Special Report

Method

Using data from the 2025 administration of the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE), we explored the relationship between faculty’s perceptions of institutional climate and encouragement of civic engagement among their students. We examined 5,226 faculty responses across 54 institutions in the United States. We used factor analysis to identify and create three scales from the Civic Engagement Topical Module (see Table 1 for scale component items). We named these new scales Institutional Climate Towards Civic Engagement (IC), Institutional Emphasis on Students’ Civic Engagement (IE), and Faculty’s Encouragement of Students to be Civically Engaged (ES). All three scales showed strong reliability.  

Findings

Analyses reveal clear and meaningful patterns in how institutional climate and emphasis on civic engagement shape faculty practices. Pearson’s r correlations revealed a strong positive relationship between Institutional Climate Towards Civic Engagement and Institutional Emphasis on Students’ Civic Engagement (r = .74). We also found that both Institutional Climate and Institutional Emphasis were positively correlated with Faculty’s Encouragement of Students to be Civically Engaged (r = .30 and r = .22, respectively). In other words, when faculty perceive their institutions as valuing and supporting civic engagement, they are more likely to emphasize those values in their own teaching practices. This suggests that institutional priorities and climate send important cues that shape how faculty approach civic learning in the classroom. 

 

Table 1. Civic Engagement Topical Module and Core Survey Scales and Component Items

Institutional Climate for Civic Engagement (IC) 

 

How much does your institution emphasize the following? 

Response options: Very much, Quite a bit, Some, Very little 

  1. Discussing important social, economic, or political issues with others 
  2. Organizing activities focused on important social, economic, or political issues
  3. Being an informed and active participant in campus, local, state, or national issues
  4. Being involved in an organization or group focused on important social, economic, or political issues 
  5. Voting in campus, local, state, or national elections 
  6. Encouraging free speech and expression 
  7. Developing a sense of responsibility to the communities that matter to you 

Institutional Emphasis on Students’ Civic Engagement (IE) 

How much does your institution emphasize each of the following for undergraduate students? 

Response options: Very much, Quite a bit, Some, Very little 

  1. Helping people work through their disagreements with each other 
  1. Recognize and respond to conflicts that involve bias, discrimination, and prejudice 
  1. Leading a group in which people from different backgrounds feel welcomed and included 
  1. Participating in a constructive dialogue with someone who disagrees with them 
  1. Contributing to the well-being of their community 

Faculty’s Encouragement of Students to be Civically Engaged (ES) 

During the current school year, whether course-related or not, about how much have you encouraged students you teach or advise to do the following? 

Response options: Very often, Often, Sometimes, Never 

  1. Inform themselves about campus or local issues 
  2. Inform themselves about state, national, or global issues 
  3. Discuss campus or local issues with others 
  4. Discuss state, national, or global issues with others 
  5. Raise awareness about campus or local issues 
  6. Raise awareness about state, national, or global issues 
  7. Ask others to address campus or local issues 
  8. Ask others to address state, national, or global issues 
  9. Organize others to work on campus or local issues 
  10. Organize others to work on state, national, or global issues

Sense of Belonging (SB)

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements? 

Response options: Strongly agree, Agree, Disagree, Strongly disagree 

  1. I feel comfortable being myself at this institution. 
  2. I feel valued by this institution. 
  3. I feel like part of the community at this institution 

Teaching Environment (TE) 

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements? 

Response options: Strongly agree, Agree, Disagree, Strongly disagree 

  1. I have the time I need to prepare for class 
  2. I have the resources I need to do my best teaching (office space, technology, materials, etc.) 
  3. The environments (classroom, online, etc.) I teach in are conducive to quality teaching 
  4. I know where to go for help with teaching at my institution. 

In terms of relationships with previously established FSSE scales, we also found that all three of our civic engagement-related scales were positively correlated with faculty’s Sense of Belonging (r = .52, r = .46, and r = .04, respectively). These results suggest that when faculty feel their institutions value civic engagement, they are more likely to experience a greater sense of belonging. This may be because institutional support for civic values aligns with faculty members’ own professional and personal commitments, making them feel more integrated into the campus community. 

Finally, Teaching Environment was positively correlated with both climate-related civic engagement scales (IC and IE; r = .37 and r = .35, respectively). The positive correlations between the Teaching Environment scale and both civic engagement climate scales indicate that faculty who have the resources they need in their teaching environments (such as time, technology, and materials) are more likely to work at institutions that also foster a strong civic climate. However, resources alone are insufficient to influence faculty to encourage their students to be civically engaged. Therefore, if institutions want to ensure faculty are engaging in civic engagement-related praxis in their classrooms, they must not only provide the necessary resources to teach effectively but must also create an institutional climate that values civic engagement. 

