The Institute for Public Good

The Institute for Public Good at Davidson College integrates academic research, civic engagement, public policy, creative expression, and ethical leadership, with the goal of fostering academic and intellectual collaboration that equips students to address society’s challenges and emerge as ethical public leaders.

Through rigorous engagement with civic life, policy analysis, ethical reasoning and creative problem-solving, the Institute ensures that every Davidson student has the opportunity to prepare for lives of leadership, service and integrity. The Institute hosts Public Good Fellows—visiting scholars, artists and leaders-in-residence—who will teach, mentor and collaborate with students while pursuing public-facing work. In doing so, the Institute will serve as a national model for uniting liberal arts education with public purpose and ethical engagement.

The institute is organized around 5 program areas:

Arts in Public Life
Examine social issues through creative practice.

Center for Civic Engagement
Facilitates impactful community-driven change.

Deliberation & Free Expression
Prepares students to lead, listen and engage in a increasingly polarized world.

Ethics, Honor & Leadership
Creates a national model for how liberal arts colleges can foster academic integrity, personal responsibility, and ethical leadership development. 

Public Policy & Research
Promotes rigorous, real-time research and scholarship with pressing societal challenges.