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 making a difference in the civic lives of the community that they serve?  This webinar will feature examples of civic engagement from across the diversity of the community college realm. Verdis Robinson -  is the new 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 (MCC) in Rochester, NY. Mr. Robinson is a fellow of the Aspen Institute’s Faculty Seminar on…

Placed-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…

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. 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,…

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. 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…

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…