The United States of America, a pluralist gathering of races and cultures, banded together not by blood or religion, by territory or tradition, but by a political idea, is a nation formed by its dedication to a set of civic principles. These principles embedded in our fundamental national documents make it clear that American citizens are expected to fulfill civic responsibilities by competent participation in public affairs. The obligations of civic participation are not unique to Americans but are incumbent on all those who are fortunate enough to live in democratic republics. A leading American political thinker and statesman, Thomas Jefferson, contended that the status of citizen called for every member of the community to become involved in the business of society. The university has a special responsibility to educate students about social goals, public purposes and values, and the ethics of citizenship as well as to encourage students to have a personal sense of responsibility for the global society.
Good citizenship takes place at several different levels.
Students are members of multiple communities - the university, the neighborhood, the city, and the state, as well as the nation. Students also are citizens in a larger philosophical sense. As members of the human species, students belong to a moral community composed of all human beings. The members of the SMSU campus community affirm their citizenship in the larger world community by ensuring that differences of nationality, ethnicity, or social-economic class do not become barriers between us. Helping students to become responsible citizens at all these different levels takes time and deliberate effort on the part of all educators.