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Castleton and ADP: a statement of values The Roots of ADP: Castleton Report as PDF Community Service Opportunities Examples of Civic Engagement at Castleton
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ADP & Civic Engagement Castleton has made a strong commitment to the American Democracy Project, a national program developed by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and the New York Times. The ADP grows from the perception that civic and political engagement are on a steep decline among young people. Although community service has increased at most colleges – and certainly at Castleton – individual preferences seem to be more important than the common good. In fall 2004, six First-Year Seminar sections – Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, Principles of Marketing, Foundations of Education, Honors American History I, American Politics & Government, and Introduction to Psychology – formed an ADP Learning Community. The theme of individual and society was chosen to explore ADP goals and objectives across disciplines. The ADP Learning Community was also linked by common events such as an ADP speaker series, using The New York Times as a common text, and sponsoring various ADP related Soundings events, such as lectures by Howard Zinn, VT Secretary of State Deb Markowitz, and Keystone speaker Howard Dean. Castleton Green Campus Initiative In the fall of 2005 all First-Year Seminar students participated in a recycling project that the college initiated with them. Each seminar devoted two of its noon common hours to this task during the semester. In the second semester other groups, such as academic administrators, athletic teams, student clubs, faculty, and the staff of the Physical Plant Department, continued the effort. The recycling plan was conceived and researched by the students in Prof. Paul Derby’s Anthropology and the Environment class in the spring of 2005, presented to the Cabinet late that semester, and planned in meetings over the summer. Castleton is committed to nurturing civic engagement and developing “productive citizens.” That developmental process now begins each fall with our challenge to each new member of the Castleton community to leave as small a footprint in the world as possible through participation in the recycling project and other environmentally conscious activities. Education, reflection, and cultural events accompany the action project. In 2005, all first-year students read Bill McKibben’s Wandering Home over the summer, which is a discussion of sustainability in Vermont's and New York’s Champlain Valley. Adam Werbach, host of the environmental newsmagazine THIN GREEN LINE on the Outdoor Life Network and former president of the Sierra Club, delivered the Keystone address in November of that year. Plans are being made now for the 2006-07 year.
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