University Junctions: Connecting writing and service-learning across campus
How can we connect writing and service-learning to achieve existing course goals like research, field-specific writing, and reflection in a way that will not bury instructors under a pile of grading? Our webinar will be interactive, so all participants are encouraged to come prepared with identified course goals that they feel might be advanced through writing. We will discuss writing across the disciplines. We encourage anyone interested in incorporating more writing assignments into their service-learning courses to join us.

Rachel Morgan is the co-director of Cornerstone, a first-year integrated communication and writing course, at the University of Northern Iowa, where she also teaches writing and literature classes. She is the Poetry Editor of the North American Review, America’s oldest literary journal and teaches distance ed classes at Johns Hopkins University. She’s the author of the chapbook Honey & Blood, Blood & Honey, and her poetry has appeared in several anthologies and literary magazines.

Deb Young teaches Cornerstone, a first-year integrated communication and writing course, and composition courses at the University of Northern Iowa, where she integrates critical service-learning into her coursework. Young is currently working on a Ph.D. in rhetoric and professional communication from Iowa State University. Prior to her career in academia, she worked for ten years in public relations and nonprofit management, serving as the Director of Public Relations and Marketing for Hawkeye Community College.

Racial Equity Across College & High School: It’s about liberation & transformation, not diversity & inclusion
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Buzz, Buzz, Buzz. What do these words actually mean for students, faculty, and staff of color who frequently feel excluded and marginalized? How can systems that weren’t built to educate students of color become places of belonging, liberation, and wholeness? This webinar will share real world examples and suggestions for promoting racial equity across college & high school.

Mila Buckland is a first-generation college graduate, second-generation immigrant. She identifies with the pronouns she/her/hers and as Southeast Asian American. Buckland is the Curriculum and Training Manager at Campus Compact of Oregon. In her role, she supports Campus Compact’s Racial Equity Across College and High School (REACH) efforts; REACH is Campus Compact’s strategic initiative to build a statewide coalition and movement for racial justice in higher education across college and high school in Oregon. Her area of expertise is in gender equity and inclusion of Asian, Pacific Islander students.

Kaycie López Jones holds a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Analysis: Human Behavior from Pomona College in Claremont, CA and a Master of Arts in International Development and Service with foci in Intercultural Communication and Intercultural Education. López Jones identifies as an Afro-Xicana-Indigenous-Femme and uses she/her/hers/ella or they/them pronouns. Prior to her employment with Campus Compact of Oregon, López Jones worked for the City of Portland’s Bureau of Development Services and helped launch the citywide Racial Equity Roadmap initiative, which aims to foster greater racial equity through training of employees, and updating policies and procedures throughout all departments of the City of Portland. López Jones currently serves as the Educational Equity Program Manager for Campus Compact of Oregon, adjunct faculty at Marylhurst University, a Qualified Administrator for the Intercultural Development Inventory, and a tap dance teacher with Dance with Joy Studios in S.W. Portland.

Joshua Todd is Campus Compact of Oregon’s Executive Director and an adjunct professor at Portland State University, as well as a Qualified Administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory. Todd worked within government for 13 years as a youth organizer and policy advisor for the City & County of San Francisco and Multnomah County, Oregon. Todd brought his experience training on issues of racial justice and equity to Campus Compact five years ago to help improve institutional practices, policies, and ways of being that support equity. He has conducted all staff trainings, faculty development, executive coaching for college and university Presidents, and presented at state and national conferences on issues related to equity in higher education. Todd identifies as a white, queer, man and uses he/him/his pronouns.

Community Colleges as Civic Power Plants: Generating, harnessing, and spreading civic power
Inspired by Eric Liu’s You Are More Powerful Than You Think and his notion of civic power, this webinar will introduce the concept of community colleges as “Civic Power Plants” generating power in the civic life of their students and campuses. How can community colleges harness their true public purpose by educating for democracy and sending it out to make a difference in the civic lives of the communities that they serve? This webinar will feature examples of civic engagement from across the diversity of the community college realm.

