CADEN PERRY
WINONA -- The Department of Defense announced Wednesday it has awarded $1.1 million to Winona State University to establish a new civic engagement program on campus.
The grant will fund two years of the new Civic Center, a collection of programs centered on civic engagement around Winona. The Civic Center is not a new building or facility, and the program will be flexible to take place in any building on Winona State's campus.
Winona State political science professor Elissa Alzate said the Civic Center already has plans to continue past the two-year grant by collaborating with other programs like the Adult & Continuing Education department.
The Civic Center program will promote civic action and ethical leadership for students, faculty and local government positions. Programming and training will be hosted by WSU's Department of Political Science, Public Administration & Ethnic Studies and the SE MN Together organization.
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Winona State students will have opportunities to interact with local government officials and agencies to further their experience with civic engagement.
Local government offices, especially smaller municipalities and counties, will also receive support through the Civic Center. The center will offer training in civility, civil discourse, public input, budgeting, meeting procedures and campaign rules for government officials looking for some extra experience in running an agency.
"Winona State is in a good position to establish this Civic Center, as we already do some of the work on a smaller scale," Alzate said. "This project will expand our capacity to serve local governments in the region as well as our students. The relationships developed through the center's programming will be reciprocal and mutually beneficial."
The new engagement program will also host civic dialogue events for the wider Winona community as a promotion of civil discourse.
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