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The Periclean Progress E-Newsletter Volume 5, Issue 5 – March/April 2009 The Periclean Progress is a publication of Project Pericles, Inc., a not-for-profit organization that encourages and facilitates commitments by colleges and universities to include education for social responsibility and participatory citizenship as an essential part of their educational programs, in the classroom, on the campus, and in the community. National Office Announcements "D4D on the Road a Big Success": Project Pericles held 12 "D4D on the Road" workshops between September 26, 2008 and February 20, 2009 at 12 Periclean campuses. The final workshop was held at The New School on February 20 with students from Pace University and Wagner College joining students and faculty from The New School for a inter-campus program. More than 450 students, faculty, administrators, alumni, and community members from all 22 Periclean colleges and universities participated in a workshop. "D4D on the Road" was a six-hour training workshop designed to provide novice and seasoned political activists with the tools and tactics they need to get their message across to elected officials and the media. Workshop participants learned how to analyze federal and state legislation, contact their elected officials, the news media, and other community activists, and get involved in the democratic process. The workshops were led by Soapbox Consulting, a Washington, DC based organization headed by Christopher Kush, the author of The One-Hour Activist. Soapbox Consulting is a leading provider of training seminars, workshops, and lobby days for many national associations including the American Cancer Society, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the Human Rights Campaign and others. At the conclusion of the final workshop, students were asked for their comments on the workshop. One student from The New School said, "The workshop gives people the tools they need to be involved. People like me may have wanted to be involved in advocacy, but didn't know how. Now, I am certainly prepared." Following each workshop, we asked people to contact us if they took "an action" (i.e. volunteer for a political campaign, write a letter to an elected official, etc.) related to what they learned at the workshop. Here is a list of some of the actions that people took.
Project Pericles would like to thank the Spencer Foundation for funding the workshops, the faculty and administrators who hosted a workshop, the staff of Soapbox Consulting, and the students, faculty, administrators, alumni, and community members who completed a workshop. Periclean News Dean Julie Barchitta Passes Away: Dean Julia M. "Julie" Barchitta passed away on February 22, 2009 following a long battle with cancer. Julie had been a member of the Wagner College family since enrolling as an undergraduate in 1960. "Julia represented the best of Wagner: high professional achievement, a welcoming and inclusive personality, and a wonderful sense of humor," said Wagner College President Richard Guarasci. Dean Barchitta played in key role in designing the Debating for Democracy (D4D) program at Project Pericles and was strong supporter of civic engagement programs at Wagner College. The Project Pericles staff sends our condolences to her family, friends, and colleagues at Wagner College. A memorial service is scheduled in the Campus Hall Performing Center at Wagner College on April 24 at 10:00 am. Wagner College Program Featured in Chronicle of Higher Education: The Chronicle of Higher Education published a front-page story in its February, 27, 2009 issue on the Civic Innovations program at Wagner College. Civic Innovations, a strategic initiative, addresses needs of disadvantaged youth and is a collaboration between Wagner College and youth serving agencies on Staten Island. Civic Innovations promotes two program strategies: Community-Connected Departments (CCDs) and a Youth Advocacy Consortium (YAC). The model transforms college and community by implementing institutional and curricular changes that integrate service-learning pedagogy and civic engagement values, while utilizing college student and faculty expertise to enhance lives of disadvantaged youth. The model coordinates services and provides a means for community-based organizations to share resources and collaborate. A copy of the story can be viewed here. Pericleans on Corporation for National Service Honor Roll: The President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, launched in 2006, recognizes colleges and universities nationwide that support innovative and effective community service and service-learning programs. The Honor Roll's Presidential Award, given each year to a handful of institutions, is the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement. The Honor Roll is a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service, and is sponsored by the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation, the U.S. Departments of Education and Housing and Urban Development. Honorees for the award were chosen based on factors including scope and innovativeness of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service, and the extent to which the school offers academic service-learning courses. Overall, the Community Service Honor Roll awarded six schools with Presidential Awards. Eighty-three institutions were recognized as Honor Roll With Distinction members and 546 schools as Honor Roll members. Four Periclean colleges and universities (Berea College, Elon