 This week's Faculty in Focus is Dr. Elisaveta Petkova, Assistant Professor of Public Health from Drew University
Her spring 2024 public health course, Housing and Health, exemplified the power of community-engaged learning. Through partnerships with Family Promise, Bridges Outreach, and Morris Habitat for Humanity, Petkova’s students explored the intersections of public health, housing, immigration, social justice, and the arts. Designed to integrate public health concepts with hands-on community engagement, the course provided students with both theoretical knowledge and practical experience. They examined the history of U.S. housing policies while actively contributing to local organizations supporting vulnerable populations. Fostering Civic Trust and Resilience: Sanda Balaban’s Visit to Elon and the PACE Conference2/21/2025
 Executive director Sanda Balaban recently visited Elon University–a founding Periclean institution-where she engaged with faculty and students in conversations about civic identity, trust in democracy, and the role of higher education in fostering vibrant civic life and resilient communities.
She began her visit in Professor Mat Gendle’s sophomore-year class of Periclean Scholars. The Periclean Scholars at Elon is a very special program that strives to empower students through global civic engagement both locally and internationally with emphasis on cohort-based learning and student leadership. With guidance from Faculty Mentors like our co-Program Directors Mat and Amanda Tapler, students work to create partnerships and develop a sustainable impact in their country of focus. The program echoes the mission statement of Elon University and strives to “integrate learning across the disciplines and put knowledge into practice, thus preparing students to be global citizens and informed leaders motivated by concern for the common good.” As Periclean Scholars, students challenge themselves through goal setting, both individually and for the cohort, to explore pathways for change.  This week’s Faculty in Focus is Dan Trudeau, Periclean Faculty Leader and Professor of Geography from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota
In Fall 2024, Professor Trudeau’s Qualitative Research Methods in Geography class partnered with East Side Freedom Library (ESFL) to create a StoryMap - a digital walking tour accessible to the public. This project reimagined and updated a neighborhood walking tour the ESFL sought to revitalize. The completed StoryMap was shared at a public event and promoted through bookmark-style brochures distributed at local businesses. The collaboration began with students establishing a strong working relationship with ESFL, a nonprofit organization with a mission to “mobilize community knowledge for solidarity, justice, and equity for all.” Their projects include East Side Community Investment Cooperative, which promotes local ownership by acquiring and maintaining affordable residential and commercial properties, and through community art-making workshops. The library’s collections highlight themes of migration, labor struggles, and community resilience. Early in the semester, students visited the library to participate in an existing version of the walking tour they would later digitize. They also met with ESFL’s executive director to discuss the project’s goals, necessary steps, and intended audience.  This week’s Faculty in Focus is Michelle Chase, Periclean Faculty Leader and Associate Professor of History from Pace University.
In her course Modern Latin America, Professor Chase partnered with North American Congress in Latin America (NACLA) to provide students with hands-on experience in archival research. Students helped index and digitize photographs from NACLA’s extensive collection, which dates back to the 1960s and is housed at NYU’s Tamiment archive within Bobst library. Working in small groups, students created photo essays and identified, researched, and scanned select images. These student-curated photos were later featured on NACLA’s website, accompanying episodes of their podcast Under the Shadow. As higher education continues to navigate complex and heightened challenges, Project Pericles remains dedicated to equipping campuses with the tools and networks needed to promote civic engagement and democratic participation.
In that vein, we just recently returned from the AAC&U Annual Meeting, where the theme focused on reaffirming the public mission of higher education. We had the privilege of presenting two powerful sessions, connecting with fellow civic organizations to strengthen our collective impact, and engaging in sessions about civil dialogue, community engagement, high impact practices, and public trust. These discussions reinforced the importance of our shared work at this moment. During the conference’s opening session, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones reflected on the state of education, remarking, “This is a dark time to be in the business of enlightenment.” These words resonate deeply. As Sanda noted: These are not ordinary times and each of us must be extraordinary. We invite you to read more of Sanda’s reflections on Nikole Hannah-Jones’ opening night talk.  This week’s Faculty in Focus is Dr. Shayla Roberts, Assistant Professor and TESOL Coordinator, from Bethune-Cookman University in Florida.
As a Civic Engagement fellow on the Deliberative Dialogue track, Dr. Shayla Roberts creatively integrated Periclean resources into her fall 2024 course, “Principles & Issues in ESOL (English Speakers of Other Languages).” While this course traditionally focuses on preparing students to teach English as a second language, Roberts enriched the curriculum by facilitating a deliberative dialogue on educational challenges facing future generations, and inspiring college students to see the connections between these educational policies and voting. By embedding civic education into their professional journey, these aspiring educators are better equipped to foster a culture of democratic participation among their future students as they adapt to the language, culture, and civil society of the United States. The class discussion connected civic engagement with students’ professional roles as future educators. Dr. Roberts then prompted them to complete a reflective assignment on their personal and professional motivations for voting. Their responses—ranging from influencing leadership to amplifying their voices and values—demonstrated a deepened awareness of their civic responsibilities. Student Sarah Rucker shared, “As a future educator, I am voting for things like educational policies that will affect my career and my students as well… I have the right, the choice, the opportunity, and the power to vote for things that will affect me.” |
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