Tarrant County College’s commitment to community and civic engagement is earning national recognition. TCC announced today that its Civic Engagement District Work Team is a finalist for a Civvy, a national award highlighting civic work across the country at national, local and youth levels. Of the 18 finalists, TCC is the only higher-education institution named.
TCC’s civic engagement team was charged with strengthening civic engagement and promoting the democratic process within college culture. In addition to creating a master list of campus civic engagement programs, representatives from each of TCC’s six campuses consolidated resources and worked together to develop District-wide programs to build upon what was taking place at each campus. As the 2020 election approached, voter registration resources and information to support TCC students, faculty and staff were provided to encourage and support voter participation. Additionally, the Community Education & Engagement team presented two virtual events: 2020: What Just Happened? and Digital Literacy, Fake News, and Information Pollution in order to help educate and unpack current events impacting the nation.
TCC’s Civic Engagement District Work Team featured the following members:
- Kristan “Stan” Foust, associate professor of history at TCC Southeast
- Angela Morse, public services librarian at TCC South
- Murray Fortner, professor of sociology at TCC Northeast
- Joan Johnson, assistant professor of government at TCC Northeast
- Misty Wilson, assistant professor of history at TCC Connect
- Edward Brassart, assistant director of student services at TCC Trinity River
- Lourdes Davenport, coordinator of special projects, TCC Northwest
“The dedicated faculty who are members of the work team are committed to preparing our students to be civically minded citizens and leaders that are actively engaged in supporting their community,” said TCC Southeast President William Coppola. “Civic engagement is essential for a community to prosper, and TCC is committed to promoting an individual’s civic responsibility as the core of our students’ education.”
TCC is competing against five other finalists in the local category. Award winners will be announced in a livestreamed, virtual ceremony in March 2021. Finalists will be evaluated by a distinguished review committee, comprised of thought leaders in government, civic engagement, philanthropy and media.
Civvys Finalists, 2020-21
National Category
- Braven
- The Civic Responsibility Project
- Hidden Common Ground Initiative and Strange Bedfellows Series from Public Agenda
- Issue Voter and Maria Yuan
- Millennial Action Project
- With the People, coordinated by National Issues Forums Institute
Local
- Akron Civic Commons (Akron, OH)
- Interfaith Council of Metro DC (Washington, DC)
- Pandemic Voting Project, organized by NAACP (Missouri State Conference) and Show Me Integrity (Missouri)
- SA2020 (San Antonio, TX)
- STL Approves (St. Louis, MO)
- Tarrant County College Civic Engagement District Work Team (Fort Worth, TX)
Youth
- Changeist
- The Conversationalist
- org’s “Our 2020 Vision” campaign
- Green Our Planet
- KidsVotingDurham
- Student PIRGS New Voters project, including specifically nominated Eckerd College and California Student Vote chapters
“I am tremendously proud of Professors Murray Fortner and Joan Johnson and colleagues across the District who continually place civic engagement and matters of equity at the forefront of discourse for TCC students,” said Kenya Ayers-Palmore. “Their team’s role in ensuring that students learn to become informed, responsible and conscientious citizens across their lifetimes is indeed laudable. It’s wonderful to see that work recognized nationally.”
Learn more about TCC’s commitment to community and civic engagement by visiting https://www.tccd.edu/community/civic-engagement/