US: Lessons from the Obama campaign

Among the most striking phenomena associated with Barack Obama's successful bid for the Democratic nomination has been his ability to attract young people to the political process, writes Richard M Freeland, professor of higher education at Clark University and president emeritus of Northeastern University, in Inside Higher Ed. This resurgence of youthful activism delivers an important message for colleges and universities.

The success of the Obama campaign refutes the oft-repeated notion that young people today are uninterested in national politics and are less ready than older generations of Americans to become responsible stewards of our democratic institutions. The disengagement of young people from political processes after the 1960s has been well documented. Many studies have shown that during the last three decades of the 20th century, young Americans demonstrated less interest in public affairs than had previous generations, and also were less well informed about political and public policy matters, and less likely to vote.

The withdrawal of young people from active interest in public affairs paralleled reduced attention to citizenship by colleges and universities. While higher education has long claimed as a core mission preparing students for democratic participation, it is a mission honoured in recent years mainly in the rhetoric of college catalogues. Few campuses today provide organised or explicit programming with this focus, either inside or outside the curriculum.
Full report on the Inside Higher Ed site