Of the People, By the People, For the Gulls

The new Endicott Center for Civic Participation is fostering immersive, interdisciplinary experiences for students to drive meaningful change through civic engagement. 

When environmental science majors Eliza Terman ’28 and Angelica De La Cruz Paez ’28, along with graphic design major Anna Montoney ’27, arrived in Maryland this summer, they confronted the very real consequences of climate change.

Over 10 days on the Chesapeake Bay, they tonged oysters in centuries-old tradition, visited reef restoration facilities, and spoke with residents of Tangier and Smith Islands—communities losing land to rising seas even as they cling tightly to their heritage, religion, and politics.

This trip exemplifies the kind of immersive, interdisciplinary experience the new Endicott Center for Civic Participation (ECCP) was created to foster—where students confront pressing issues firsthand, connect with diverse communities, and learn how to drive meaningful change through civic engagement.

Generous donor support—including contributions from individuals like Ed Kania and Trustee Jon Payson—helped make the ECCP possible, ensuring that student experiences like this one will continue to grow.

“I have spent my career helping entrepreneurs build ideas into impact,” said donor Ed Kania. “What excites me about the ECCP is that it gives Endicott students the same opportunity—to take on today’s challenges and develop real solutions through leadership and engagement.”

To bring the Center’s mission to life, the College turned to someone uniquely equipped to bridge the gap between high-level policy and student-centered education: Jason Galui, a Beverly native who also directs Veterans and Military Families at the George W. Bush Institute.

Galui has advised U.S. presidents and generals, taught at West Point and Southern Methodist University, and served in some of the most high-pressure environments imaginable. His Army career culminated in top-level advisory roles in the White House under Presidents Barack Obama and Donald J. Trump, including time in the Oval Office, the White House Situation Room, and aboard Air Force One.

But returning to his hometown and serving as Endicott’s inaugural College Fellow for Civics is deeply personal. “I am coming home,” Galui said simply. “The ECCP exists to inspire engagement and commitment to the promises of American democracy through leadership, action, and reliable information.”