Verdis Robinson is Director for Community College Engagement at Campus Compact. As an advocate of community college civic education, Robinson directs The Democracy Commitment (TDC) initiative as part of his portfolio. Before becoming national director of TDC, Robinson was a tenured Assistant Professor of History and African-American Studies at Monroe Community College in Rochester, NY. Robinson is a fellow of the Aspen Institute’s Faculty Seminar on Citizenship and the American and Global Polity, and the National Endowment for the Humanities’ Faculty Seminar on Rethinking Black Freedom Studies: The Jim Crow North and West. He is also a Public Scholar of Humanities New York.

Students and Spirituality: Student motivation to do good
Dr. Janett I. Cordovés and Dr. Lisa Davidson will introduce Interfaith Youth Core’s (IFYC’s) methodology and discuss the civic priority of interfaith cooperation and how this intersects with a variety of civic outcomes. They will share findings from the Interfaith Diversity Experiences & Attitudes Longitudinal Survey (IDEALS) national research and how these manifest on various campuses. Through this discussion, participants will be able to explain relationships between interfaith cooperation and civic outcomes, hear from colleagues in the field, and consider applications for their own work.

Janett I. Cordovés, Co-Curricular Partnerships Manager, equips and empowers campus professional staff to be interfaith leaders. Prior to joining the IFYC team, Cordovés worked in higher education for thirteen years, serving in various roles including student support services, such as residence life and crisis response, as well as in academic initiatives with first-year seminars, orientation, and senior experience courses. Cordovés has recently completed her doctorate in Ethical Leadership and successfully defended her research on the influence of spirituality on first-generation college students’ level of grit and equanimity. In her spare time, she volunteers with Chicago Scholars and the Food Pantry.

Lisa Davidson, Assessment and Research Manager at Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC), works with campuses on a variety of efforts related to assessing the effectiveness of interfaith programs and understanding the campus climate for religious, spiritual, and secular diversity. She also supports the national research partnerships between IFYC and scholars who investigate interfaith learning and development among undergraduates. Lisa’s own research examines the type of learning and development that result from undergraduates’ intercultural engagement, with a special focus on the inclusive measurement of this. Prior to joining IFYC, Lisa spent 16 years working in a variety of higher education roles including teaching, institutional research, academic advising, and career counseling.

Place-Based Community Engagement in Higher Education
Widely known through the work of the Harlem Children’s Zone and the federal government’s Promise and Choice Neighborhood programs, geographically specific community engagement initiatives have the potential to positively address the challenges of inequity and injustice within our communities. While we may be familiar with these types of place-based initiatives from non-profit organizations or governmental grants, less is known about this type of strategy in higher education. This webinar will include a presentation of a recent national study and the facilitators’ recent book on place-based community engagement in higher education, followed by an exploration of several of the most salient topics arising from this promising new strategy.

Erica Yamamaura is Associate Professor and Program Liaison Coordinator of the Student Development Administration Program at Seattle University. A long-time believer in the use of service-learning and community-based projects as part of her pedagogy, she engages in project-based learning in graduate education in her work at Seattle University. Since 2013, Yamamura has also conducted research on promising practices arising from the Seattle University Youth Initiative.

Kent Koth is the founding director of the Seattle University Center for Community Engagement. In this role, Koth has overseen a rapid expansion of campus-community partnerships that have received national recognition. As an adjunct faculty member in SU’s Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies Program, Kent has taught courses focusing on leadership and community engagement. With support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Koth is currently leading an effort to create a national network of universities pursuing place-based community engagement

What Went Wrong? A Partnership Analysis Framework
Building on the 2014 “What Went Wrong?” conference, this session offers a framework for analyzing and transcending the wrongness of structures and practices in community-academic research, education, and social action partnerships that limit effective democratic participation and the distribution of power of those who experience marginalization.

