Meaningful hands-on learning experiences for future leaders since 1926. Inspired by the mission of Mercyhurst University and guided by the institution’s core values, the center promotes reasoned discourse about problems facing communities, states and nations. It accomplishes this objective by providing elected officials, government agencies, news organizations, and nonprofits with accurate and unb
iased assessments of public opinion; and offering a nonpartisan forum for public debates and roundtable discussions that address pressing public problems. The centerpiece of MCAP is the state of the art computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) facility. The facility, which is located in the Center for Academic Engagement, is comprised of thirty-one interviewer stations and staffed by well-trained student research associates. In addition to public opinion polling, MCAP promotes reasoned discourse about contemporary public issues by providing residents and community leaders of Northwest Pennsylvania with an unrivalled opportunity to learn about, discuss, debate, and prepare to resolve the challenges facing the region, state and nation. The Public Affairs Forum offers a nonpartisan environment where elected officials, academicians and business leaders may address a wide range of social, political and economic issues, and where the public has the opportunity participate in the discussion.
