MESA, Ariz. -- Sept. 12, 2024 -- The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge (ALL IN) recognized Mesa Community College (MCC), one of only six ALL IN Most Engaged Campuses 2022 institutions in Arizona, for its nonpartisan democratic engagement efforts that fostered high levels of student voter engagement in the 2022 midterm elections.
MCC received the ALL IN Silver Seal for its voting rate and the 2022 Arizona Campus Voting Challenge Highest Registration Rate in the Community College category, reflecting its commitment to ensuring that nonpartisan democratic engagement is a defining feature of campus life.
The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge empowers colleges and universities to achieve excellence in nonpartisan student democratic engagement. MCC was recognized alongside more than 500 campuses using data from the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE) out of Tufts University, which found that colleges and universities had the second-highest voter turnout among students in a midterm election since NSLVE began measuring this data.
MCC has a goal of increasing NSLVE registration and voting rates for the 2024-2025 academic year including student-led classroom presentations on voter education and enrichment opportunities offered as part of the classroom curriculum created to increase civic engagement activity.
“We are proud to be one of the few institutions in Arizona to earn recognition for our civic engagement efforts. Our Democratic Engagement Action Plan reaffirms our commitment to serve the community and prepare students to become engaged civic leaders through strategic pathways designed to increase student participation in local, state and federal activities that support democracy,” said MCC President Dr. Richard Daniel. “MCC’s Center for Community and Civic Engagement is outstanding in its efforts to coordinate with faculty, departments and our community to incorporate the importance of participation in the democratic process into college learning and engagement activities.”
Additional MCC accomplishments and recognitions supporting democracy include:
- MCC was designated a Voter Friendly Campus for 2023-2024 by the Campus Vote Project of the Fair Elections Center, and Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. Both are national, nonpartisan organizations based in Washington, D.C. MCC was one of 359 colleges across 39 states and one of only eight colleges in Arizona to earn the Voter Friendly Campus designation. The college also earned the designation in 2017-2018 and 2021-2022.
- MCC earned the Highly Established Action Plan Seal for the 2024 election cycle for developing a nonpartisan democratic engagement action plan that received 35 out of 36 points based on the Strengthening American Democracy Action Planning Guide (SADG) Rubric. MCC is one of 93 campuses that has earned this recognition so far for the 2024 election cycle.
- MCC joined the 2022 Codesigner Cohort for Ask Every Student, the national joint initiative promoting collaboration between campus leaders and nonprofit partners to help campuses ask every student to participate in the democratic process and achieve full student voter registration.
- In 2021 MCC was one of five Chapter of the Year recipients selected from among more than 350 international chapters by Net Impact, a global community of emerging leaders who aspire to be effective drivers of economic, social, and environmental change. Chosen in the Undergraduate category, the MCC Center for Community & Civic Engagement’s chapter was recognized for making significant contributions to the community by hosting events focused on democracy and partnering with the nonprofit Feed My Starving Children to host one of the largest service day events in the college’s history.
- Established in 2020, MCC’s voter engagement website, www.mesacc.edu/vote, provides access to resources encouraging voter registration, important dates in the election cycle and non-partisan voter engagement tools.
“The ALL IN Awards were created to celebrate nonpartisan democratic engagement and the outstanding campus voter registration and turnout rates achieved by our ALL IN campuses. Ahead of the 2024 elections, ALL IN campuses are ready to build on the momentum from 2022 to ensure their communities are ready to make an even bigger impact this fall,” said Jennifer Domagal-Goldman, Executive Director of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. “ALL IN is proud to celebrate and honor top-performing campuses, like Mesa Community College who demonstrate that nonpartisan student voter engagement is possible and effective.”
More than 1,060 institutions enrolling more than 10 million students participate in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, which supports colleges and universities in achieving excellence in nonpartisan student voter engagement.
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Media contact: Dawn Zimmer, 480-461-7892, dawn.zimmer@mesacc.edu
The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge (ALL IN) is a national nonpartisan initiative of Civic Nation, a 501(c)(3) organization. The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge strives to change civic culture and institutionalize democratic engagement activities and programs on college campuses, making voter participation a defining feature of campus life. ALL IN, in collaboration with over 1,050 higher education institutions, seeks to make participation in local, state, and federal elections a social norm; substantially increase the number of college students who are democratically engaged on an ongoing basis, during and between elections, and not just at the polls, and; make educating for democratic engagement on college campuses an accepted and expected part of the culture and curriculum so that students graduate with the knowledge, skills, behaviors, and values needed to be an informed and active citizen.
Mesa Community College is nationally recognized for university transfer, career and technical programs, civic engagement, service-learning and innovative approaches to education. Host to more than 24,400 students annually, MCC offers degree and certificate programs at its two campuses and additional locations. On average MCC students provide 23,000 hours of community service annually. For more than 50 years, the college has served as a resource for education, workforce development and lifelong learning. MCC is transforming student success through Guided Pathways with Integrated Support Services and a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. MCC is a Hispanic Serving Institution. Nearly 50% of MCC students are the first in their families to attend college. MCC has the largest indigenous student population of all the Maricopa Community Colleges. The American Indian Institute serves students from 22 federally recognized Arizona tribes and out-of-state tribes. Our diverse student body includes hundreds of international students from around the world. Award-winning faculty are dedicated to student success, providing the education and training that empowers MCC students to attain their goals. Located in the East Valley of Phoenix, Arizona, on the traditional territories of the O'odham, Piipaash and Yavapai Peoples, MCC is one of 10 colleges in the Maricopa County Community College District. Visit mesacc.edu to learn more.
Mesa Community College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) -- hlcommission.org.
The Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) is an EEO/AA institution and an equal opportunity employer of protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, or national origin. A lack of English language skills will not be a barrier to admission and participation in the career and technical education programs of the District. MCCCD does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability or age in its programs or activities. For Title IX/504 concerns, call the following number to reach the appointed coordinator: (480) 731-8499. For additional information, as well as a listing of all coordinators within the Maricopa College system, visit maricopa.edu/non-discrimination.