My Time as an AmeriCorps*VISTA with Campus Compact
Those of us serving as AmeriCorps*VISTAs do not really know what we are getting ourselves into when committing to a year of service. I was coming in to build capacity for Campus Compact, but what did that entail? What might the work of a VISTA be like? It surely varies, but here is my story: Throughout my term, I focused mainly on college access. I transformed a state curriculum, which trains mentors to instill a college positive mindset in K-12 youth, to a national curriculum. My fellow Massachusetts Campus Compact (MACC) VISTAs gave me the opportunity to facilitate both in-person…
CAMPUS COMPACT PRESIDENTIAL ESSAY IN JHEOE
Through Campus Compact’s partnership with the Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, we are able to highlight the voice of our member presidents. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement has recently published volume 20(2), June 2016 which features President of Middlesex Community College Anna Wasescha. It is found here, where full-text articles can be accessed subscription free. CAMPUS COMPACT PRESIDENTIAL ESSAY The Meaning of a Compact Anna Wasecha pp. 7-22
Reflections on Orlando and Our Work
To the members of the Campus Compact network: The murderous attack on members of the LGBTQ community earlier this week in Orlando was so shocking and horrifying that it was difficult for many of us to know what to say or do. At Campus Compact, we have all experienced the sadness and anger shared by people across the country and beyond. We have also reflected on how this event relates to our mission. In the spirit of that reflection, I share these thoughts. Beyond the devastating reality of the murder of 49 of our fellow human beings, the Orlando massacre…
A Tribute to Earl H. Potter III
In an already heartbreaking week, the news of St. Cloud State University President Earl H. Potter’s death in a car accident is devastating. A past board member, vice-chair, and chair of the Minnesota Campus Compact (MNCC) board of directors, he steadfastly advocated and practiced thoughtful civic dialogue and action. He sought to integrate community engagement into every aspect of SCSU’s operations as essential to its communities and to education for “work, life, and citizenship.” He was a national leader too, serving on Campus Compact’s organizational development and strategic planning task force, while also contributing significantly to AASCU’s American Democracy Project…
2016 Newman Civic Fellows Announced
Campus Compact has announced the 218 students chosen to receive the 2016 Newman Civic Fellows Award. This award honors the late Frank Newman, one of Campus Compact’s founders and a tireless advocate for the civic engagement of higher education. “We are fortunate to have the opportunity to celebrate such an extraordinary group of students,” said Campus Compact president Andrew Seligsohn. “We are seeing a resurgence in student interest in acting to create lasting social change, and this year’s Newman Civic Fellows exemplify that commitment.” In the spirit of Dr. Newman’s leadership, Campus Compact member presidents and chancellors were encouraged to…
Campus Compact Action Statement to be Celebrated in Boston
Campus Compact will be celebrating the more than 350 signatories on our Action Statement during a Summit of Presidents and Chancellors on March 20, 2016 at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate in Boston. Over 350 Campus Compact member presidents and chancellors have already signed the Campus Compact 30th Anniversary Action Statement, a document containing strong language about the public obligations of higher education that commits campuses to taking specific steps to deepen their engagement for the benefit of students, communities, and the broader public. The document concludes with a commitment by each signatory to create…
Creating a Great Campus Civic Action Plan
Campus Compact has made available guidance for campuses engaged in designing campus action plans. The plans emanate from commitments made in the Campus Compact 30th Anniversary Action Statement. In signing the 30th Anniversary Action Statement, presidents and chancellors make a public commitment both to its principles and to developing a plan to put those principles into action. The framework available on the Campus Compact website provides a shared foundation for Compact members to approach Civic Action Plan (CAP) development while encouraging creativity, flexibility, and boldness. Our guide for “Creating a Great Civic Action Plan” is a useful starting point and…
Community Engagement and Social Entrepreneurship: A Bigger Umbrella
If we imagine all the ways our campuses can engage with the larger community, we can think of a pretty large umbrella. It may include service-learning, community-based research, problem-based learning, civic work and others. Recently, social entrepreneurship has been an increasingly important presence on campuses. Ashoka U, the higher education arm of Ashoka, a four-decade old incubator for social entrepreneurs recently found social entrepreneurship courses and programs in over two hundred campuses. Articles about social entrepreneurs have appeared in major media outlets. Fixes, a series co-written by David Bornstein and Tina Rosenberg for the New York Times, features articles on…
Campus Compact Presidential Essay in JHEOE
Through Campus Compact’s partnership with the Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, we are able to highlight the voice of our member presidents.Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement has recently published volume 19(4), December 2015 which features Phoebe Haddon and Nyeema Watson of Rutgers University – Camden.It is found at http://openjournals.libs.uga.edu/index.php/jheoe/index, where full-text articles can be accessed subscription free.CAMPUS COMPACT PRESIDENTIAL ESSAYServing a “City Invincible” With Access and EngagementPhoebe A. Haddon, Nyeema C. Watson pp. 7-14
Explore 30th Anniversary Conference Program
The full conference program is now available! Learn more about the many exciting opportunities for learning and networking at Campus Compact’s 30th Anniversary Conference this March in Boston. For three days, administrators, faculty, and other higher education leaders will convene for a critical dialogue about past and present efforts to achieve our shared goals and how we can move higher education to more fully embrace its public purposes. Don’t miss out on this special opportunity to join your colleagues across the country – Explore conference details and register today!