University, Macalester College, and Wagner College) were on the Honor Roll With Distinction and seven Periclean colleges and universities (Bethune-Cookman University, Occidental College, Pace University, Pitzer College, St. Mary's College of Maryland, Ursinus College, and Widener University) were on the Honor Roll. Chatham University Develops Partnership to Promote Energy Efficiency: One of Chatham University's sustained partnerships is with Pittsburgh's Conservation Consultants Inc. (CCI). CCI is one of the 25 largest non-medical non-higher education non-profits in Pittsburgh with a mission to help homeowners improve energy efficiency from the individual to neighborhood levels. Students at Chatham have prepared educational materials for CCI programs and helped staff informational booths at the Pittsburgh home show. CCI's educational program is working with Chatham's children's programming at their new Eden Hall Farm campus to design age-appropriate nature education. These connections have been infused into Chatham's curriculum through environmental studies and general education core classes. These efforts are coordinated by the Chatham University Sustainability office and students in related courses. Americorps Program Expands at Allegheny College: A collaborative project of Allegheny College, Edinboro University, Mercyhurst College and Gannon University, the Children and Youth AmeriCorps VISTA Project of Northwestern Pennsylvania was selected to represent Pennsylvania in VISTA's annual report this year."I was particularly honored that our project was selected to represent Pennsylvania because it's a testament to the hard work of our partnership schools over the past six years and especially of the initial work of Allegheny alumnae Rebecca Gebhart '03 and Rebekah Gayley '03, the two VISTAs who were the architects of the entire project," said David Roncolato, project director and director of community service and service learning at Allegheny. The project addresses physical and mental health issues of children and youth in poverty and their families or households; offers assistance to parents with a focus on intergenerational programs; fosters communication and collaboration among different age groups; and enhances curricular and co-curricular education for children and youth in poverty. Thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which includes $201 million in funding for the Corporation for National and Community Service, agencies and organizations in Erie and Crawford counties will be able to host 28 AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) workers, about a third more this year than they hosted last year. National Civic Engagement News U.S. Senate Passes National Service Legislation: The U.S. Senate approved a bill on March 27, 2009 that would greatly expand federally sponsored volunteer programs. Known as the Serve America Act, the bill would triple the number of AmeriCorp volunteers to 250,000 and boost the educational stipend they receive to meet President Barack Obama's goal of teaming community service with tuition assistance. It creates new "corps" focused on health care, clean energy, education, and disaster response. A coalition of over 190 organizations, including Project Pericles, put this issue on the national agenda and helped get this important legislation passed in the Senate. The House of Representatives previously approved the legislation, but will have to vote on it again because of several amendments. House leaders have said they will try to pass the bipartisan bill in early April and President Obama has promised to sign it. A March 27, 2009 editorial from the Wall Street Journal discussing the bill can be viewed here. To subscribe, email us at [email protected]. To submit Periclean-related information for publication, email us at [email protected]. "CLAIMING THE LEGACY OF PERICLES"® Periclean Colleges & Universities Allegheny College • Bates College • Berea College • Bethune-Cookman University • Carleton College • Chatham University • Dillard University • Drew University • Earlham College • Elon University • Goucher College • Hampshire College • Hendrix College • Macalester College • Morehouse College • New England College • The New School • Occidental College • Pace University • Pitzer College • Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute • Rhodes College • St. Mary's College of Maryland • Spelman College • Swarthmore College • Ursinus College • Wagner College • Widener University • The College of Wooster National Office Executive Director: Jan R. Liss Board of Directors Chair: Eugene M. Lang Presidents' Council Chair: Brian Rosenberg, Macalester College National Board of Advisors Co-Chairs: Sen. Nancy Kassebaum Baker & Hon. Kurt L. Schmoke The title "Project Pericles ®," and its embodiment in the Logo, are registered service marks of Project Pericles, Inc. All rights reserved. The Periclean Progress E-Newsletter Volume 5, Issue 4 – February 2009 The Periclean Progress is a publication of Project Pericles, Inc., a not-for-profit organization that encourages and facilitates commitments by colleges and universities to include education for social responsibility and participatory citizenship as an essential part of their educational programs, in the classroom, on the campus, and in the community. National Office Announcements Pericleans Attend AAC&U Conference in Seattle: From January 21-24, 46 representatives from 16 Periclean colleges and universities were in Seattle, Washington to attend the annual meeting of