Colorado State University President Amy Parsons announced an initiative, the Colorado Democracy Prize, in an email to students, staff and faculty Sept. 15. With guidance from the Center for Public Deliberation, the prize will reward student groups that promote collaboration and meaningful democratic engagement at the annual CSU Democracy Summit.
The email affirmed CSU’s role as a land-grant university, stating it is committed to open dialogue and democratic engagement, especially amid recent national division. Following the shooting of Charlie Kirk, who was scheduled to speak at CSU one week following his death, the university emphasized its dedication to safety, civil discourse and respect during campus events.
Parsons’ message encouraged students to uphold CSU’s values and mentioned that moments like Kirk’s passing — as well as other events within the national government — both test and strengthen democracy.
“CSU is famous for the quality of student government and shared governance that we have at this university. I think one of the reasons that the Colorado Democracy Prize belongs at CSU is because we have some new students who, through their engagement with CSU and other organizations, have had a lot of opportunities to wrestle with tough stuff.” -Kjerstin Thorson, College of Liberal Arts dean
“We are supposed to be a space that fosters democratic life and innovation, and that means producing well-informed citizens who are prepared to act in their communities, act as leaders, act as partners, but do the work of democracy,” said Katie Knobloch, associate director of the Center for Public Deliberation. “And when I say citizens, I use that term broadly to mean any members of the community who can contribute to its future.”
The Colorado Democracy Prize is designed to support and reward student organizations that model constructive political engagement. Student groups will be encouraged to host events that promote collaboration and bridge-building across ideological lines.
“One of President Parsons’ priorities for the university is strengthening democracy, and the College of Liberal Arts has been aiding in that process for several years now,” Dean of the College of Liberal Arts Kjerstin Thorson said. “One of the most powerful ways we have of thinking about strengthening democracy at CSU is finding ways to hear each other in the universe beyond.”
Knobloch said the Democracy Prize is designed to recognize great student work and help people collaborate across and beyond points of disagreement.
“We need to know how to express ourselves, but when we don’t also focus on listening, we are really diminishing our opportunity for learning,” Knobloch said. “And so when we prioritize listening, we prioritize learning from those conversations instead of trying to win those conversations, we kind of reframe and reset the boundaries for how we’re having conversations with one another, and it truly is … beautiful and uplifting to see folks rise to that occasion.”
The Colorado Democracy Prize will include two phases. The first phase involves the submission of seed grant applications, when student teams will apply for a $1,000 grant. Out of these, three to five teams will be selected to advance to phase two, in which the teams will engage in project implementation. At this point, they will receive information from books at the Center for Public Deliberation and guidance from an advisory board comprising democracy experts from across Colorado.
At the Democracy Summit, the teams will present their findings, culminating with a final award.
“CSU is famous for the quality of student government and shared governance that we have at this university,” Thorson said. “I think one of the reasons that the Colorado Democracy Prize belongs at CSU is because we have some new students who, through their engagement with CSU and other organizations, have had a lot of opportunities to wrestle with tough stuff.”
Currently, workshops for interested student teams are planned for Nov. 7, with the goal of getting projects underway by Dec. 1.
“As inheritors of the land-grant tradition, we carry forward a history of resilience, innovation and hope,” Parsons said in the message.
Reach Riley Paling at news@collegian.com or on social media @rileypaling.
