Civic Engagement Position Opening: Salisbury University (MD)

Published August 9, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a Comment

Occasionally I am sent job postings for civic engagement opportunities within the AASCU network. Below you will find a recent job listing. Please pass this along to anyone you know of who is looking for an exciting opportunity to do civic work at an AASCU school! – Jen Domagal-Goldman

 

Salisbury University is seeking qualified applicants for the position of Managing Director, The Institute for Public Policy and Civic Engagement (PACE).

Primary Job Duties: Work with the Director of PACE to identify, develop and execute program planning; identify, coordinate and engage in SU community, outreach and publicity activities; interact and/or correspond with students, faculty, administration, board, speakers, and donors; research civic/political engagement issues; grant writing; coordinate Presidential Citizen Scholar Program; supervise PACE student employees; and manage the daily operations of the Institute. Writing responsibilities include the PACE newsletter; annual report; grant applications; website updates; press releases and media advisories; Event Briefing Memos; and all external PACE correspondence, brochures and promotional materials. May have the opportunity to teach undergraduate courses.

Minimum Qualifications: Master’s degree or PhD. in public policy, public administration, nonprofit management, or political science; and eight years of program management or similar experience.

Applications received by August 14, 2011 will be given first consideration.

You can view the entire job posting here.

You can read more about PACE here.

Registration Now Open for October 2011 Seven Revolutions Institute

Published August 8, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Registration is now open for the October 28-29, 2011 Seven Revolutions Institute: Educating Globally Competent Citizens. This institute is sponsored by the American Democracy Project’s 7 Revolutions initiative and is being hosted by California State University, Fresno in Fresno, CA. You will find information about registration fees, hotel reservations, and the downloadable registration form below. I hope to see you in Fresno!

- Jen Domagal-Goldman, National Manager, American Democracy Project

About the 7 Revolutions Initiative

In 2006, ADP partnered with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) to translate the 7 Revolutions into curricular and co-curricular strategies to educate globally competent American citizens. The 7 Revolutions content was created by CSIS and identifies the seven global trends that will shape the world by 2030, in areas such as population, resource management and technological innovation. To learn more, visit 7 Revolutions website.

About the Institute

Institute participants will be offered an in-depth exploration of the 7 Revolutions led by CSIS experts and the 7 Revolutions Scholars. Each Institute participant will receive a toolkit for using the content of the 7 Revolutions in on-campus projects and courses. This practical and insightful Institute is ideal for universities that want to deepen their commitment to providing effective international education in a variety of disciplines. The 7 Revolutions curriculum has been taught in a wide range of formats including first-year seminars, as well as sociology, theater, and mathematics courses.

Schedule At-a-Glance:

THURSDAY, OCT. 27
5 p.m. – 7 p.m.
7 Revolutions Committee Meeting (invitation only)

FRIDAY, OCT. 28 
9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Program
12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Lunch (provided)
1:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Program
5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. Dinner (provided)

SATURDAY, OCT. 29 
8:30 a.m Breakfast (provided)
8:30 a.m. – Noon Program
Noon – 1 p.m. Lunch (provided)
1 p.m. – 3 p.m. Program
3 p.m. Adjourn
3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. 7 Revolutions Committee Meeting (invitation only)

Registration Fee

The registration fee is $250 per person. The fee includes all program sessions and materials, as well as breakfast, lunch and dinner on Friday and breakfast and lunch on Saturday.

Registration Information

  • Register via the downloadable registration form, to be mailed or faxed to Felicia Durham.
    Download form (Word doc)
  • E-mail, Fax or mail completed application to:
    Felicia Durham
    7 Revolutions Meeting, Fresno
    American Association of State Colleges and Universities
    1307 New York Avenue, NW, Fifth Floor
    Washington, DC 20005-4701
    Fax: (202) 296-5819

Accommodations

Hotel

  • University Square Hotel
    4961 North Cedar Ave.
    Fresno, CA 93726
    Phone: 1-559-224-4200Hotel accommodations for the 7 Revolutions Institute can be booked directly with the hotel by calling (559) 224-4200 and referring to the group rate for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ 7 Revolutions Institute.

Room Rates

  • The special conference rate is $79/night plus 13% tax (current tax rate may change)
    To obtain this rate, you must call the hotel by September 29, 2011.
  • Check-in at the hotel is at 3 p.m. and check-out is at 12 noon.

