By Lawrence S. Bacow

IN RECENT WEEKS, we have all witnessed the extraordinary response of private citizens throughout the country rallying to the aid of victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. This collective and monumental response brings us back to the aftermath of Sept. 11, the Asian tsunami, and other disasters where people have felt it their civic and moral responsibility to get involved, to make a contribution to society.

What this demonstrates is that civic engagement remains an essential and important part of our social fabric. As caught up as we all get in the demands of our daily lives, we can find the time and the resources to do something for the greater good of our community, our nation, and the world. The question we need to ask is whether it is enough to act on this sense of civic responsibility only during major disasters and to let our commitment to society hibernate the rest of the time. I believe we need to make civic engagement the norm, not the exception.

Universities, some of which pre-date the nations in which they are located, bear a special obligation to contribute to the public good through educating students, expanding access to education, and the creation and timely application of new knowledge.

The notion that universities can act as catalysts to accelerate the trend toward more constant and widespread civic involvement is not new. But until recently, people didn't grasp the potential power of the world's higher education community -- power that stems from sheer numbers and the inherent optimism of youth. There are approximately 100 million college students worldwide, and that number is growing. As anyone who is well-versed in history -- or who has raised children through college age -- can attest, young adults have time and time again proven themselves to be powerful, positive forces of change.

Tufts recently convened a first-ever international meeting of university leaders on the subject of social responsibility. The conference was held at our European Center in Talloires, France, and was attended by the presidents, vice-chancellors, and rectors from 28 colleges and universities from 22 different countries on all six inhabited continents. This diverse group looked at two main issues: how universities can dedicate resources to aid the community around them and how they can inculcate the value that service and civic participation should be a lifelong commitment.

The latter point is especially important. Civic involvement, as we see it, does not have to be epic in nature. It can be as simple as voting, serving on a local school board, or volunteering to teach a child in need. Although the individual act may seem minor, the cumulative impact can be monumental. The 100 million students represent perhaps the greatest asset we as a human race have at our disposal to eradicate problems that have plagued the world for generations.

The process of engaging this force in a coordinated way is just beginning, but it is moving forward with great momentum. After three days of small group discussions, plenary sessions, and keynote addresses, we closed our conference by agreeing on a number of immediate next steps. We adopted a formal declaration to reflect the purpose and possibilities of this initiative and help engage our peer institutions around the world. The opening of this document accurately captures the positive spirit and collegiality that marked the conference:

''In this century of change, we note with optimism that access to university education is increasing, that one-half of the students enrolled in institutions of higher education live in developing nations, and that the number of university students worldwide is expected to double between 2000 and 2025. The potential for social participation by students young and old, now and in the years to come, is massive. The extent to which this potential can be realized will depend on universities worldwide mobilizing students, faculty, staff, and citizens in programs of mutual benefit."

The group also decided to create an open, electronic space for the exchange of ideas and understandings and for fostering collective action -- the Talloires Network. We invite all citizens to join us by logging onto the network to suggest social issues that universities can address collectively or to voice opinions about ways people can extend the civic commitment that naturally arises in the wake of a disaster to their every day lives. Details about the network will be posted soon on the conference's website: president.tufts.edu/conference.

We have already seen in the aftermath of Katrina what can be accomplished when hundreds of thousands of people, each in their own way, decide to work toward a common goal. I think we'll all be amazed what can be accomplished when we apply that same commitment to helping meet the needs the world faces every day, not just during times of disaster.

Lawrence S. Bacow is president of Tufts University.