Table 2. Significant Correlations (p < .001) Between Civic Engagement Scales, Sense of Belonging, and Teaching Environment

Institutional Climate Towards Civic Engagement (IC)Institutional Emphasis on Students’ Civic Engagement (IE)Encouragement of Students to Be Civically Engaged (ES)Sense of Belonging (SB)
Institutional Emphasis on Students’ Civic Engagement (IE).74
Encouragement of Students to Be Civically Engaged (ES).30.22
Sense of Belonging (SB).52.46.04
Teaching Environment (TE).37.35.51

Implications

Strengthening faculty teaching environments is a strategic lever for cultivating a civic-oriented institutional climate and a greater emphasis on student civic engagement. Providing faculty with meaningful resources like time, technology, funding, and pedagogical support does more than improve classroom effectiveness; it can demonstrate that civic learning is a shared institutional priority. These investments shape campus culture by embedding civic values into everyday teaching and learning, ensuring that engagement is integral to the institution’s mission rather than an optional add-on. Prior research highlights that faculty commitment to civic education is strengthened when institutional structures, recognition, and leadership priorities align with democratic purposes (Jacoby, 2009; Saltmarsh & Hartley, 2016). 

By resourcing faculty effectively, institutions create the conditions for civic engagement to flourish across disciplines and classrooms. Importantly, these efforts remind us that civic engagement is not sustained by individual faculty alone but requires coordinated institutional strategies and commitments. When colleges and universities invest in both the people and the structures that support civic learning, they position themselves to strengthen trust, relevance, and impact in the broader democratic landscape. 

A Partnership with the Community-Engaged Alliance

In the spirit of improving civic engagement outcomes, FSSE and NSSE are partnering with Community-Engaged Alliance (CEA), an Indiana-based organization dedicated to strengthening the relationships between higher education institutions and local communities. In 2026, we are launching a consortium item set that will be administered to Indiana colleges and universities that have partnered with CEA. This item set asks faculty questions about their approach to incorporating civic learning into their courses, desired professional development, and awareness of CEA resources. Institutions that are a part of this consortium will also receive the NSSE and FSSE Civic Engagement Topical Module items. 

Additionally, CEA has also partnered with the Center for Postsecondary Research at Indiana University to develop a new survey, which CEA administers to community organizations in Indiana that partner with local colleges and universities. Taken together, the data from the NSSE and FSSE topical modules, the FSSE consortium item set, and the community perception survey will allow CEA to capture an expanded understanding of institutional climate towards civic engagement that includes many different perspectives, going beyond voting to a broader awareness of investment in one’s community. 

In speaking on this partnership, Elijah Howe, Executive Director of CEA, said, “This partnership with FSSE and NSSE is an incredible step forward for Community-Engaged Alliance campuses. The ability to combine faculty, student, and community voices through the topical modules and our new community perception survey will allow us to create a truly holistic picture of how civic engagement is valued and supported on our member campuses. This comprehensive data set is crucial for helping institutions better understand their impact and strengthen their democratic mission in our communities.” 

References

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Jacoby, B. (2009). Civic engagement in today’s higher education: An overview. In B. Jacoby (Ed.), Civic engagement in higher education: Concepts and practices (pp. 1–30). Jossey-Bass. 

Merisotis, J. (2025, June 17). Why college matters: For the love of learning—and democracy. Lumina Foundation. https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/why-college-matters-for-the-love-of-learning-and-democracy/  

Mintz, S. (2021, November 4). The true purpose of a college education: Rethinking the aims of an undergraduate education. Inside Higher Ed.  https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/higher-ed-gamma/true-purpose-college-education  

Orphan, C. M., & O’Meara, K. A. (2016). Next-generation engagement scholars in the neoliberal university. In M. A. Post, E. Ward, N. V. Longo, & J. Saltmarsh (Eds.), Publicly engaged scholars: Next-generation engagement and the future of higher education (pp. 27–42). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003446583  

Post, M. A., Ward, E., Longo, N. V., & Saltmarsh, J. (2016). Introducing next-generation engagement. In M. A. Post, E. Ward, N. V. Longo, & J. Saltmarsh (Eds.), Publicly engaged scholars: Next-generation engagement and the future of higher education (pp. 1–11). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003446583  

Saltmarsh, J., & Hartley, M. (2016). The inheritance of next-generation engagement scholars. In M. A. Post, E. Ward, N. V. Longo, & J. Saltmarsh (Eds.), Publicly engaged scholars: Next-generation engagement and the future of higher education (pp. 12–26). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003446583  

Images courtesy of California State University Dominguez Hills, California State Polytechnic University Pomona