I graduated from the University of Utah in 1968. Like so many alumni, I carry with me not only memories of a campus and a community, but a durable lesson about what a great public university is for: to educate, to discover and to serve the public good.

That mission feels especially urgent today. The habits of civic life that allow a diverse society to govern itself are under real strain. We can disagree about policy, ideology and the direction of the country. But if we lose a shared understanding of the constitutional framework that makes disagreement productive rather than destructive, we all pay the price.

Over five decades in higher education — as president of public universities across the country — I have watched debates over executive authority, state sovereignty and institutional responsibility evolve. The underlying constitutional framework, however, remains constant. And understanding that framework is essential for students who will lead in law, business, public service and beyond.

The timing matters. The University of Utah has just marked 175 years of public service, and this July the nation celebrates 250 years since the Declaration of Independence. The most fitting way for a public university to honor that anniversary is to help a new generation understand the constitutional system it has inherited and its responsibility to sustain it. That is why the University of Utah has established the President’s Federalism, Law, and American Governance Initiative.

The FLAG Initiative builds on the university’s commitment to constitutional literacy and civic understanding. It will develop through faculty leadership and open inquiry, creating knowledge in service of the public.

Federalism is older than our current politics, and sturdier than our current debates. Put simply, federalism is the Constitution’s system of shared power. The Founders chose not to concentrate authority in Washington. Instead, they divided it between the federal government and the states — each with its own responsibilities, each capable of checking the other. Federalism is why the U.S. Department of Education supports national priorities while Utah sets its own education standards and licenses its teachers. Federalism is why Washington sets clean-air standards while Utah determines how to meet them along the Wasatch Front. And federalism is why fighting wildfires brings counties, state agencies and federal land managers together.

Federalism is not a Republican idea or a Democratic idea. It is a constitutional idea, one embedded in the structure of the American experiment itself. If we want graduates who can lead across sectors and communities, we should want them to understand how American governance actually works, and why.

The President’s FLAG Initiative will strengthen constitutional literacy and civic understanding through teaching, research, public programs and student opportunities. It will focus on foundational questions that matter in every era. What are the proper limits of executive power? How do legislatures deliberate and govern well? What responsibilities belong to the states, and which to the federal government? How do we preserve both liberty and effective government?

The goal is to help students and the public understand how ideas become institutions and how institutions shape real governance. The University of Utah already does outstanding work across political science, history, philosophy, law, public policy, economics and related fields. This initiative will bring those strengths into clearer conversation. For me, that mission is personal.

I was privileged to be a student at the university and later had the privilege of knowing President Jim Fletcher and Vice President Neal Maxwell. Both played important roles in shaping my views and my career. They believed deeply that higher education should cultivate character as well as intellect, and that universities serve both their states and their nation. They embodied a confidence in the American experiment that combined conviction with humility, and I believe they would welcome President Randall’s decision to dedicate real attention to constitutional understanding and civic responsibility.

At a moment when many debates are nationalized, this initiative is rooted here: civic education grounded in scholarship, guided by faculty and dedicated to a public mission that belongs to every Utahn. If we want a healthier civic culture, we need understanding and respectful discourse. The President’s Initiative is a step in that direction, a step toward the kind of public university Utah deserves.

In the coming months, the university will share more about programming and opportunities. I invite Utahns — students, faculty, alumni, community members and public leaders — to engage. Attend events, ask hard questions, bring your curiosity and help us model the kind of serious, respectful civic conversation that a democratic society requires.

As the nation celebrates 250 years, a public university should help citizens understand not only what America has achieved, but how its institutions work and what sustaining them requires. That is the spirit of the President’s Federalism, Law, and American Governance Initiative. I hope you will join us.

Gordon Gee was born and raised in Vernal, Utah, and is a graduate of the University of Utah. He has held more university presidencies than any other American — including at Ohio State University, Brown University, Vanderbilt University and West Virginia University. He now serves as chair of the external advisory committee for the U’s presidential initiative on federalism, law and American governance.

The Salt Lake Tribune is committed to creating a space where Utahns can share ideas, perspectives and solutions that move our state forward. We rely on your insight to do this. Find out how to share your opinion here, and email us at voices@sltrib.com.