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 weren’t just there to soak up the sun. Over the course of 10 days on the Chesapeake Bay, they confronted the very real consequences of climate change and gained firsthand insight into the complexities of civic engagement.
For De La Cruz Paez, the opportunity was irresistible. “The experience included an important aspect of environmental science that I love, which is environmental justice,” she said. “We learned how climate change impacts specific communities, and how to preserve the Chesapeake Bay’s culture while also bringing positive change.”
The group tonged oysters in a 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 political beliefs.
What surprised the students most was the depth of resistance to climate science among some locals, despite living with its visible effects. “The community on Tangier Island is very tight-knit,” said Terman. “They’re religious, very political, and because there are so few people on this small island, they all share the same beliefs.”
This immersive experience was part of the National Collegiate Honors Council Civic Seminar, facilitated by Longwood University and supported by the Endicott Honors Program and the College’s new Endicott Center for Civic Participation (ECCP).
A New Center with a Bold Vision
Launched in February 2025 and housed within the School of Social Sciences, Communication, & Humanities (SSCH), the ECCP represents Endicott’s latest investment in its longstanding commitment to experiential learning. Its mission is to prepare students to be informed, engaged citizens through opportunities that bring classroom knowledge into real-world contexts.
“The goal of the ECCP is to create opportunities for students to learn, act, and lead in ways that impact society positively,” said SSCH Dean Mark Herlihy, who serves as the Center’s interim director. “The ECCP will sponsor a range of events and programs that help students and the broader community better understand the challenges we face, and to see that ordinary citizens can make a real difference.”
The Chesapeake Bay trip is exactly the type of experience the ECCP was designed to foster: immersive, interdisciplinary, and civically engaged. By tackling issues like environmental justice, students not only study policy and science in an abstract sense but also grapple with how these forces impact people’s daily lives.
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.
Leadership at the Helm
To bring the Center’s mission to life, Endicott turned to someone uniquely equipped to bridge the gap between high-level policy and student-centered education: Beverly native Jason Galui.
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.”
For Galui, the seeds of that mission were planted early. At just 12 years old, on a youth hockey trip to the Soviet Union in 1989, he grasped the stark contrasts between life there and in the United States. “Immediately upon landing behind the Iron Curtain, I recognized that I was somewhere very different,” he recalled. “Our experiences over the next two weeks made me very grateful to have been born in the United States.”
That trip sparked a lifelong commitment to public service and a deeper understanding of why humans and governments behave the way they do.
His path took him from the rinks of the North Shore to West Point, where he was recruited as a hockey goalie and graduated as an officer in the U.S. Army. What began as a five-year commitment evolved into more than two decades of service, ultimately culminating in some of the highest levels of national leadership.
ECCP as a Collaborative Hub
At Endicott, Galui is channeling that experience into a new mission: civic leadership development for the next generation. Together with Herlihy, he envisions the ECCP as a collaborative hub partnering with Academic Affairs, the Internship & Career Center, Athletics, community organizations, and more.
Planned initiatives include immersive public service experiences, civic engagements, awards, micro-credentials, and expanded student travel opportunities. The ECCP will also oversee Endicott’s Presidential Speaker Series, and plans are underway for a kickoff event honoring America’s 250th birthday in 2026.
“Jason brings a wealth of insight and inspiration to this role, grounded in real-world leadership at the highest levels,” Herlihy said. “His presence will help students see that civic participation takes many forms and can be both empowering and consequential.”
For students like Terman, De La Cruz Paez, and Montoney, the ECCP is already delivering on its promise. Their Chesapeake Bay experience exemplifies how the Center will extend the College’s Experiential Edge into civic life—giving students firsthand opportunities to grapple with pressing issues, engage with diverse communities, and return to campus with new ideas for change.
The stakes could not be higher. “We are living in a moment of increasing division, distrust, and disengagement,” Galui said. “For a pluralistic society to effectively endure requires civic leadership. ‘We the People’ must all positively contribute to the preservation of the freedoms and opportunities we enjoy in the United States.”
At the college just a few miles from the house where he grew up, Galui now works alongside students learning to shape their communities with courage and conviction.
“I left in 1995 with some general idea of how I wanted to contribute to our world,” Galui said. “I return to Beverly with a wonderful wife, two amazing young adult children, and a set of experiences that I would have thought unimaginable 30 years ago.”