Transportation

  • There is courtesy phone in the baggage claim area at Fresno International Airport for the hotel. You may call the hotel (559-224-4200) and request a shuttle pickup once you arrive at the airport.
  • If you drive to the institute, there is free parking at the hotel and at the university. The hotel is across the street from the university.

Cancellation & Refund Policy

If you must cancel your registration, you will receive a full refund if the cancellation is before 5 p.m. EST on Monday, October 24. There will be a $125 cancellation fee after that date. Special circumstances will be handled on an individual basis.

For additional information about the 7 Revolutions Institute, click here.

An Interview with Cecilia Orphan: Reflections on 5 Years with ADP

Published August 4, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Cecilia Orphan’s last official day as National Manager of The American Democracy Project was last Friday, July 29, 2011. As Cecilia heads off to pursue her PhD in higher education at the University of Pennsylvania, I asked her to reflect on her five years leading ADP. In this interview, Cecilia demonstrates the insightfulness and passion for the work of civic engagement that we’ve all come to know and love. ADP is thankful to Cecilia for her tireless leadership and wishes her all the best at UPenn!

Cecilia Orphan

Cecilia M. Orphan is a doctoral student in higher education at the University of Pennsylvania. At Penn, Ms. Orphan studies the role of higher education in American democracy. Prior to coming to Penn, Ms. Orphan directed the American Democracy Project (ADP), a multi-campus initiative of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU).  The 230 universities involved with ADP focus on higher education’s role in educating informed, engaged citizens for our democracy. As part of her work with ADP, she directed the Civic Engagement in Action (CEIA) Series. The CEIA Series consists of seven national initiatives that serve as laboratories for experimentation with curricular and co-curricular programming that will further institutionalize civic engagement on AASCU campuses. In addition to directing ADP, Ms. Orphan also served as the editor of the Academic Leadership and Change Digest series, a collection of queries about current institutional practices that are used by AASCU provosts as they consider new approaches to campus issues. Ms. Orphan serves on the board of directors for The Democracy Imperative and the steering committee of the American Commonwealth Project. Ms. Orphan was awarded the John Saltmarsh Award for Emerging Leaders in Civic Engagement and is currently a PAGE Fellow with Imagining America. Ms. Orphan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Portland State University. As an undergraduate, Ms. Orphan co-founded the PSU Volunteer Resource Center and was awarded the President’s Award for Outstanding Community Engagement two years in a row.

Cecilia in Madrid

Jen Domagal-Goldman (JDG):  Share with us what you’ve learned during your time working with the American Democracy Project.

Cecilia M. Orphan (CMO):  We have learned so much about how to deepen and institutionalize civic engagement in higher education during the last five years. Below are some of the most important lessons that I will take with me into my graduate program.

Student Leadership

When ADP began, we worked primarily with provosts and faculty members. Through the launch of the eCitizenship initiative, we learned that for many students, the ADP felt “top down,” and like something, “administrators dreamed up while playing golf and slapping themselves on the back” (quotes from a focus group held at Wayne State University). We now include students in the implementation of the initiative, and we have learned to include them in a non-hierarchical and collaborative way.  We now have a student on the ADP Implementation Committee. The student has offered wonderful insights into what works well in getting undergraduates engaged. We also invite students to attend all of our events and make presentations to attendees. Their presence and passion has profoundly enhanced the work of ADP.

National Partners

National partners are critical and enrich our programs and initiatives by providing content and strategies we would otherwise lack. We would not be able to do all that we do if it weren’t for our partners.

Making the Work Relational

Many of our campus coordinators are at the early stages of their career. This means that they are working hard to advance and earn tenure and promotion; they have limited time to devote to anything that won’t fit into their tenure and promotion efforts. Therefore, we try to find ways to frame ADP activities in ways that “count.”

We have been deliberate about building powerful relationships with faculty members who serve as campus coordinators. If we propose an initiative, or propose a new direction in an ongoing initiative, our campus coordinators are frank in their assessment of the success of these proposals. Additionally, because the work has become “personal” for them, they are more impelled to contribute to the national movement.

Initiatives as Laboratories for Democracy

Because it’s important to develop ideas for programming before you go to scale, we’ve developed the Civic Engagement in Action Series. Each initiative provides us with an opportunity to develop partnerships at multiple levels with campus representatives, experiment with strategies for increasing civic engagement on the part of undergraduate students, and partner with leading national organizations. The strategies and programs we field test in those environments then get disseminated broadly across the 230 participating ADP institutions.

