Dean Pete Peterson Selected to Commission the Practice of Democratic Citizenship by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Pete Peterson (MPP '07), dean of the School of Public Policy, has been selected to theCommission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. This working group will meet several times over the next two years to deepen the dialogue around democracy, citizenship, and community, by emphasizing new forms of civic engagement and democratic practice—many of which have been made possible through new technologies. The Commission is a new project designed to understand citizenship in 21st century America and identify ways to foster the skills and values that will make it stronger. The Commission will work across disciplines to develop an understanding of how native born and newly arrived Americans engage with the institutions of their democracy, and how they exercise their rights and responsibilities as citizens. The focus of the initiative is not on a legal definition of citizenship, nor on a limited assessment of voting.

Peterson will be among other members like David Brooks of the New York Times, Atonia Hernandez of the California Community Foundation, Yuval Levin of National Affairs, and Ben Vinson, dean of George Washington University.