Susan Gust is a community activist and small business owner. In 2003-04 she was named a Humphrey Institute Public Policy Fellow at the University of Minnesota. She co-founded and chaired the Phillips Neighborhood Healthy Housing Collaborative a community-university and public agency research partnership.

Katie Johnston-Goodstar is associate professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Minnesota. She studies the social, political and historical contexts of urban and Indigenous youth development. Drawing on Indigenous and social justice youth development frameworks, Johnston-Goodstar collaborates with youth in participatory action research (PAR) to explore social justice issues, decolonization and community building. She is particularly interested in the use of youth media in the PAR process.

Cathy Jordan is Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Extension at the University of Minnesota. Her research focuses on community-based research projects that aim to address community-defined needs, contribute to social and policy change, enhance scientific methodology, and contribute valid information to our knowledge base.

Brian Lozenski is Assistant Professor of Urban and Multicultural Education at Macalester College. His research explores the intersections of critical participatory research, Africana Studies, and cultural relevance, particularly in the education of youth of African descent. Prior to joining Macalester, he taught for over a decade in Philadelphia and St. Paul.

Argie Manolis is the Community Engagement coordinator at the University of Minnesota, Morris (UMM). As part of her work, she works with students to reflect on their own learning while engaging in ongoing partnerships with community. “What Went Wrong” scenarios have become a staple in student reflection at UMM.

Sinda Nichols is associate director of Minnesota Campus Compact. She has a background in counseling, education and social change work and is an experienced trainer and facilitator.

Exploring the Connection: Community engagement and college completion
Colleges and universities face the significant challenge to help students from all backgrounds enter and complete college in a timely manner. This webinar will highlight the potential that community engagement offers to increase college completion rates, using specific research studies that have contributed to the growing body of evidence that connects community engagement with student success for all students.

Lynn E. Pelco, Ph.D., is associate vice provost for community engagement in the Division of Community Engagement at Virginia Commonwealth University where she also directs the Office of Service-Learning. She earned her Ph.D. in school psychology from the Pennsylvania State University and has held clinical, administrative and faculty appointments at the University of South Australia, Bucknell University, The College of William and Mary, and The Pennsylvania State University School of Medicine. Her research interests include university-community partnerships, service-learning, and university student development.

Helen Rosenberg, Ph.D., is Professor in the Department of Sociology/Anthropology and directs the Certificate Program In Gerontology at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. Throughout her career, she has involved students in experiential learning, first through developing an internship program in the Sociology Department and then through her efforts to involve students in projects in her classes. She is former Faculty Director at the Center for Community Partnerships where she promoted civic engagement as a core University value and worked toward modifying the faculty reward structure to include community-based learning for students

Travis T. York, Ph.D., is the Director of Student Success, Research & Policy at the Association of Public & Land-grant Universities (APLU). His research centers on issues of college student access, success, and educational equity. His work has focused on examining pathways into and through postsecondary environments for low-income, first-generation, minority students. Currently, York is the Project Lead and Co-PI of APLU’s INCLUDES Project–a National Science Foundation-funded effort to diversify STEM faculty; and serves as a Co-PI on a U.S. Department of Education IES Assessment Grant titled, Affording Degree Completion: A Study of Completion Grants at Accessible Public Universities.

Deborah Scire, Ed.D., is the Executive Director of Campus Compact for NH. Prior to coming to CCNH, Scire served as the Director of Cooperative Education at Northern Essex Community College in Haverhill, MA and was responsible for Cooperative Education, Internships and Service-learning. She served in a similar capacity at Merrimack College, in North Andover, MA. Her research interests include college completion and the extent to which foundations have influenced higher education.

Integrating Civic Outcomes Across a Major or Program: Curriculum design and mapping for civic learning
In this webinar attendees will focus on identifying, articulating, and mapping civic learning and developmental outcomes (civic identity, civic-mindedness, civic agency, civic literacy, intercultural competency, etc.) for their program of study or major. A curriculum map is a tool to assure the content of a program of study or major is being presented and assessed, all content is linked to learning goals (e.g. institutional, accreditor), and that content is sufficient to reach learning and developmental goals. A curriculum mapping exercise can show gaps in learning, overlaps in content, and indicate where weaknesses or opportunities can and should be addressed.

