The Barbara A. Galpin ’68, M ’74 Institute for Civic Engagement

People doing good; learning well

Supporting Students

Dragons for Democracy interns design and conduct projects that promote viewpoint diversity, civic discourse, and civics education. They can earn academic credit or - through the SUNY System's Empire State Service Corps - financial support.

Interns have conducted 

• Deliberative dialogues, such as "Free Speech and the Inclusive Campus" 
• Simulations, such as an Extreme Weather Simulation 
• Workshops, including the "Write the Wrong" workshop in which students emailed an elected official to advocate for a particular policy or perspective.

As they partner with their colleagues, faculty, staff, and community partners to create and conduct these events, they develop skills and competencies such as active listening, critical thinking, and creative thinking.  These skills help them become more effective in their civic decision-making and in their careers.

Supporting Faculty

The Barbara A. Galpin Institute supports faculty is through by organizing workshops on, for example, active listening and applied learning.

It also conducts the Cortland Applied Learning Practitioners / Democracy Engagement Fellowships.  Through this professional development program, faculty incorporate active listening skills and applied (experiential) learning to one of their syllabi. 

The courses' applied learning projects involve partnership with an appropriate government office.  In this way, students learn how to engage in civic decision-making between elections, building their sense of confidence in contributing to a healthier society.  As of Spring 2026, 23 faculty from across our three Schools have become CALP/DE Fellows.  Four more have been accepted into the Spring 2026 program.  Each Fellow receives a stipend through the generosity and commitment of Barbara A. Galpin.

Promoting and Celebrating

• Annual Civic Engagement and Democracy Engagement Awards Reception
• Webpage
• Newsletters
• Social media

The Galpin Institute for Civic Engagement is in SUNY Cortland’s Division of Academic Affairs. It serves as a resource for students, faculty, staff, and community partners for nurturing the development of mutually-beneficial learning by doing opportunities.

 Those opportunities include:

• Classroom visits with activities to
  • Recognize the academic, professional, and personal benefits of civic engagement
  • Explain benefits of taking applied learning (learning by doing) academic courses
  • Practice active listening skills as a way of improving communication effectiveness
• Campus/community events that explore current issues. Many of these events help participants practice civil civic decision-making skills.
• Opportunities for students to design and conduct their own civic engagement projects through the Institute’s Action Team of self-directed interns. These internships represent another form of applied learning.
• Voter-related activities through CIVIC: Cortland Invests in Voting Initiative Committee. CIVIC’s members include students, faculty, staff, and community members who conduct activities for voter
  • Registration
  • Education
  • Mobilization (get-out-the-vote)
• Professional development activities for faculty and staff through the Institute’s Cortland Applied Learning Practitioners program for faculty and staff. These activities help faculty design and conduct applied learning courses
• Participation in the SUNY Applied Learning Community of Practice
  • Attending the presentations and workshops in its monthly meetings
  • Developing networks with faculty and staff at other SUNY campuses
• Publication in The SUNY Journal of the Scholarship of Engagement. 
• Celebration of people’s civic engagement activities, on- and off-campus, through our
  • Monthly newsletter
  • Annual Leadership in Civic Engagement Awards Reception (April)

Through these opportunities, the Institute helps students develop the skills and knowledge to become "engaged citizens with a strong social conscience."