The Role of the Provost

We initially worked primarily with the chief academic officers (CAO) of AASCU institutions because our Academic Leadership and Change division conducts substantial programming for them, including two national meetings each year. As the president of the university increasingly becomes an external actor, it is the provost who is in charge of the day-to-day operations and agenda setting for the university, particularly for academic matters. We have found that provosts are key in institutionalizing civic engagement programming.

As budgetary circumstances become increasingly more complex and difficult, the provosts who have been engaged in ADP are now sheltering these programs because they see them as integral to the life and success of the university, and to the health of their student body.

The Role of the President

Presidents are able to use their bully pulpit to call the university’s attention to issues of civic engagement. They can be a powerful voice with trustees, donors, and legislatures.

Letting 1,000 Flowers Bloom

AASCU institutions reflect the vast diversity found in American higher education. Our institutions are located in both rural and urban settings, they are small and large, they span six Carnegie Classifications, and have very different institutional circumstances. With these unique circumstances in mind, we have not been prescriptive. Our campuses have been able to create a robust and innovative set of activities and projects and we have been able to spread these good lessons throughout the AASCU network.

Institutional Intentionality

Institutional intentionality is a signature concept of the American Democracy Project. We believe that the majority of students at an institution will not develop important citizenship skills unless civic engagement programming exists broadly across the campus, not in isolated islands of innovation. We also believe that institutions must be intentional in order to develop a broad commitment to civic learning. In the most intentional institutions, civic learning reaches most students, in student affairs programming, in requirements for the major, in general education, and in student and resident life.

Civic learning is enhanced and institution intentionality emphasized when there are administrative structures and budgets that are specified for civic learning. Civic learning is also increased when there are rewards and recognition for faculty and staff that undertake civic learning work: e.g., promotion and tenure guidelines, release time for faculty members, awards and public recognition.

Technology

For all the obvious reasons (students live tech-heavy lives) and non-obvious reasons, we’ve found that technology is integral to our work. It allows us to collaborate, share best practices, and provide a national stage for our work.

JDG: What lessons/memories will you hold closest to you as you embark on your Ph.D.?

CMO: More than anything, I have learned that the relationships that we create and build are central to this work. It is through the relationships that we’ve built with our partner organizations and with our faculty members, students, administrators and staff that we’ve been able to accomplish so much with so few resources.

My fondest memories have been created through these relationships. I will always remember the phone calls I would receive from faculty members, students, and provosts eager to share the good work they are doing. These calls served as reminders to me of why I spent hours toiling away in an office. Indeed, these calls inspired me to keep working hard.

JDG: ADP is about to celebrate its 10th anniversary. What hopes do you hold for the ADP in the next 10 years?

CMO: ADP was only supposed to be a three-year project. Next year we will celebrate our 10th year. We thought the project would last three years because that’s the lifespan of many projects in higher education. What we found was that there was sustained and growing interest and enthusiasm for the work. It is exciting to think that this energy will continue for another 10 years. While we’ve learned a lot, I know we still have much to learn. Below are a few things I hope ADP will accomplish in the next ten years.

I would like to see better assessment metrics and tools for understanding the impact of our work, both on students and in the community. I know it’s difficult to measure something like civic agency and community/university impact, but we need to be able to understand our impact so that we can refine and improve our work.

Much of our work is still marginal and celebratory which serves an important purpose, but stops short of reaching and educating each undergraduate student. I also hope that ADP campuses continue to drive civic engagement deeper and deeper into the core of the university. This includes the breaking down of silos on campuses where pockets of good work are going on and are not connected to one another.

Finally, I hope that students continue to be a major force in shaping and directing the work of the American Democracy Project. I truly believe that students know best what will inspire and engage them. If we are hoping to transform students, we must make their leadership central to our work.

I will always look upon my time at AASCU and directing ADP with great affection. We have done a lot of important work together and I look forward to seeing what will come next!

Opportunities for Students to Put their Civic Agency to Work for the Public Good

Published August 3, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Americans for Informed Democracy (AIDemocracy) is a non-partisan organization based in Washington, DC that is an important friend of ADP. They have opportunities for college students to engage in collective action around important global and local issues closely related to our 7 Revolutions (population, resources, technology, information, economics, conflict, and governance).

Americans for Informed Democracy (AIDemocracy)

AIDemocracy is a non-partisan organization comprised of young people in the U.S. concerned about our individual and collective roles in the world. AIDemocracy believes that students have the responsibility to understand and take collaborative action on important issues and that students have the power to build a better world.

