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Institute

Center for Civic Friendship

Civic friendship is the friendship of citizens — members of a community whose disagreements occur within the context of common purpose.

The Center for Civic Friendship builds upon Augustinian values to strengthen its core commitment to “seeking truth in the company of friends.”

The purpose of civic friendship is to prepare students to flourish as thoughtful citizens with a strong dedication to the common good. Teaching students how to negotiate differences and build positive relationships through attentiveness and care for others will prepare graduates to become productive members of a well-functioning society while also acquiring the skills necessary to build that society. Developing the capacity to hear and listen to others, Assumption students will acquire the skills and disposition for respectful discourse, even when they may disagree. Friendship means facing your differences with care for the other. The ability to listen, despite strongly held differences of opinion, will be a hallmark of the friendship building we aim to foster. 

  • Polarization—whether over politics, religion, or other divides—is paralyzing our society.

    Many universities aren’t helping. From either direction of the spectrum, students feel pressure to believe what they’re told and to avoid saying what they really think. Assumption University’s vision—embodied in an exciting and innovative new initiative—is different.
    Housed in the Office of Academic Affairs, Assumption’s Center for Civic Friendship embodies our belief that ideas should be exchanged openly and disagreements should be voiced respectfully. It’s also about something different. Friends disagree with each other. They learn from each other. They challenge each other—and they embrace the opportunity and responsibility to do so precisely because they respect one another. Civic friendship is the friendship of citizens — members of a community whose disagreements occur within the context of common purpose. Reflecting Assumption’s educational commitment to civic friendship as a human good, the Center aspires to be a national resource and voice—a home for students, scholars, and citizens who disagree because of their friendship, not in spite of it.

    The Center for Civic Friendship’s public events will model civic friendship. Among other efforts, this initiative will convene scholars who explore the concept of civic friendship, its possibilities and boundaries, and what makes it harder or easier to achieve. It will cultivate the virtue of civic friendship in students and teachers at Assumption and across the nation.
    Friendly dispute is the tradition of Catholic universities dating to their formation in the Middle Ages. In our tradition of learning, deeply informed by our Augustinian roots, we pursue truth by giving reasons and listen with open minds and hearts to the reasons others give us.
    That entails a profound commitment to the essential virtues associated with learning: the courage to challenge conventional wisdom and to submit our ideas to rigorous examination; the humility to believe none of us possesses the whole truth and we therefore all can learn from one another; and the generosity to assume those espousing ideas different from our own share our commitment to seeking truth and therefore deserve a respectful hearing. Assumption University’s Center for Civic Friendship stands as our commitment to those values.

  • In this collection of perspectives and stories, members of the Assumption University community share their reflections on what civic friendship means to them and how it shapes our community. 

  • Mary Jane Rein, Ph.D.
    Director for the Center for Civic Friendship

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Civic Friendship Scholars Program

This unique $10,000 scholarship and leadership initiative is designed for students who are committed to promoting mutual respect, constructive dialogue, and active engagement in the common good within communities. 

The Civic Friendship Scholars Program offers selected students the opportunity to contribute to fostering a community of respect, attentiveness, and civic-mindedness in the tradition of Assumption’s Catholic liberal education.

Learn More about the Civic Friendship Scholars Program
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Assumption University students

Civic Friendship Ambassador Award

Assumption University invites applications for Civic Friendship Ambassador Awards. Recipients will receive a $2,000 scholarship and play an active role in helping launch and shape The Civic Friendship Playbook. Ambassadors will work with campus partners to design activities, pilot new ideas, and help refine The Civic Friendship Playbook based on real student experience.

Learn More about the Civic Friendship Playbook and the Ambassador Award

Events Hosted and Sponsored by the Center for Civic Friendship

Events Hosted and Sponsored by the Center for Civic Friendship

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Globally Renowned Peacebuilder and Conflict-Resolution Expert Alice Nderitu Appointed Civic Friendship Fellow at Assumption University

Nderitu has dedicated her life to building peace in some of the world’s most divided regions, including the Balkans, Nigeria, Myanmar, Kenya, and South Africa. As the inaugural Civic Friendship Fellow, she brings unparalleled global experience to Assumption’s mission of forming students who seek truth in the company of friends.

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Center for Civic Friendship Hosts Inaugural Event Featuring Panelists from New England Colleges

On November 7, in the wake of the 2024 presidential election, Assumption University’s Center for Civic Friendship hosted its inaugural event, a panel discussion titled “The Prospects for Civic Friendship Today”.

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Boston College Associate Professor of Theology Brian Robinette delivered a talk entitled “Contemplation and the Art of Friendship in Polarized Times.”

The talk examined the spiritual practice of contemplative thought and proposed that the cultivation of interior life may be the key to openness and friendship with others.

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Leadership

Mary Jane Rein, Ph.D.
Mary Jane Rein, Ph.D.
Director for the Center for Civic Friendship

Events

Mar 26
2026
"Team of Rivals: Leadership Lessons from Abraham Lincoln" featuring Doris Kearns Goodwin
5:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Curtis Performance Hall, Tsotsis Family Academic Center, 500 Salisbury Street, Worcester, MA 01609

Center for Civic Friendship

  • Mary Jane Rein, Ph.D.

    Director, Center for Civic Friendship

    Before joining the Center for Civic Friendship at Assumption University as Director, Mary Jane Rein was the Executive Director of the Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Clark University from 2008 until April 2024. Prior to joining the Strassler Center in 2004, she served as director of grants at Assumption College. She is co-editor of the volumes Documenting the Armenian Genocide: Essays in Honor of Taner Akçam (2023) and Agency and the Holocaust: Essays in Honor of Debórah Dwork (2019).

    Mary Jane has been active in the community on behalf of the Israel Bonds committee of Central Massachusetts, as a board member and past president of the Worcester JCC, a corporator at the Greater Worcester Community Foundation and the Worcester Art Museum. Over more than two decades, she volunteered on behalf of the Worcester Jewish community as president of the Solomon Schechter Day School, board member of the Jewish Federation of Central Massachusetts and Congregation Beth Israel, and founding co-chair of the Pardes community religious school. The Jewish Federation of Central Massachusetts awarded her the Seder Young Leadership award in 2002 and she was honored by Israel Bonds in 2019. She earned a Ph.D. in Classical Art and Archaeology from Harvard University in 1993 and has worked as an archaeologist in Greece, Israel, and Turkey. Her husband Dr. Seth Kates is a dermatologist with practices in Worcester and Chelmsford, MA. They are parents to Gabriel, Elana, and Julian.