Memorial Student Center

Last fall, Texas A&M University President General (Ret.) Mark A. Welsh III (https://president.tamu.edu/about/index.html) announced his Citizenship and Service Initiative (https://stories.tamu.edu/news/2025/02/27/texas-am-citizenship-and-service-initiative-to-shape-next-generation-of-civic-leaders/), to ensure that all graduating students are ready and willing to "serve as ethical, informed, equipped and contributing citizens of their communities, state of Texas and the United States." In conjunction with Constitution Week, Texas A&M's College of Arts and Sciences will launch Aggie Lyceum, a new program open to all students that is part of this initiative. Modeled after the Texas Lyceum (https://www.texaslyceum.org/), an organization that brings together various segments of state in a nonpartisan, nonpolitical and non-adversarial setting to solve the problems facing Texas, the Aggie Lyceum will facilitate opportunities for all students to learn critical thinking skills, media literacy, civil discourse and more skills that help them develop as citizens. The name comes from ancient Athens, where the Lyceum was Aristotle's school. "When we laid out why we need the Citizenship and Service initiative and what we wanted to cultivate in students, two of the primary skills were the ability to critically evaluate media information and conduct civil discourse. Our country is lacking in those things right now," said Brigadier General (Ret.) Kim Field. "We want to lead the way here at Texas A&M, and the Aggie Lyceum, modeled after the Texas Lyceum, is an important part of that."The Aggie Lyceum, which is non-partisan, will hold regular meetings on Mondays and Wednesdays, using the Aggie Core Values as its pillars and equip students with the skills to be leading citizens. "Our faculty are uniquely capable of leading this aspect of the President's initiative," said College of Arts and Sciences Dean Mark J. Zoran. (https://artsci.tamu.edu/contact/profiles/zoran-mark.html) "From research to teaching, critical thinking and problem-solving are skills that the college prioritizes across the board, as is becoming an engaged citizen. These skills aren't new; they are just skills that we need to remind ourselves of and teach the new generations." The first Lyceum event, a Constitutional Convention, will be Friday, Sept. 19, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in MSC 2300-D. Advance registration (https://tamu.givepulse.com/event/638927-Constitutional%2BConvention?pkey=5147e523df9e4cbf40c9920ba0e4c30602a47310bddc84f05e5a00a0e714b278) is required, and lunch will be provided. During the event, students will learn from experts about the history of writing and amending the constitution. "Our state, country and world need Aggies more than ever," said Welsh at the February President's Citizenship and Service Summit. "It's important to remind our current Aggies the honor code isn't just about following an honor code, it's about living a life of honor. Selfless service isn't about one service project, it's about living a life of service. Respect is about living a respected, respectful life when you leave Texas A&M. And, all of that is about citizenship — something I believe this great educational institution should be teaching our remarkable students." As part of the regular schedule, the Monday Lyceum events, "Civics Conversations," will feature weekly deliberations on a variety of topics from the National Issues Forum guidebook and allow for every point of view. A KAMU program will highlight students after the Monday conversations who will reflect on their experience and what they learned about deliberation. "These sessions will allow students to talk about difficult problems in the public sphere using our trained conversation facilitators who will lead the students away from partisanship and towards problem-solving," Zoran said. "They will learn how to discuss issues that are relevant to the public, while learning the valuable citizenship skills of coming together to find solutions. I want to thank all the faculty helping to facilitate this effort, and we look forward to the program continuing to grow over time." The second weekly Lyceum event, "Workshop Wednesdays," will conduct lessons on topics such as media literacy, cognitive biases and how to read a court opinion. The Aggie Lyceum is overseen by Jennifer Mercieca, Ph.D., (https://artsci.tamu.edu/comm-journalism/contact/profiles/jennifer-mercieca.html) a nationally recognized political rhetoric expert, who is advised by an advisory committee, composed of a wide range of faculty and staff across the university. The Citizenship and Service Initiative is a broad effort across Texas A&M to intentionally ensure that Aggies graduate as engaged, informed citizens ready to contribute to each other, their communities, Texas and the nation.

Speakers, Forums, and Conferences