Positioning the Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement (IPCE)

The Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement (IPCE) is a new organization at the University of Illinois at Chicago primarily funded by the State of Illinois. IPCE’s mission is to “transform democracy by creating a more fully engaged citizenry with more effective leaders”. In 2009, STE Policy Lab faculty completed a strategic positioning project to assist IPCE leadership in their startup efforts. This project included an integrated look at the knowledge and practice of how universities, e-government and technology applications interact and relate to civic engagement. Based on this structured examination, three possible future scenarios were developed to help guide the Institute towards achieving its stated mission.