Opportunities for Student Engagement

The Laboratory for Public Scholarship and Democracy involves students directly in Lab administered and associated programs through the Intercollege Minor in Civic and Community Engagement, Public Scholarship lectures and seminars, and student organizations such as Represent and the Public Scholarship Graduate Group. The Lab is also a resource for opportunities available to students to integrate their academic work and interests in addressing social issues of consequence beyond the classroom.

Here you will find a list of opportunities for engaging in Public Scholarship and Democracy through campus programs and events. For opportunities beyond Penn State refer to Projects, Project & Intern Opportunities, and visit the News and Events page regularly.

The Undergraduate Exhibition

Penn State's annual Undergraduate Exhibition communicates and celebrates the participation of undergraduate students from across the University in research and creative endeavors. Undergraduate students from all Penn State campuses are invited to enter poster or performance presentations to showcase their work to a general audience.

Public Scholarship is a special Exhibition category recognizing scholarly work that actively contributes to community engagement and democracy. Public scholars apply disciplinary expertise to problems and issues of consequence to communities beyond the classroom. In this category, students are able to showcase academic and creative work contributing directly to the artistic, civic, cultural, economic, educational, environment, scientific, or social well-being of local, national, or global communities. Public scholarship entries may also be considered simultaneously in another category.

The Undergraduate Exhibition is in April. The 2009 poster guidelines and application information will be available in the fall semester.

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Represent

Penn State's non-partisan student voting coalition and organization, Represent was founded in April 2006 to increase the student voice in the electoral process. Represent will be mobilizing the Penn State campus to register and vote throughout the 2008 elections. Join Represent's efforts to increase the student vote.

Visit the Represent website for information concerning how to volunteer and how to register online.

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Constitution Day

The Laboratory for Public Scholarship and Democracy administers the annual celebration of Constitution Day, which challenges students and members of the public to look carefully at the constitutional roles of citizens in a democracy. Recently the Lab has encouraged student engagement in the day through the exploration of constitutional issues in courses and sharing their discoveries in exhibits, readings, and discussion forums (visit Constitution Day 2007). Voter Registration sponsored by Represent will also be a regular feature of Constitution Day; volunteers are needed to help with registration. We encourage students to become involved in the planning, implementing, and participating in Constitution Day programs. Planning for Constitution Day 2008 is well under way. For information, contact Dr. Mary Lou Zimmerman Munn, Assistant Director of the Laboratory for Public Scholarship and Democracy and co-coordinator for Constitution Day, at mzm10@psu.edu.

Click here for information on Constitution Day 2007.

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