Now Accepting Applications for 2016 Newman Civic Fellows
The nomination period for Campus Compact’s Newman Civic Fellows Award, which recognizes community-involved student leaders, is now open!Campus Compact member presidents and chancellors are encouraged to nominate a student for this special recognition.The Newman Civic Fellows Award honors the late Frank Newman, one of Campus Compact’s founders and a tireless advocate for the civic engagement of higher education. You can learn more about the 2015 Newman Civic Fellows here.In the spirit of Dr. Newman’s leadership, we are seeking nominations of undergraduate or graduate students who are proven leaders with both the motivation and ability to make substantial contributions toward public…
Presidents and Chancellors Asked to Affirm Action Statement on Public Purposes of Higher Education
Read the 30th Anniversary Action Statement and become a signatory.In the mid-1980s, a group of higher education leaders came together based on a shared concern about the future of American democracy. Motivated by their conviction that amidst the pressures toward personal acquisition and personal advancement, their students were not learning to think, speak, and act in the service of the public good, they resolved that higher education must reclaim its historic mission of preparing the next generation of citizens to achieve public goals and solve public problems.This group decided to take action. They became the founders of Campus Compact.“Campus Compact was…
Engaging the Student-Athlete Identity
The Aspen Institute released a report last spring entitled Project Play, which they described as ‘an ambitious plan to reimagine youth sports, prioritizing health and inclusion’ (Project Play, 2014). In creating the report and the subsequent strategy for engaging the nation, The Aspen Institute convened over 250 leaders in health, industry, policy and government. While academics helped develop the report, higher education was largely absent from the subsequent action plan.This is not the first time national initiatives have overlooked higher education as part of the solution, it is nonetheless disappointing given the recent strides made in the service and civic…
Campus Compact Announces Grant Recipients for Civic Learning and Student Success Civic Partnership Initiative
A consortium of four organizations—Campus Compact, the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU), Education Commission of the States (ECS), and Generation Citizen—have selected nine institutions to receive grants and participate in an initiative to advance civic learning and student success across the education continuum.“The National Center for Learning and Civic Engagement at Education Commission of the States is pleased to take part in this important work with three peer organizations and participating teams from across the country,” said Paul J. Baumann, Director of the National Center for Learning and Civic Engagement. “One of ECS’ core functions is to provide…
Thinking on Your Feet: Engaging Student Athletes in Academic Work
In the summer of 2014 Leah Eickoff embarked on an exhausting undergraduate research project. A Public Health concentrator and an accomplished distance runner at Brown University, Leah was interested in determining the effectiveness of a fitness program at a non-profit organization committed to improving the lives of veterans. When thinking about a research design, Leah relied on her years of experiences as a runner. She thus purposely chose to avoid seated interviews with participants, opting instead to run side-by-side, allowing conversation to flow more comfortably. Leah ran with her IPod strapped to her arm, recording interviews over miles of trails…
“I don’t want people to think the work is done:” Macalester’s Ten Years of Solidarity with New Orleans
In 2006, many 15-passenger vans arrived in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Faculty, staff, and student volunteers from campuses around the country, including Macalester College, responded to the disaster by mucking out houses, cutting back overgrowth, and helping people find a way home. Ten years after the storm, Macalester continues to stand in solidarity with it’s New Orleans, Louisiana (NOLA) partners, and adapted their involvement as the landscape of community recovery has evolved. These days, when staff leads Ruth Janisch Lake and Sedric McClure ask their NOLA partners “How can we support you?” their partners tell them…
Campus-community partnerships for health: the terms of engagement
This article focuses on campus–community partnerships that can leverage both campus and community resources to address critical issues in local communities. Campus–community partnerships are described as a series of interpersonal relationships between (a) campus administrators, faculty, staff, and students and (b) community leaders, agency personnel, and members of communities. The phases of relationships (i.e., initiation, development, maintenance, dissolution) and the dynamics of relationships (i.e., exchanges, equity, distribution of power) are explored to provide service-learning instructors and campus personnel with a clearer understanding of how to develop healthy campus–community partnerships. Bringle, R. & Hatcher, J. (2002). Campus-community partnerships for health: The…
The power of collaborative solutions: Six principles and effective tools for building healthy communities
In his book, author Tom Wolf asserts that in order to solve complex problems and build healthy communities we must form partnerships and collaborations. Wolf describes why the traditional community problem-solving methods are failing and offers six key principles to build healthy communities through collaboration: encourage true collaboration as the form of exchange, engage the full diversity of the community, employ an ecological approach that builds on community strengths, take action by addressing issues of social change and power on the basis or a common vision, and engage spirituality as the compass for social change. Wolf, T. (2010). The power…
Engaged Scholarship stepping out
In this article Andrew Van de Ven presents an interview with hinself in which he answers a series of questions on engaged scholarship and encourages people in all “realms”, not only researchers, to “step out” and engage others in order develop a deeper understanding of their field or study. Van de Ven describes engaged scholarship as a process in which academics participate with other scholars, stakeholders, and practitioners to collaborate on research. Although he comments on the existing gap between theory and practice of social research, he offers a solution to this gap and predicts there will be a “wave…
Decolonizing methodologies: Research and indigenous peoples
In this research methodology book, Smith explores the intersections of imperialism and research—to the colonized, the term “research” is conflated with colonialism, and academic research steeped in imperialism remains a painful reality. Smith then discusses concepts such as “discovery” and “claiming”, and argues that the decolonization of research methods will help to reclaim control over indigenous ways of knowing and being. Finally, the author proposes an Indigenous Research Agenda and provides examples of such research. Smith, L. T. (2012). Decolonizing methodologies: Research and indigenous peoples. New York, NY: Zed Books.
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