The goal of The Collegiate Readership Program is to enhance the learning environment on campus by exposing students to the news in their living, working and community spaces. The program was started at Penn State University in 1997, with the specific goal of promoting civic literacy and global awareness on campus through daily exposure to the news. The CRP provides students access to newspapers, creating an atmosphere of community awareness and preparing for our rapidly-changing, global society.
Program Benefits
- Provides students with the ability to access newspapers, share them with their peers, and create a community of awareness.
- Prepares students to live and work in a global society.
- Promotes a sharing of ideas related to responsible citizenship.
- Encourages students to examine diverse viewpoints and multiple perspectives.
- Empowers students to seek knowledge outside of the classroom and sets them on a path towards lifelong learning.
History
The Collegiate Readership Program was developed at The Pennsylvania State University in 1997. Penn State ‘s President, Graham Spanier, created the program as a way to ensure that his students were exposed to the world beyond the bricks and mortar of the campus. The program’s success at Penn State quickly became evident, and has since served as a model that is now replicated on nearly 500 campuses nationwide.
Program Components
The Collegiate Readership Program is a multi-faceted campus initiative, which means that it will look a bit different on each campus and, depending on the agreement and needs of the individual university, can take on many forms. There are a few key Readership Program elements, however, that are essential and therefore are common when the Program appears on any university campus. They include:
- The distribution of up to three different newspaper publications on campus
- Access to online academic resources for use in and out of the classroom
- Programming ideas
- Marketing
- Recycling
Newspaper Selection and Partnership Efforts
USA TODAY has partnered with over 300 local and national newspapers to bring this program to campuses nationwide. Your campus has the option of choosing up to three newspapers for distribution, most often consisting of USA TODAY, a local, and a regional publication.
Comments from Campus
Administrators and students alike have expressed their excitement and appreciation for this educational program. The positive response has been overwhelming!
Read testimonials about the program from students, administrators and professors here.