The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). Pericleans presented 19 panels on a wide range of topics. A list of all of these panels is available here. Details on two of the panels are below. "Engaging Science in Our Global Future: Project Pericles Civic Engagement Course (CEC) Grant Program" ™ Jan Liss, Executive Director of Project Pericles, moderated a panel of three Periclean faculty who received Civic Engagement Course Grants. Entitled "Engaging Science in Our Global Future: Project Pericles' Civic Engagement Course (CEC) Grant Program", the panel focused on science courses that encourage faculty to develop, teach, and evaluate courses that incorporate civic engagement. The session focused on pragmatics, challenges, and successes of curricular implementation. While global public policy issues are increasingly addressed in social science and humanities courses, it is rarer that science curricula incorporate the socio-economic, political, and scientific causes and implications. The panel - Adrian Hightower, Assistant Professor of Physics, Occidental College; Ammini Moorthy, Professor of Biology, Wagner College; and Caryl Waggett, Assistant Professor of Environmental Science, Allegheny College brought to life the excitement and possibilities of incorporating civic engagement in the science curriculum. The PDF of the presentation is available here. Dr. Hightower discussed developing and teaching the CEC course "Energy Conversions and Resources" that introduced students to the physics of energy conversion and its application to global energy resources. The students recognized and quantified energy conversion processes important to industrial societies and learned how to do energy audits for community partners. The success of the community engagement was measured by the degree to which community partners adopted recommendations of the student projects. Dr. Moorthy discussed the CEC course "The Ethical, Legal and Social Implications of the GENOME Project" that was co-created and co-taught with John Esser, an Associate Professor of Sociology and Anthropology at Wagner. This course examined the scientific concepts and basic research that underlie the decoding of the human genome and explored the resulting biomedical revolution that has created a need for answers to questions such as what we can and should do with genomic research. Students proposed alternative solutions and advocated their views in front of a critical audience. Dr. Waggett discussed the creation of a curriculum at Allegheny that has integrated environmental and public health issues into 46 Allegheny courses in 15 departments in the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. The curriculum was co-developed and co-taught in a unique four-course collaboration by Waggett and Ron Cole, Associate Professor of Geology; Melissa Comber, Assistant Professor of Public Policy; and Vesta Silva Assistant Professor of Communication Arts. Four courses - "Physical Geology", "Rhetoric and Civic Engagement", "Environmental Problem Solving", and "Health Policy" were taught concurrently by different faculty with different students. Throughout the semester students from the different classes would work together on projects and attend cross-course lectures. The faculty who presented represented three of the 44 grants that were given to faculty at 16 Periclean colleges and universities to develop, teach, and evaluate courses that incorporated civic engagement. Many thanks to The Christian A. Johnson Endeavor Foundation and the Teagle Foundation for supporting the 2007-2009 Project Pericles Civic Engagement Course (CEC) Grant Program. "Small Budgets, Big Impact: How to Leverage Networks, Partners, and Creativity for Major Project Success" Allyson Lowe, the Project Pericles Program Director at Chatham University, and Mary Whitney of Chatham led a session at AAC&U on the value of community partnerships for "creating meaningful experiences for students and the community with small budgets, while still having significant, purposeful impact." The workshop examined the challenges of balancing cost against outcome in the co-curricular arena. The session, entitled "Small Budgets, Big Impact: How to Leverage Networks, Partners, and Creativity for Major Project Success" used examples from Chatham's PA Center for Women Politics and Public Policy in creating and funding the Ready to be Heard Advocacy Training and securing a small grant with a community partner for this past autumn's Voice Your Vote electoral mobilization efforts in communities of young women of color. Periclean FocusIn January, students, faculty, administrators, and community members from all 22 Periclean colleges and universities came together in a variety of forums to watch the inauguration of President Barack Obama. In this month's Periclean Focus, we highlight five exciting inaugural activities that Pericleans undertook. Swarthmore College Hosts "Fireside Chat" During Inauguration: Eugene M. Lang Visiting Professor for Issues of Social Change Professor George Lakey and Associate Professor Cynthia Halpern hosted a "fireside chat" on January 28: "Why We Need a Vision and Why We Need a Theory: What Obama Needs to Know." With 40 students in attendance, Lakey and Halpern gave their perspectives on the value of theory and vision for figuring out where our country should go from here, and then turned the reigns of dialogue over to the students. Student questions included: Given that large strides were taken by previous generations in lifting gender, racial, and sexual oppression, what is the cutting edge for today's