35 Presidential Centers, National Archives Foundation, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Karsh Institute for Democracy at the University of Virginia, and more than 130 organizations working together to advance five Democracy Goals. The five Democracy Goals are: 1) Universal Civic Learning; 2) Expanding National Service and Volunteering; 3) Bridging Divides; 4) Trusted Elections and More Representative and Responsive Governance; and 5) Access to Trusted News and Information. The mission of More Perfect is to channel and further empower the potential impact of organizations working to strengthen democracy by facilitating partnerships across sectors and serving as a collaborative nerve center to attract and direct greater attention, energy, and resources to the renewal of our constitutional democracy.
About the Karsh Institute for Democracy
The University of Virginia’s Karsh Institute of Democracy is dedicated to a future in which democracy’s aspirations and reality are aligned. We work tirelessly to understand, defend, and invigorate the institutions, practices, and cultural underpinnings that are the foundations of democracy. Through all our work—robust interdisciplinary scholarship, research and teaching, and vibrant programs and partnerships designed to engage the public and influence policy agendas—we are shaping a thriving democratic future.
About the Ibis Group
Ibis Group is a nonprofit that empowers students PK-16 with the knowledge and skills to become informed, engaged, and active participants in our democracy. Their strategy is to support systems that promote literacy and civic education by investing in knowledgeable and dynamic leaders and organizations with proven track records of impact of building knowledge, dignity, and agency.