Bringing Theory to Practice

Our friends at Campus Compact have launched the Up to Us Leadership Network, a six-month program for undergraduates that is designed to develop the next generation of civic leaders through fiscal policy and civic engagement education. Find more info and apply here: compact.org/current-prog...

In the new issue of Bringing It, BT2P Associate Director Paul Schadewald reflects on the work and impact of Imagining America. The IA consortium has strengthened and promoted public scholarship, cultural organizing, and campus change for over 25 years. bttop.org/bringing-it-...

Tyranny Wins in College Admissions The College Board just cancelled Landscape, a tool that helped universities like Swarthmore and Haverford admit more low-income students

BT2P friend Elaine Maimon's most recent article for The Philadelphia Citizen laments the College Board's decision to remove an important, "race-neutral" tool used by college admissions to "better understand a student's context for opportunity." thephiladelphiacitizen.org/tyranny-coll...

Civic Story Lab Student Fellowship The Civic Story Lab is a new initiative designed to empower undergraduate students to document and participate in civic transformation through hands-on engagement and storytelling. Fellows will...

Our friends at Project Pericles invite faculty and staff from Periclean institutions to apply for $7,500 campus grants for Spring 2026 to create civic narrative change by empowering student storytelling. Applications are due November 10, 2025.

www.projectpericles.org/civic-story-...

Our friends at the Modern Language Association are offering step grants of up to $10,000 as part of its MLA Pathways: Recruitment, Retention, and Career Readiness initiative. The application deadline is October 29.

Learn more and apply here: www.mla.org/Resources/Ca...

Our Fall Reading List issue is here! Check out book recommendations from BT2P staff and colleagues, including nonfiction, fiction, memoir and poetry. Find this and past issues at the link in our profile.

AI, academia, and the Future | Substack Exploring where emerging AI might take colleges and universities, and everyone else. Click to read AI, academia, and the Future, a Substack publication with thousands of subscribers.

Futurist, writer, and BT2P colleague @edufuturist.bsky.social Alexander has written extensively on AI. He recently started gathering his essays on Teaching in AI. Learn more about the current issues and potential futures of AI and academia here: aiandacademia.substack.com/t/teachingwi...

Our friends at Project Pericles are offering mini-grants of $1000 to faculty & staff for projects to develop students' civic agency and civic learning Applications are reviewed and awarded until funds run out. The priority deadline is Oct 3, 2025. www.projectpericles.org/fellowship.h...

Members of BT2P's Paradigm Working Group guide our work. Thank you. Pictured: Tim Eatman, David Scobey, Adam Bush, Elaine Maimon, Jillian Lea, Tessa Hicks Peterson, Peter Felten, Bryan Alexander, Pascale Charlot, Marina Kim, Paul Schadewald, and Randy Bass. Not pictured: Buffie Longmire-Avital.

Partisanship Has No Place in College Loans President Trump is rescinding loan forgiveness for people who he thinks flout his politics. Elaine Maimon cries foul

In this week's article for the @thephiladelphiacitizen, BT2P colleague and former university president Elaine Maimon calls out the Trump administration for recent actions that impact voting access and student loan forgiveness. thephiladelphiacitizen.org/partisanship...

On Thursday, August 28, futurist and scholar Bryan Alexander hosts a new episode of The Future Trends Forum. Learn more and register here: georgetown.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Wave of New State Bills in 2025 Cast a Web of Control over Higher Education Lawmakers have passed a stunning wave of educational gag orders that directly censor higher ed teaching, as well as laws that target tenure and traditional faculty governance, intervene in how academi...

Last month, PEN America published an overview of legislative actions taken across the US that restrict higher education. More than 70 bills and policies across 26 states have been introduced to censor higher education. Learn more: pen.org/with-a-wave-...

The newest issue of Bringing It is here! In this week's newsletter, we feature an essay from our Director, David Scobey, offering thoughts and perspective on the current crises and changes in the higher ed landscape.

Read this and past issues at the link in our bio.

Conference on Learning and Student Success (CLASS) | AAC&U A VOICE AND A FORCE FOR LIBERAL EDUCATION. AAC&U advances the vitality and democratic purposes of undergraduate liberal education.

Registration is open for the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U)'s second annual Conference on Learning and Student Success (CLASS). Proposals are being accepted through September 26th.

Find more info here: www.aacu.org/event/class-...

Call for Proposals The CUMU Conference call for proposals opens each January. Submit your work for the CUMU Conference and share your work with higher education leaders.

The Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU) is accepting proposals for roundtable sessions on "hot topics, timely conversations" at their upcoming conference.