AIDemocracy still has a few spots available on their climate change, hunger, sex & justice, and security campaign teams! If you are an inspired college student with an interest in mobilizing your peers to understand and take action on these issues or are looking for a chance to hone your organizing and leadership skills, then AIDemocracy needs you!

They are recruiting the following positions for each of their four teams:

* Coordinator: leads strategy development and supports other team members
* Organizer: recruits other interested students to join the cause
* Issue Analyst: monitors, analyzes and writes about related news and debates
* Communications Guru: spreads the word about team activities, events and information via print and social media

These are year-long, volunteer positions. AIDemocracy is looking for multiple people for each position, on each campaign. Details and job descriptions are available on their website. Each campaign team will plan their strategy for the coming year this August.

Here’s a quick pitch for each issue:

Hunger Campaign Team: Overcoming chronic hunger is one of the most crucial challenges facing our world today. Each day nearly 1 billion people across the world go without enough food to lead a productive and healthy life. As a result, problems like extreme poverty, disease, conflict, and climate change become all the more devastating and entrenched. Ending hunger is a vital step towards making this world a more equal, just, peaceful, and sustainable place. There are still spots available for outstanding young adults from across the nation to come together and campaign to end the grave injustice of global hunger.

Sex & Justice Campaign Team:  Sexual and reproductive health and rights encompass a wide variety of issues that pose challenges especially for women and adolescents in developing countries. Girls are becoming mothers instead of going to secondary school. Sexually transmitted infections are spreading. Mothers are dying in childbirth. Gender based violence persists. Even though these issues are complex, we have the power to advocate for change. Stand up against injustice and inequality. Join the sex & justice campaign team!

Climate Change Campaign Team: When it comes to tackling climate change, today’s young people know there’s not a second to waste! All around the world, young people are rising up to tell our leaders that we won’t stand for any more empty promises, failed agreements, and injustice. From our college campuses and city halls to COP conferences worldwide, our voices are being heard, and we’re seeing great progress, especially at the local level. But critical battles around climate adaptation and emissions continue, and we need your voice more than ever! AIDemocracy is offering outstanding individuals the opportunity to join their Climate Change campaign team and lead our network around this critical issue! Apply today to make your vision for a sustainable, just planet a reality.

Security Campaign Team: This September marks the tenth anniversary of 9/11. Are we secure? How do we define security? How much should we be spending on defense, versus other approaches like diplomacy and development? The Security Campaign Team will inspire student debate around these and other critical questions. Hot topics will include US engagement in Iraq and Afghanistan, nuclear weapons, and defense spending. Join us!

To apply, please send a statement of interest to opportunities@aidemocracy.org. Positions will be filled on a rolling basis. Hurry – they only have a few spots left!

ADP Remembers 9/11: Commemorating 9/11 at Ferris State University

Published August 2, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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In order to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, I’ve invited a series of guests to contribute blog posts about ways in which their campuses or organizations are working to create teachable moments with which to engage students in conversations about the effects of 9/11 on our democracy and ways we can work collectively as informed, engaged citizens to affect positive change in our society.

In today’s blog post, Rick Griffin of Ferris State University in Michigan, shares with us Ferris State’s plans to commemorate the tragedies of September 11, 2001 throughout the entire 2011-2012 academic year.

 – Jen Domagal-Goldman, National Manager, American Democracy Project

By Guest Blogger, Dr. Richard (Rick) W. Griffin, Campus Coordinator of ADP/PEP at Ferris State University

This year marks the tenth anniversary of that terrible day in September 2001 when, as Country and Western singer Alan Jackson puts it, “The World Stood Still.” In commemoration of this national and international tragedy, Ferris State University (MI) has selected “9/11 – Ten Years Later: What Have We Learned?” as the theme for the entire 2011-2012 academic year for FSU’s American Democracy and Political Engagement Project (ADP/PEP) campus events and activities.

Dr. Rick Griffin

The initial ADP/PEP 9/11 commemoration event will be a full day of activities on September 20th when former U. S. Congressman Peter Hoekstra visits our campus. Congressman Hoekstra represented the Second Congressional District of Michigan (Holland, MI) from 1993 until 2011. During his tenure in the U. S. House of Representatives, Congressman Hoekstra served as Chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, which is charged with oversight of the United States Intelligence Community as the nation defends itself against all threats. This alone qualifies the Congressman as a leading expert on issues dealing with 9/11. While on the Ferris State University campus, Mr. Hoekstra will participate in a full schedule, as he engages with students, faculty, and staff. His activities will include meeting with faculty and staff members, visiting with students in the classroom, and a public (local community invited) presentation focusing upon the lessons learned by the nation since 9/11.

