The Rutgers Democracy Lab, led by Nicholas V. Longo, is providing new ways for students to learn about democracy through practical experience, according to an April 1 announcement. The lab was launched in 2025 at the Eagleton Institute of Politics as a university-wide initiative to strengthen democracy through education, dialogue and collaborative problem-solving.
The effort comes as colleges and universities are considering how best to prepare students for civic life in a polarized society. Longo said, “Young people care deeply about issues. They want to make a difference, but they don’t always know how to act on them.”
Programs such as the Think and Do Tank offer yearlong paid fellowships with academic credit for around 25 students from various majors who develop real-world solutions for issues they care about. Applications close April 15 for the next cohort starting in September. Another program, Talking Across Difference, helps Rutgers community members have productive conversations across political and social divides through workshops and campus programming.
Faculty and staff can participate as Democracy Fellows on cross-disciplinary projects focused on democratic engagement, with applications opening this spring. The lab also supports graduate research with its Democracy Summer Fellowships program and is expanding into areas like technology’s impact on democracy through internships studying social media and artificial intelligence.
Elizabeth Matto said, “The Rutgers Democracy Lab makes it possible for all Rutgers students – across disciplines and across campuses – to build a skillset for engaged democratic citizenship.” Varshini Rajanikanth added that she values the student-driven nature of these programs: “What I really love about the Think and Do Tank is that it’s so student-oriented…it’s really up to us to shape the program and the work we want to do.”
Longo is also collaborating with Rajanikanth on creating a Common Ground Initiative—a café-style space where students can engage in dialogue across differences—and wants every student at Rutgers to graduate prepared for civic participation.
The lab’s activities will be highlighted during Solving Grand Challenges Month in April with public events such as advocacy workshops, policy sessions involving hands-on legislative communication drafting, discussions on artificial intelligence’s effect on politics, art exhibitions and climate programming. The month ends with an invitation-only national conference at Rutgers followed by a campuswide showcase of democracy-related research at Cook Student Center on April 23.
Longo said he remains optimistic: “I want to make the world a little bit more democratic for the next generation…for my kids, and I want to do that for students.”
According to the official website, Stuart Shapiro became dean of Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy in 2023; this school operates within Rutgers University—the State University of New Jersey—and focuses its research centers on community development, transportation, health policy initiatives among others while fostering inclusive communities locally and globally. It has received national recognition including third place ranking among graduate urban planning programs.
