About
Nicholas V. Longo serves as Professor and Chair of Global Studies at Providence College, where he co-directs the Dialogue, Inclusion, and Democracy (DID) Lab and holds a faculty fellowship for engaged scholarship at the Center for Teaching Excellence. He actively contributes to higher education reform as a board member of College Unbound, teaching in their prison education program, and consulting with national organizations including Campus Compact (as a Deliberative Dialogue Fellow), AAC&U (Institute for Experiential Learning consultant), and the Constructive Dialogue Institute. Previously, he held leadership roles at the Kettering Foundation, Miami University's Wilks Leadership Institute, and Campus Compact's Raise Your Voice initiative.
His educational credentials include a Ph.D. in Education (2005) and Master of Public Affairs (1999), both from the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School. Longo's foundational research explores the intersection of education and civic life, examining how institutions can foster democratic practices through community partnerships and innovative pedagogy.
Dr. Longo's research centers on civic education, deliberative democracy, and community engagement, with particular focus on developing practical frameworks for democratic renewal in educational settings. His scholarship investigates how deliberative pedagogy transforms classroom dynamics, builds democratic skills, and connects campus resources with community needs. He examines the role of place-based engagement in strengthening local democratic infrastructure and addresses challenges in global service learning through decolonizing approaches. His work consistently emphasizes practical application, translating theoretical concepts into actionable strategies for educators.
Analysis of his 15 most recent publications reveals evolving emphasis from theoretical foundations of deliberative democracy toward practical implementation tools and spatial considerations for democratic engagement. The 2023-2024 works increasingly focus on co-creation models (students as colleagues), institutional transformation, and physical/digital design of democratic spaces, while maintaining core commitments to civic professionalism and global citizenship education. His scholarship demonstrates strong continuity in democratic pedagogy while expanding into spatial design and next-generation engagement frameworks.
His notable recognitions include:
- Early Career Research Award from the International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement (2009)
- Innovation in Teaching Excellence Award from Providence College (2022)
Dr. Longo has secured significant research funding including the Committee on Aid to Faculty Research grant for “Deliberative Pedagogy and Community Engagement: A Case Study of the Global Citizenship Program at the University of Cape Town” (2017-2018). While specific advisees aren't listed in source materials, his leadership in the DID Lab and prison education program indicates active mentorship in civic engagement contexts. His current work with the DID Lab focuses on creating institutional frameworks for constructive dialogue, developing democratic spaces across campus-community boundaries, and producing practical resources like the “Practicing Democracy” toolkit that bridges academic theory with civic application.