The second major ADP/PEP event commemorating 9/11 will transpire in late October and early November, when the University conducts its annual “All-Campus Public Speaking Contest.” This event engages hundreds of students on a campus-wide basis as participants in an oratory competitive experience focusing upon a common general theme. Since the Contest is a major ADP/PEP event at Ferris State, its theme for this academic year will also be “9/11 – Ten Years later: What Have We Learned?”

In celebration of Veterans Day on November 11th, the Ferris State ADP/PEP initiative will conduct a campus-wide event celebrating the immeasurable sacrifices our veterans have made for our democracy and society. In the past, ADP/PEP has conducted panel discussions with students, faculty and staff who are veterans.

To view Ferris State’s 9/11 Commemoration Schedule of Events, go to this website.

To read more about Ferris State’s ADP and PEP activities, visit this website.

Civic Engagement Job Postings: UMBC, An Honors University in Maryland

Published July 27, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Occasionally I am sent job postings for civic engagement opportunities within the AASCU network. Below you will find two recent job listings. Please pass these along to anyone you know of who is looking for an exciting opportunity to do civic work at an AASCU school. – Jen Domagal-Goldman

UMBC’s Office of Student Life has gone through a restructuring process that makes a focus on the development of students’ civic agency more central to their work. Two new positions are now open:

Coordinator for Campus and Civic Engagement (focused on supporting our student government as a catalyst for engagement), and

Coordinator for Leadership Development and Education (focused on helping students learn from their leadership experiences).

Both positions will report to David Hoffman, the Assistant Director of Student Life for Civic Agency. UMBC is specifically interested in candidates who have a passion for democracy and some familiarity with the ideas behind our collective work.  For best consideration,  candidates should apply within the next week or so.

Interview with Neesha Tambe, intern for The Democracy Commitment

Published July 22, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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The American Democracy Project is helping to launch a new partner and parallel civic engagement initiative for our community college colleagues called The Democracy Commitment, or “TheDC.” TheDC debuted at the ADP 2011 national meeting in Orlando last month, and currently has 24 member institutions, representing over 40 individual campuses. Neesha Tambe is helping to get TheDC off the ground while serving as an intern here at AASCU. This interview introduces Neesha as she offers her perspective on TheDC and its important role in ensuring that higher education assists all students in becoming informed, engaged citizens.

Neesha Tambe

Born and raised in the Silicon Valley/Bay Area, Neesha A. Tambe has spent her entire life in California in one of the most diverse communities in the nation. She graduated in June from De Anza Community College and will enroll as a junior at Georgetown University, studying sociology with a concentration in social justice. Having been heavily involved on campus at De Anza, Neesha served Executive Vice President of the Student Body representing roughly 25,000 students of varied backgrounds and experiences. She also spent six months as a Congressional Intern for her Representative (Honda, CA-15) and was the lead student organizer for a local campaign to support the Foothill – De Anza (FHDA) Community College District.

Neesha Tambe

Although she is not sure exactly what the future holds for her, Neesha plans to synthesize the many voices and needs of the people to create policy that better serves the youth in the country, with an emphasis on the use of dialogue versus debate. In addition to her organizing and activism, Neesha is a classically trained Pointé dancer and has practiced more than 10 different styles of dance, Indian and Western. Neesha is very excited to be working to launch The Democracy Commitment this summer, and looks forward to empowering the next generation of informed and engaged citizens.

 

American Democracy Project (ADP): How did you get involved with TheDC?

Neesha A. Tambe (NAT): I walked into an Introduction to Sociology lecture on the first day of college at De Anza College, only to hear the professor bluntly state, “The American Dream does not exist.” As a native Californian, born to immigrant parents who pulled themselves up by their bootstraps, I was floored by his statement. Soon, however, I began to understand that many people – especially young people – experience a great disconnect with our government, and I became seriously concerned about the future of our democracy.

In an effort to participate in the system and protect the interests of my fellow students, I decided to run for and was elected as the Executive Vice President of the De Anza Associated Student Body Senate. Along with the Student Body President and the student leaders before us who laid the foundation, we worked through the year to foster sustainable activism throughout the student body, organizing both in the college itself as well at the statewide level.