Apply here: cumuonline.org/cumu-annual-...

Local Colleges and Universities: Unite to Protect Higher Ed Philadelphia and Pennsylvania colleges should follow the lead of UCLA and the Big Ten: Unite to fight attacks on higher ed

In today's article for the Philadelphia Citizen, our friend and colleague Elains Maimon calls on higher ed institutions to band together to protect every citizen's right to higher education.

Read the full article here: thephiladelphiacitizen.org/higher-ed-un...

This is a moment from the recent gathering of our emerging models community of practice leaders in Providence, RI, when we shared stories of moments that connected us. Research has proven that relationships are powerful drivers of success in both college and professional life.

In this issue of Bringing It, we showcase the storytelling practices at College Unbound (CU), one of the schools in our emerging models community of practice. CU's Institutional Storyteller, Amanda Esons, shares their methods here: bttop.org/bringing-it-...

EP1: A Conversation with Citlali Delgado, Visual Artist - Imagining America In the first episode of Gathering Whispers, we talk to Citlali Delgado, visual artist for the 2025 IA National Gathering, who introduces us to her community, her art practice, and the Paso del Norte r...

Our friends at Imagining America have a new podcast: Gathering Whispers! In the first episode, they talk with Citlali Delgado, visual artist for the 2025 IA National Gathering, about her art practice and the Paso del Norte community where she grew up. Listen: imaginingamerica.org/ep1-a-conver...

In this week's issue of our newsletter, Bringing It, we spotlight the Civic Learning and Democracy Engagement Coalition (CLDE), highlighting their major initiatives and a big announcement!

Find this and past issues of Bringing It at the link in our bio.

Radical imagination: not just for the radical among us - LSE Higher Education From campus facility plans to humble textbooks, subverting the status quo can happen in the most unlikely places, says LSE HE Blog Fellow, Ijeoma N Njaka It may seem unlikely, but around 2017, somethi...

We are pleased to share this piece of writing by our friend and colleague, Ijeoma Njaka. Ijeoma is a 2025 London School of Economics Higher Education Blog fellow--keep an eye out for more of her posts!

Read the full post here: bit.ly/4lAmc1r

BT2P friend and colleague Elaine Maimon urges citizens to call Congress in her newest article for The Philadelphia Citizen. Make your voice heard! Contact Congress here: bit.ly/3TDdmUh

Read Elaine's full article here: thephiladelphiacitizen.org/rescissions-...

Changemakers network members Meg Konkel, Patrice Ludwig, and Bob Kolvoord pose with BT2P Director David Scobey after their signature session, The Changemakers Network: Bringing Theory to Practice's Strategy for Movement Building. Visit the link in our bio to learn more about our work!

This July 4th, Let’s Stand Up for Philadelphia Values Remember Fourth of July 1776 rallying cry that launched our country’s fight against tyranny? It’s time to raise our voices again

In last week's article for @thephiladelphiacitizen, Paradigm Working Group member Elaine Maimon writes about the spirit of the 4th of July and the importance of raising our voices in solidarity again. Read the full article here: thephiladelphiacitizen.org/july-4th-sta...

In this issue of Bringing It, we highlight powerful moments from the 2025 Bonner Summer Leadership Institute and 35th Anniversary Celebration.

Sign up for Bringing It, our biweekly enewsletter, and find this issue at the link in our bio.

In this article, BT2P friend Jessica Riddell offers ten conceptual tools that can help us all move from default responses—which humans developed to survive in broken systems—into learned responses that can offer creative structural alternatives to despair and center flourishing. bit.ly/40lBMFF

AAC&U invites proposals from across higher education and from policymakers and leaders across business, philanthropy, civil society, and other sectors. More info and registration: www.aacu.org/event/annual...

The Power of Mattering at Work Quiet quitting, the Great Resignation, chronically low engagement numbers, increasing numbers of labor disputes, demands for equity and dignity in the workplace—business leaders have been warily watch...

Our Paradigm Project initiative and framework emphasize the importance of student, faculty, and staff thriving. In this article, author Zach Mercurio makes the case for mattering in the workplace, including positive effects and action steps. hbr.org/2025/05/the-...

What do you imagine for the future of higher ed? We've laid out our vision in our Paradigm Project Framework (link in bio).

What action, large or small, can you take today towards the educational ends you embrace? Let us know in the comments.

Registration is now open for the 2025 Imagining America National Gathering! The gathering offers participants a 3-day immersive experience exploring how we can build new knowledge & inspire collective imagination towards transformative education & action. iagathering.org/registration/