The Walker Institute (Course Credit) During my time working on this Research Project under the leadership of Dr. Heather Chapman I acted as the First Author, along with 2 of my peers. We investigated how overall student feelings of belonging within the community are affected by the Walker Institute’s focus on student civic involvement. A Literature Review was conducted and appropriate Methods were created. We divided students participating with the Walker Institute by the level of engagement, low, medium and high. I surveyed students after utilizing civic classes, campus-based political events, and voter registration education, all led by the Walker Institute, to see if they resulted in both a sense of belonging within the campus community and the overall civic involvement of those students. College student community involvement is of growing concern in the academic community. As the future of our country, college students can influence their community through various civic involvements. Historically Civic Engagement has not been solidly defined, leading to misunderstanding among professionals seeking to measure this variable (Adler & Goggin, 2005). Along with the varying definitions, there are many actions that Americans of differing ages practice. This has led to a further divide between generations involving perceptions of civic action and community engagement. So how can we define Civic Engagement to close the gap between generational perceptions? How can we accurately measure a student's Sense of Belonging to promote the increase of civic actions in the local community? By examining various definitions and frameworks, including social justice, internal vs external actions, and civic involvement, we determine the current understanding of these dynamics, and propose areas of research. At the end of this project I had a better understanding of the impacts of various types of involvement on student academic success. Being more involved at school and in your community has a significant impact on your feeling of belonging. I will use these findings in the future in order to increase my own levels of involvement and belonging. I believe this will help me to feel a higher sense of fulfillment and belonging. https://portfolium.com/entry/the-walker-institute