After my experience as a lead student organizer for a campaign to locally fund the FHDA Community College District, my training in Wellstone Action, and my participation in Asian Pacific American Leadership Institute (APALI), I learned about the American Democracy Project and the intention to found a parallel national initiative that would foster community colleges’ efforts to cultivate informed, engaged citizens for our democracy. When Dr. Murphy, the President of De Anza College, asked if I would be interested in interning in Washington, DC for The Democracy Commitment, I jumped at the opportunity to do my part in ensuring the health of our democratic nation.

ADP: Tell us more about what you’re working on as the Summer Intern for TheDC?

NAT: This summer, will be a very busy time for The Democracy Commitment as we launch the national community college initiative to foster community and civic engagement on campuses. Over the course of six short weeks, I will be working to develop the organization’s internal and external communication structures and processes; produce a basic social media toolkit and plan; delineate and identify key project processes (including a welcome process); generate a formal expansion plan; create a wiki; and begin to develop national networks and partnerships. Also, I will be preparing for the TheDC’s National Signatory Event on November 4, 2011 at The New York Times.

ADP:  What do you see as the relationship between TheDC and ADP?

NAT:   As over 50% of the students from AASCU institutions matriculate from community colleges, I see the partnership between The Democracy Commitment and ADP as integral to the sustainable development of students as informed and engaged citizens. Students who have community and civic engagement training from community colleges can get lost in the shuffle as they transition to a four year institution. We plan to build a pathway between community college students and ADP/AASCU institutions so as to continue and build upon the development of the students. I believe that ADP’s experience and network are essential to the successful launch of TheDC, but that through joint programming and information sharing, TheDC will also inform and strengthen ADP.

ADP:  What are your hopes for the future – in terms of TheDC and youth civic engagement more broadly?

NAT:   In terms of TheDC, we hope to change the perception of community colleges from vocational and transfer institutions to colleges dedicated to creating the next generation of informed and engaged citizens prepared to protect and defend the health of our country. It is so essential for youth to know that we do in fact have a say in our country and that our voices matter.

It is my desire to see youth civic engagement integrated into the very core of education. It is often said that youth are apathetic about becoming involved in their communities, but this apathy does not come from the idea that being civically involved isn’t important; it comes from the feeling that what we have to say doesn’t matter and will never make a difference. But it can, and it does. I believe that TheDC can empower students to know that we can make a difference, and that we have the power to change the world.

We the People Interview Series: Interview with Stephanie South

Published July 11, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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As part of the Civic Agency initiative, we are conducting a special “We the People” interview series. In this series, we interview intriguing people with different perspectives on the “We the People” phase of our work in ADP. This is the fourth of many interviews that will be included in this series.

A Colorado native, Stephanie South was born and raised on the beautiful Western Slope and finished a B.A. in political science at the University of Northern Colorado in May 2010. She minored in journalism and legal studies and was actively involved on campus as a member of Student Senate, Greek life, the President’s Leadership Program, and the Honors Program. She also studied abroad in the south of France. During her third and final year of college, Stephanie focused her efforts largely on her undergraduate thesis and recently had a portion of her work published as “Making the Move from Shouting to Listening to Public Action: A Student Perspective on Millennials and Dialogue” in the Journal of Public Deliberation.

Stephanie’s collegiate experiences were both broad and diverse, instilling in her a passion for service, Middle Eastern politics, civic engagement, community, and travel.  She spends her free time taking photos, planning trips, working out, and reading Time magazine.  Stephanie is currently exploring overseas volunteer opportunities with hopes of pursuing a year of service post-Fellowship. She eventually plans to attend law school and is extremely interested in advocating for social justice issues.

Stephanie South

American Democracy Project (ADP): Why were you interested in civic engagement?

Stephanie South (SS): In my three years at the University of Northern Colorado, I was a part of the University Honors Program. During my second year of college, the Center for Honors, Scholars, and Leadership, which houses the program, was in the midst of a transition and beginning to shift its focus to incorporate civic engagement more fully. The then director of the University Honors Program, Kaye Holman, and the director of the Center, Michael Kimball, encouraged me to explore the concept of civic engagement in higher education for a possible thesis topic, but at the time, as I was wrapping up classes and preparing to move to Washington, D.C. for the summer, I was not fully enthusiastic about identifying the subject for my thesis, which I had been putting off for a good month or so.

However, before I got on the road for D.C., Mike gave me a copy of Harry Boyte’s The Citizen Solution: How You Can Make a Difference to read on the 25-hour road trip; not long after starting it, I was hooked. In the months that followed, I worked with Mike to narrow my topic, and somehow he convinced Harry to sign on as an external advisor, which I was both honored by and thrilled about.

