The Observing Civic Engagement Lab at the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, led by Associate Professors Matthew Baggetta and Brad Fulton, received the 2026 Civic Engagement and Community Service Award from Insight Into Academia magazine, the largest and oldest publication defining and advancing best practices in higher education.
The Civic Engagement and Community Service Award recognizes institutions and their programs that demonstrate a strong, sustained commitment to serving their communities and advancing the public good.
“Receiving this award is a tribute to our lab’s incredible staff and astute community observers and to AmeriCorps and the Trust for Civic Life, who support our research,” Fulton said.
The Observing Civic Engagement Lab at Indiana University uses an innovative data collection method called Systematic Social Observation to study the internal dynamics of civil society organizations—including nonprofits, neighborhood associations, religious congregations, and hobby clubs. Rather than relying on self-reported data, the OCE Lab deploys trained observers to attend and document real-time interactions, decision-making processes, and social behaviors during organizational convenings. These observations are recorded using a custom-built SSO app (see image), enabling the collection of rich, standardized data across several settings.
“This data fills longstanding gaps in civic research, offering a nuanced understanding of how CSOs operate and helping organizations understand their own internal dynamics and broader impact,” Baggetta said.
Since its inception, the OCE Lab has observed more than 3,000 convenings across 150 organizations in four U.S. communities: Bloomington, Indiana; Dubuque, Iowa; Kootenai County, Idaho; and the Adirondack Region, New York.
“Findings from our research reveal how CSOs contribute to bridging social divides, increasing social cohesion, and fostering community flourishing,” Fulton said.
The OCE Lab’s bottom-up approach empowers communities by illuminating existing civic dynamics rather than prescribing solutions. Importantly, the lab regularly shares findings with its participating organizations.
“We provide tailored reports with data specific to each organization,” OCE Lab Data Manager Ashlea Raemer said. “Alongside that information, we share values for the full sample of organizations. We also follow up with any organization that wants to discuss their results further.”
Through this process, the OCE Lab helps the participating organizations reflect on important internal dynamics like decision-making, interaction styles, participant demographics, and planning and organizing practices. In return, the lab receives feedback on its findings and learns effective ways to present results to practitioners.
“We are not just learning about the organizations we study,” said Eliza Brader, the lab’s research communication specialist. “We’re learning with them.”
This reciprocal learning approach enables the OCE Lab to more effectively communicate to others how they can improve various organizational practices and dynamics in their groups.
By interacting in this way, the OCE Lab hopes to develop focused guidance and recommendations that will allow civic organizations to more successfully pursue their goals.
“Communities are better places when their CSOs are more successful,” said Claire Woodward, the OCE lab manager. “We want our research to not only advance science, but also to help make the world a better place.”
The 26 trained researchers in Bloomington are primarily Indiana University undergraduate and graduate students. Conducting this kind of fieldwork in the community beyond the campus borders contextualizes their academic training and helps them see how research can benefit communities.
“This immersive, field-based approach brings students off campus and into direct engagement with community life, fostering deeper understanding and collaboration between the university and local organizations,” Bloomington Project Manager Natalie Lunts said.
The student researchers not only collect data, but they also get exposure to and training in civic skills, such as leadership, organizing, mobilizing, decision-making, and planning.
“Our students build relationships with local organizations while also contributing to public scholarship,” Lunts said.
By training students and embedding them in community settings, the OCE Lab serves as a replicable model for how universities can deepen civic learning, foster public purpose, and contribute to societal progress.
With its innovative methodology, in-the-room research, and commitment to community-driven solutions, the OCE Lab is transforming how civic engagement is measured, understood, and practiced across American communities.
Indiana University and the Observing Civic Engagement Lab will be recognized for receiving the Civic Engagement and Community Service Award in the April 2026 issue of Insight Into Academia.
“Higher education has always been a driving force in societal progress,” said Holly Mendelson, owner and publisher of Insight Into Academia. “These institutions remind us that the true measure of higher education lies not only in the degrees awarded, but in the lives they uplift. Their leadership strengthens communities, inspires students, and sets a standard of excellence for all.”
A call for nominations for this award was announced in October 2025.
For more information about the 2026 Civic Engagement and Community Service Award, visit insightintoacademia.com.
