Join the Tech Impact and Policy Center on February 24th from 12PM–1PM Pacific for a seminar with Tom Schnaubelt.

Stanford affiliates are invited to join us at 11:40 AM for lunch, prior to the seminar.  The Winter Seminar Series continues through March; see our Winter Seminar Series page for speakers and topics. Sign up for our newsletter for announcements. 

About the Seminar:

What does it mean to become a citizen in an age of polarization, platforms, and declining trust in institutions? This 60-minute seminar explores how civic identity is formed, why American civic education is struggling to keep pace with social and technological change, and what that means for democracy. Drawing on research and hands-on experience in civic education, the session examines how colleges, communities, and digital environments shape civic habits, beliefs, and participation—often in unintended ways. The seminar will describe a variety of innovative approaches to civic learning and asks how technology can move from fragmenting civic life to playing a role in revitalizing democratic knowledge, skills, and behaviors.

About the Speaker:

Prior to assuming the role of Executive Director of the Center for Revitalizing American Institutions at the Hoover Institution in 2023, Tom served as a Lecturer and Senior Advisor on Civic Education at the Deliberative Democracy Lab, within the Center for Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. Tom came to Stanford in 2009 and has served as the Associate Vice Provost for Education, the Executive Director of the Haas Center for Public Service, and a Resident Fellow in Branner Hall, where he and his wife oversaw the development and implementation of a living-learning community focused on public service and civic engagement. In 2015, Tom coordinated the launch of Cardinal Service, a university wide effort to elevate and expand public service as a distinctive feature of the Stanford experience, and he has launched and led several national initiatives focused on democratic engagement and social change education.

Prior to coming to Stanford in 2009, Tom served as the Dean for Community Engagement and Civic Learning at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and was the founding Executive Director of Wisconsin Campus Compact. Tom began his career as the first service-learning coordinator at the University of Southern Mississippi. During his eight years in Mississippi, Tom coordinated statewide academic-community partnerships, including several large AmeriCorps programs focused on educational equity and environmental sustainability, and launched the Mississippi Center for Community and Civic Engagement.

Tom’s personal vision is to connect people with themselves, each other, and the earth in ways that contribute to the common good and build a more perfect union. His work in higher education focuses on democratic engagement, and place-based and experiential learning that fosters civic identity and the capacity to engage constructively across differences. He has extensive experience creating university-community partnerships and his experiences span geographic, disciplinary, and institutional boundaries. Tom received a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Mississippi, a Master of Arts in Education from the University of Michigan, and Bachelor of Science in Physics from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.