Mercer University has been selected as one of eight institutions to participate in Campus Compact’s new Student Co-Design Teams program. This initiative, which will run until May 2027, aims to incubate new models of student voice and shared leadership within campuses, community engagement centers, and local campus-community partnerships.

Mercer University, along with seven other Campus Compact member institutions, will receive $5,000 in seed money to fund their student voice and leadership initiatives. The University’s winning project, “The Moments that Move Us: A Student Co-Design Initiative for Civic Activation,” builds on Mercer’s long-standing commitment to service and civic engagement by centering student insight into what motivates or inhibits civic action.

Lisa Murphey Lundquist, Pharm.D., executive vice president for academic affairs and provost, said Mercer University is committed to fostering a culture of civic engagement and looks forward to the opportunities and insights that will come from this initiative.

“We are thrilled to be part of this initiative,” said Dr. Lundquist. “This opportunity will help amplify student voices on campus and emphasize the importance of student leadership and co-design processes.”

Mercer’s Student Co-Design Team includes Lauren Shinholster, associate director of engaged learning; Margaret Rooyakkers, assistant director of service and civic engagement; Hannah Nabi, lecturer in the department of human-centered information design and technology; and student leaders Hope Bull, Ian Marcal Garcia, and Sarah Tomanguilla.

“Through a structured and collaborative research and design process, our team will explore how undergraduate students encounter civic information on campus, examine the barriers that limit civic participation, and design strategies that make civic engagement opportunities easier to notice, understand, and act upon,” said Shinholster.