This article discusses A Crucible Moment, a “National Call to Action” by the National Task Force on Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement commissioned by the Department of Education. The report describes a national crisis in civic engagement and calls on higher education to make civic learning and democratic engagement an expected part of every student’s college education. The article includes an interview with the report’s lead author, Caryn McTighe Musil, who offers her view on the current state of engagement in American universities, describes the process through which A Crucible Moment was produced, and discusses the concepts of collective civic problem solving and generative partnerships. I reflect on key themes from the interview and A Crucible Moment and explore how readers can work to improve regional engagement efforts on their campuses in response to this call