Seth Pollack, PhD, is Professor of Service Learning, and the founding faculty director of the Service Learning Institute at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB). CSUMB is one of the few higher education institutions in the country to have developed a service learning requirement for all undergraduate programs. Seth has led the effort at CSUMB to provide a framework for developing and assessing civic learning. Seth’s research has focused on the integration of diversity and social justice in service learning. He has twice served as a Fulbright Scholar, researching and providing support for service learning and civic engagement programs in South Africa (2008-09) and in Europe (2017-18). His most recent scholarship has focused on The Public Mission in European Higher Education: Creating More Socially Responsible, Diversity-Minded and Civically-Engaged Graduates.

Anne Weiss has over seven years of experience in leading collaborative assessment, evaluation, and inquiry projects focused on resolving complex problems within higher education institutions- especially as it relates to civic or community engagement. In the role of Director of Assessment with Campus Compact of Indiana, Weiss develops data collection instruments, conducts literature reviews, performs data collection, analysis, and interpretation, plus advises our organization and partner campuses on how to use findings from these activities for program and organizational improvement. Additionally, Weiss hosts dozens of professional learning and development initiatives across the world focused on the topics of assessing transdisciplinary learning outcomes and evaluating institutions’ effectiveness in achieving their public mission(s). She is the editor of a forthcoming book from Stylus Publishing- Assessing the (Often) Hidden Outcomes of Community Engagement- and has co-authored other pieces which appear as book chapters, peer-reviewed journal articles, and conference sessions. Weiss is a Ph.D. candidate with Indiana University in Higher Education Administration and is a Visiting Scholar with Tufts University’s Institute for Democracy and Higher Education.

Census 2020 and Higher Education
Through this webinar, we will discuss the vital role that colleges and universities can play in ensuring a fair and complete count in the 2020 Census. A complete count is essential to ensuring that states maintain their federal funding levels and their representation in federal government. By working with students, staff, faculty, administrators, and most importantly, community partners, colleges and universities can support their communities in maintaining important resources. In this webinar, we will explore available resources as well as highlight schools gearing up for this work in 2020.

Dr. Robert Franco is a Cultural Anthropologist focusing on Samoan and Pacific Islander migration, diaspora and adaptation. He directs the Office for Institutional Effectiveness at Kapi’olani Community College, University of Hawai’i. He tracks census and student achievement and engagement data and has effectively woven these into successful grant proposals to the Corporation for National and Community Service, U.S. Department of Education, HUD, and the National Science Foundation, as well as the Teagle and Keck Foundations. He oversees the Kapi’olani Service and Sustainability Learning program and his campus will host the 2021 western region Continuums of Service Conference. 

Natalie Furlett is currently the Executive Director of Illinois Campus Compact, a partnership between 36 Illinois college and university campuses dedicated to upholding the public purpose of higher education. Prior to ILCC, Natalie spent time building student-community ties at Northwestern as the Coordinator of Student Community Service before taking on the role of Associate Director of the Norris Center for Student Involvement. She holds an MBA in Nonprofit Management from the American Jewish University in Los Angeles, CA and a BA from the School of Public Administration at American University in Washington DC.  Natalie currently serves on the Governor’s Service Illinois Commission and on the Board of Directors for The Safe Haven Network

Sherrie J. Taylor, Northern Illinois University Center for Governmental Studies Research Associate and Liaison to the State Data Center, joined CGS full-time in April 2001, after working as a Graduate Assistant for two years. She works with the public and a wide range of institutions in supplying data knowledge based primarily on the public data provided by state and federal agencies. As the project manager of the NIU role in the State Data Center Network, Taylor works with other agencies throughout the nation in helping others understand and utilize available data sets as well as serve as the Illinois state liaison to the 2020 Census Count.