My passion for civic engagement and my interest in the nearly yearlong project I undertook for my University Honors Program thesis were a direct result of Kaye’s and Mike’s willingness to mentor and push me and, of course, Harry’s book.

ADP: What did you learn about public work as a way to shift Millennials from “shouting” to “co-creation”?

SS: Boyte’s work was extremely influential not only in my writing but in my own life as a student. I found his take on democracy—his public work philosophy—a perfect expression of how I thought humankind should function, of how I thought students at a university should function. I remember a piece Boyte once wrote where he quoted a student he had interviewed, and the student said something about an essential missing piece in the lives of Millennials, a disconnect from their communities.

As a student who was actively and perhaps overly involved in my campus, I did not identify with this, but I saw so many students around me that did. They were simply passing through their college experience, and for most of them, despite popular opinion, it was not the result of apathy. It was disengagement perpetuated by a broken system of higher education. The break I speak of, although I know there are more, is in regard to how students are taught in the classroom and what they are taught about. Students I conducted focus groups with, as well as interviewed one-on-one, were not being engaged by teachers talking to instead of speaking with them. They were tired of one-way conversations had by PowerPoint. They were disappointed with the lack of real world application and context they were learning with their subject matter.

It began to dawn on me that students were being treated like consumers with all sorts of propaganda simply being shouted at them. What they really wanted and what America really needs is for students to be treated like citizens; for students to become stakeholders in their own lives and communities, to translate their professional purpose into one that exists for public benefit, to become problem solvers and co-creators and co-producers of public goods.

ADP: What did your experiences and what you learned at UNCO have to say about the broader movement for civic empowerment and educational change?

SS: If American colleges and universities want to get back to their roots and truly make higher education about more than getting students in and out the door with a degree as fast as possible, then they must answer the call for community. Our institutions must work not only to educate students on how the collective can be created and on the power of it, but they must foster opportunities for the intentional conversations that allow community to thrive. And, if this generation, the Millennials, is to truly reach its potential and make a return to the commonwealth, then higher education must give them the proper instruction to be citizens. They must not only teach them how to utilize their collegiate experiences and chose career path to contribute to their communities, but they must empower students to do so by giving them a voice, and, therefore, a stake in the commonwealth.

However, this is a two-way street, and if higher education institutions are willing to give students the stage, students have to step of to the mic[rophone]. This conversation cannot be a monologue; both parties have to add their voice to the exchange. As a result of my thesis and the conversations I had with students, professors, and administrators during the course of my research, I believe that higher education reform in the sense that I see it is entirely possible if both university professionals and students commit to making the move from “shouting” to “listening.”

Civic Engagement Job Posting: Executive Director, Center for Service and Learning, IUPUI

Published July 6, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Occasionally I am sent job postings for civic engagement opportunities within the AASCU network. Below you will find a recent job listing. Please pass this along to anyone you know of who is looking for an exciting opportunity to do civic work at an AASCU school. – Cecilia M. Orphan

Executive Director of the Center for Service and Learning

Indianapolis, Indiana

IUPUI, an outstanding public urban research university located in the heart of Indianapolis, seeks applicants for the Executive Director of the IUPUI Center for Service and Learning. IUPUI, serving over 30,000 students including 21,000 undergraduate students, has become a national leader in promoting civic engagement and has been nationally recognized; including three Presidential Awards for Community Service, the 2006 Carnegie Foundation Classification for Community Engagement, two Saviors of our City citations, recognition in Colleges with a Conscience, and US News and World Report recognition for service learning each year since 2002.

The Center for Service and Learning (CSL) is one of three IUPUI learning-based centers that also include the Center for Research and Learning and the Center for Teaching and Learning.  The executive directors of three centers report to the Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.

The Executive Director (ED) provides vision and leadership to the CSL, exercises fiscal responsibility over budgets and grants, provides oversight for the operations of the Center, and its staff and programs. The ED collaborates with other campus units on teaching, research and service as it relates to civic engagement, conducts research on issues related to civic engagement in higher education, and expands campus capacity to assess and conduct scholarship on civic engagement. The ED promotes CSL’s work on campus, nationally and internationally.

Because the successful candidate will assume a tenured, senior faculty appointment in an appropriate academic discipline, a Ph.D. or equivalent terminal degree is required.  At least five years of supervisory, program leadership, and/or academic administrative experience in a relevant position is expected, as are experiences in working closely with academic and support service units, appreciating and advocating for diversity, inclusion, and equal access to educational opportunity. The successful candidate will have teaching experience (including service learning courses), faculty development experience, and a strong record of scholarship including the development of significant grant proposals and success in securing external funding.

