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The college years are meant to be transformative for traditional-aged students who come into university as adolescents and leave as emerging adults. Pedagogy can play an active role in moving students through this transition by providing "ritual" occasions for students to practice their emerging identities. Public Sphere Pedagogy provides a context for bringing diverse students into the academic culture of the university through linking scholarly research to pressing public issues and requiring that students place themselves and their research in the broader context of a public sphere of peers, faculty, and community members. Public Sphere Pedagogy at California State University, Chico, has a track record of encouraging student persistence, enhancing academic engagement and strengthening students' sense of civic identity and efficacy.