In an effort to spark democratic engagement on college campuses, the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy and the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy co-hosted the Big Ten Democracy Summit in February. More than 150 students, staff, and faculty from 14 schools gathered in College Park to exchange ideas and set the stage for future collaboration, demonstrating the collective impact of universities in strengthening democracy.
The summit demonstrated the ability of the collaboration to address pressing challenges to democracy as a collective. Participants highlighted the importance of conversations across differences in this effort.
To open the conference, students participated in an immersive policy simulation led by Ford School professor Elisabeth Gerber. Stepping into U.S. Congressional roles, they debated the “Building Civic Bridges Act,” a bipartisan bill to support communities in reducing polarization and division.
Reflecting on a keynote conversation with former Representative Derek Kilmer (D-WA-6), who is known for his bipartisan efforts, Adrian Werdin (BA ‘26) observes, “There is a big difference between wanting change and actually making change. We have agency.”
Breah Marie Willy (BA ‘26) adds, “We have to have the courage to believe that people are willing to listen to one another’s stories and understand their ‘why.’ It is not just about talking to those with different perspectives; it is about recognizing that by doing so, we strengthen our communities and work better together.”
Additional presentations further explored the importance of engagement and understanding. Among the ideas shared was the power of art and design to help students navigate the voting process. U.S. Elections Assistance Commissioner Ben Hovland joined U-M Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design professors Hannah Smotrich and Stephanie Rowden to discuss the Creative Campus Voting Project’s 2024 work and collaboration with the UMICH Votes Coalition, a nonpartisan coalition dedicated to improving voting accessibility and helping students understand the significance of their vote.
Smotrich points out that student voters often face a daunting and unfamiliar process. “Design can go a long way to clarify information and create a welcoming social space to normalize and support learning,” she notes.
Rowden reflects, “We were delighted by the interest and recognition of what art and design can bring to the table. The summit overall was a reminder of the power of sharing ideas across campuses, particularly given our collective mission to serve the public good.”
Michigan Law professor Barbara McQuade addressed the significant challenges of disinformation. Meanwhile, Hillary Poudeu Tchokothe and Maurielle Courtois, co-presidents of the nonpartisan student organization Turn Up Turnout, another UMICH Votes coalition partner, led a session focusing on students as key agents of civic change.
The conference closed with a discussion about the role of higher education in fostering democratic practices with Ford School Dean Celeste Watkins-Hayes; Elizabeth Matto, Director of Rutgers University Eagleton Institute of Politics; and Dean Robert Orr from the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy.
Jenna Bednar, faculty director of UMICH Votes and Democratic Engagement, emphasizes the power of collective impact of universities in strengthening democracy. “The expanded Big Ten now reaches across the nation, drawing together red states, blue states, and deeply purple states like our own. The strength of our diversity is amplified by the Democracy Summit; we saw that through all of our differences, we share a commitment to democracy.”
>>View all the photos from the Big Ten Democracy Summit.
About the Big Ten Collaboration: Democracy in the 21st Century
With its geographic and demographic expanse, the Big Ten Democracy Collaboration seeks to leverage the academic expertise of the conference and its partnerships with the diverse breadth of the local, state, and federal policymakers serving the constituents of the conference.
Conceived in 2021 by Catherine Carver, who at the time was the staff lead for University of Michigan’s Democracy & Debate Initiative, and Paul Brown, Director of the Civic Innovation Center at the University of Maryland, the Collaboration offers shared programming to strengthen democratic engagement on campuses in the conference. The Collaboration has regularly offered programming covering issues on voting rights and access, global democratic change, a Mayors Forum, policy simulations, and other relevant topics.