James F. Ackerman Center for Democratic Citizenship, Purdue University

11/24/2025

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“Our goal is to equip teachers and students to engage deeply with 250 years of American ideas and debates about self-government,” says Chrystal Johnson, Co-PI and Seminar/Professional Workshop Director of ’s $524K share of a U.S. Department of Education Dialogue 250 grant. The grant will help train Indiana secondary teachers as part of the nation’s celebration (“semiquincentennial”) in 2026. 🇺🇸 🪶 https://ow.ly/KUUT50XwW6J

10/28/2025

Today we were honored to bring author Chana Stiefel to WL Intermediate and Klondike Middle schools. She have wonderful presentations on being an author and shared the message that "we are all ome people." College of Education, Purdue University

09/16/2025

08/27/2025

“Purdue University’s 20th annual 🇺🇸 Constitution Day celebration is one of only a few approved Civics Literacy Proficiency (CLP) events in ’s civics literacy graduation requirement,” says Interim Dean Phillip VanFossen.

Purdue students: Celebrate & learn about the U.S. Constitution at Purdue’s 2025. Attend & earn credit toward your civics literacy graduation requirement via the Civics Event pathway. Games, snacks, giveaways, and fun educational opportunities! 🪶 https://ow.ly/SgtT50WMMAI

📅 Sept. 17
🕒 10 AM - 2 PM
📍/Walk-On’s Bistreaux (Ground Floor)
**Open to the public**
Hosted by the James F. Ackerman Center for Democratic Citizenship, Purdue University

05/19/2025

Thank you to the City of Lafayette leaders who participate in project citizen! Purdue College of Education, Purdue University

04/30/2025

The GLHRC candle lighting ceremony this year was both moving and fascinating as we heard from descendants of survivors.

02/14/2025

So proud of the Sunnyside Project Citizen team!

11/28/2023

Spread the word....

A resource center housed in the Purdue University College of Education is impacting the university and the state of Indiana by providing needed civics education resources for Indiana school districts. The James F. Ackerman Center for Democratic Citizenship developed and is offering 6th Grade Civics....

05/04/2023

Thanks Chief Galloway for joining us at Project Citizen1

LPD Chief Galloway was honored to be invited to the Project Citizen High School Showcase for Lafayette Jefferson High School and Benton Central Jr/Sr High School!

Community representatives were invited to join the judge panel, including fellow room judges State Representative Chris Campbell and Dr. Kathy Obenchain from College of Education, Purdue University and James F. Ackerman Center for Democratic Citizenship, Purdue University!

Project Citizen is a civics/government curriculum that promotes competent and responsible participation in government. An interactive project-based learning model, Project Citizen emphasizes collaborative work, research and analysis, and engages students in learning how to monitor and influence public policy. Students work together to identify and study a public policy issue, research and evaluate options, select a solution to the problem, and develop an action plan.

The final product is a board and portfolio displaying the students' work, presented to a panel of judges and a question session at the end.

The evening was a success and all students should be incredibly proud of their research and work! We hope you continue to grow your civic skills, and never cease to participate in civic and political life. Way to go!

09/27/2022

A Purdue alum joining the Center for Civic Ed!

The Center is thrilled to welcome John Thurman as our new Chief Operating and Financial Officer! John joins the team from Excellent Education, where he served as the vice president of finance. He received his bachelor's in political science from Purdue University and master's of public administration from California State University with a concentration in nonprofit management.

His more than 15 years of nonprofit financial and operational management experience makes him a perfect fit for our growing organization. We are excited to welcome him to the team!

09/21/2022

09/12/2022