generation of young adults? Are young people inclined to believe that providing services will somehow accumulate to handle poverty, or are they open to working for structural change and the creation of justice? What is the role of spirituality in envisioning "change we can believe in?" Lakey said, "The discussion was wide-ranging and marked not by trying to reach one conclusion but rather enjoying the experience of varied angles. Some students said afterward that they said things [tonight that] they never find space to say otherwise." The Art of Presidential Persuasion: For his first-year seminar on the "art of presidential persuasion" Allegheny College philosophy instructor George Byrnes used the inauguration of President Barack Obama as a learning tool. His students reviewed President Obama's inaugural address several times in relation to President Kennedy's inaugural address during an in-class discussion and reviewed a series of forum postings. Student discussions ranged from questions of content (e.g. should President Obama address the issue of terrorism in his speech?), to selecting from the advice of former presidential speechwriters (based on a New York Times article), to identifying ways that presidents define political reality through analogy or dissociation (based on concepts in a scholarly article), to performing a keyword analysis to identify rhetorical patterns or their absence. The goal of the seminar is to develop the written and oral communication skills of freshmen, with an emphasis on persuasive communication in an academic context. Pace at the Inauguration: Professor Christopher Malone and 10 Pace University students took part in the Washington Center's Presidential Inauguration Seminar from January 10-21, 2009. This ten-day academic seminar provided a backstage view into the Presidential Inauguration and focused on the newly elected president and the formation of a new executive administration and the role of the media. Participants delved into the critical issues and events that surrounded the transfer of power and the political processes involved. They learned how the nation's newly elected leaders are responding to the results of the 2008 presidential and congressional elections. The seminar featured a combination of lectures, site visits, tours, and special events. Among these events was a reception at the U.S Chamber of Commerce with Bob Schieffer of CBS News and a performance by political humorist Mark Russell for program participants, alumni, and other friends and supporters of The Washington Center. Inauguration Watch at Widener: The Political Engagement Committee at Widener Universitysponsored an Inauguration Watch event. Over 350 viewers spread out across three dedicated viewing rooms to watch the inauguration. Four hundred additional students, faculty and staff members were able to watch the inauguration on the large screen televisions in the main cafeteria. Committee members developed and distributed educational materials at each venue filled with facts about inaugural history and questions to facilitate personal reflection and promote discussion. One highlight of the day took place in Lathem Hall, where over 100 Widener students and staff were joined to watch the inauguration by more than 100 third and fourth-grade students from the Widener Charter School and another local elementary school. The inauguration watch events received media coverage from Philly.Com. Wagner Students Attend Inauguration: Approximately 50 Wagner students attended the inauguration. As a follow-up, the Project Pericles program at Wagner College hosted an event on campus called "Assessing the Obama administration: What We Can Expect in Polity Changes." The first part of the event involved several students talking about their experience at the inauguration. The second part focused on a discussion of domestic and international policy changes. Political Science Professors Douglas Haugen and Patricia Moynagh, the Project Pericles Program Director at Wagner, moderated the event. Periclean News Rebecca Chopp Named New President of Swarthmore: Rebecca S. Chopp, president of Colgate University since 2002, will become the new president of Swarthmore College. Chopp will take over the Presidency from Al Bloom, who is leaving to run New York University's new campus in Abu Dhabi. President Bloom has been Swarthmore's president since 1991. Jonathan Veitch Named New President of Occidental College: Jonathan Veitch has been selected by the Occidental College Board of Trustees as Occidental's 15th president. He succeeds Robert A. Skotheim, who will retire on June 30. Veitch served five years as dean of Eugene Lang College: The New School for Liberal Arts in New York City, where he is currently an associate professor of literature and history. Prior to his service as dean (2003-08), Veitch served as the associate provost and chair of humanities at The New School, of which Lang College is a part. Richard Guarasci Recognized By President Clinton: Former U.S. President Bill Clinton recognized Wagner College President Richard Guarasci at the second annual Clinton Global Initiative University. Wagner was cited for the Port Richmond Partnership, an innovative program that will focus the school's community resources in an effort to improve the quality of life in a Staten Island neighborhood. According to Clinton, the Port Richmond Partnership builds upon "Wagner's extensive expertise and leadership in education and citizenship." (Wagner has been also named three times to the President's Community Service Honor Roll). Clinton