Candidates are invited to submit an electronic application that includes:

  • a letter of application ,
  • a philosophy statement that frames the candidate’s views on how to advance civic engagement and transformative campus-community collaborations in higher education and as part of  IUPUI’s campus culture,
  • a curriculum vitae, and
  • The names and contact information of three references.

Review of applications will begin October 1, 2011, and continue until the position is filled with an anticipated starting date on or before July 1, 2012.  IUPUI is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer, M/F/D.

Applications should be sent electronically to Ms. Susan Christian, Academic Support Specialist, Office of Academic Affairs, at suechris@iupui.edu.  A detailed position description may be viewed at http://academicaffairs.iupui.edu/.  Direct any questions to Dr. Mary L. Fisher, Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at mlfisher@iupui.edu, or 317-278-1846.

ADP Faculty Feature: Richard Kendrick of SUNY Cortland Recognized with Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service

Published July 5, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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By Jennifer M. Domagal-Goldman, National Manager, American Democracy Project

The American Democracy Project is led by a very small national staff (me and the occasional intern). With such a limited staff, ADP relies heavily on the hard work and dedication of our faculty members and Campus Coordinators. Because of their vital contributions to ADP, we love to provide a national stage for their excellent work. Even more important, though, is the recognition that ADP Campus Coordinators receive on their own campuses.

A signature feature of the American Democracy Project is its focus on creating institutional intentionality for preparing informed, engaged citizens for our democracy. One way universities can be intentional about civic preparation of undergraduate students is by recognizing and rewarding faculty members for civic engagement work. The State University of New York (SUNY) at Cortland understands this important component of institutional intentionality and that is why we are deeply supportive of SUNY’s Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service.

Please join me in congratulating Richard Kendrick, a long time ADP Campus Coordinator at SUNY Cortland, on his receipt of this important award. Richard is a Professor of Sociology/ Anthropology, the Director of the Institute for Civic Engagement, and has been SUNY Cortland’s ADP Coordinator since 2003. He also served for four years as Chair of the Sociology/Anthropology Department. As ADP Campus Coordinator, Richard served on the Electoral Voices Task Force and contributed a chapter entitled “Voter Education” with co-author Jim Perry to the 2006 ADP monograph, Electoral Voices: Engaging College Students in Elections. ADP applauds both Richard’s tireless efforts to educate informed, engaged citizens for our democracy and SUNY Cortland’s leadership in providing important incentives for faculty civic engagement.

See below for a press release describing Richard’s stellar work taken from the SUNY Cortland website.

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Richard Kendrick

Kendrick becomes the eighth SUNY Cortland recipient of the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service, which recognizes his extensive College service and leadership, as well as his specific contributions in the area of civic engagement since his appointment to the Sociology/Anthropology Department faculty in 1991.

He joined the College as a lecturer and was promoted to assistant professor in 1992. He became an associate professor in 1998 and a professor in 2005. Kendrick served as chair of his department while teaching and directing the Institute for Civic Engagement. He also has coordinated the All-College Honors Program.

A longtime proponent of community-based research, he has worked tirelessly with the City of Cortland on projects that include VISTA, AmeriCorps and the Cortland Community Assessment Team.

In 2003, he was appointed coordinator of the American Democracy Project. His dedication to the area of civic engagement resulted in his appointment as director of the Institute for Civic Engagement. In that role, he led the College’s successful effort to become the first SUNY school to achieve the prestigious Carnegie Community Engagement classification. He also was instrumental in having the College named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for four consecutive years. Some of his campus-wide initiatives promote student voting during elections.

His external grants bring in significant funding for town-gown collaborative projects. Most recent is a Bringing Theory to Practice grant for $100,000 over two years. This project, done in partnership with the American Association of Colleges and Universities, will serve as a national model that will establish the critical connection between civic engagement and student well-being.

A frequent presenter and consultant at meetings of the Rotary Club and the New York State campus Compact chapters, he has served as a volunteer mediator for New Justice Conflict Resolution Services and a volunteer for Syracuse Habitat for Humanity. Within his profession, he is a reviewer for Michigan Journal of Community and Service Learning.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in politics from Wake Forest University and an Master of Public Administration from University of Georgia. Kendrick earned a Ph.D. in social science as well as a certificate in achievement in conflict analysis and resolution from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

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