added that the Partnership will help to provide services to a community that is bearing the brunt of today's economic crisis."It is an honor that the work we are doing here on Staten Island, in order to be good neighbors within this community, has been recognized with so many other meaningful commitments to service," said Guarasci. "This is a humbling recognition." The Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) meeting was held February 13-15, 2009 at The University of Texas at Austin. CGI U builds on the successful model of the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting to engage college students and administrators to make commitments to address global issues with practical, innovative solutions. Swarthmore and Widener Partner on College Access Center in Deleware County: Cynthia Jetter'74, director of community partnerships at Swarthmore's Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility, is a driving force behind the creation of a new center in Chester, Pennsylvania. that will provide free resources for students who are interested in pursuing their college education. "This is a personal thing for me," says Jetter, who grew up in Chester and attended Swarthmore after becoming one of the first participants in the College's Upward Bound program. "We can be a facilitator and warehouse for information. The diversity of resources we can bring is unique." The Center, the first initiative of the Chester Higher Education Council, provides everything from college and career awareness and study skills development to tutoring, mentoring, and assisting high school seniors and their parents with the college financial aid process. It is anticipated that it will serve 1,000 youths and adults in its first year through school-based programs, and at community workshops held at the center and at neighborhood sites. The Council is a nonprofit organization formed by the presidents of Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, Delaware County Community College, Neumann College, Penn State Brandywine, Swarthmore College, and Widener University. In addition, the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania will provide $100,000 in funding for the Center's first year of operation. "The generosity of the schools is overwhelming," adds Jetter, who will devote 25 percent of her time to overseeing the Center. "We've all been doing this work separately for years. This brings everything together in one place." St. Mary's Recognized as Greenest College in Maryland: In recognition of St. Mary's College of Maryland's commitment to green building initiatives and environmental leadership, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) have cited the college for innovative, sustainable environmental practices and leadership in building design. St. Mary's College of Maryland is the only college in Maryland to receive the EPA Green Power Leadership Club award and the first four-year residential college in Maryland to be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified. Awards from both organizations were presented to President Maggie O'Brien at a State House alumni reception in Annapolis. St. Mary's Polar Bear Plunge: St. Mary's College of Maryland (SMCM) students, faculty, and staff plunged into the 39 degree St. Mary's River during this year's Third Polar Bear Plunge on February 12. The annual Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC) sponsored event at the college produced even more environmentalists this year in an effort to raise awareness about climate change, bringing out over 150 swimmers and one student wearing a polar bear costume. Nearly 200 observers cheered on the participants as they swam in the cold waters. This year, SEAC raised thousands of dollars in donations to send SMCM students to PowerShift '09 in Washington, D.C., the national youth summit committed to solving the climate crisis. PowerShift '09 aims to bring together more than ten thousand youth leaders from across the country in order to share ideas, learn new skills, make connections, and establish a national voice against global warming. Last year, over fifty St. Mary's students attended Powershift. Conferences and Fellowships The 15th Annual Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU) conference, hosted by Widener University from October 11-13, 2009, will focus on "Building Community Resiliency: The Role of University Leadership." The term "distressed" is frequently used in describing the urban environments in which many metropolitan universities are situated. This conference will explore how universities can promote a strengths-based approach to partnering with their communities to nurture community resiliency. Community resiliency depends on social capital, as well as the interactions and engagement among community members to achieve common goals. This conference will provide a forum for faculty, students, and administrators to share ideas, experiences, and recommendations about the leadership role that metropolitan universities can assume in promoting community resiliency. The meeting will include plenary sessions, paper presentations, special topic panels, roundtables, poster sessions and student presentations on a wide range of topics including: strengths-based approaches; educational infrastructure; environmental threats and remediation; wellness and public health; social capital; economic/business development; and impact assessment. Proposal Submission Guidelines: Individuals may submit proposals for paper presentations, panel discussions, or poster displays. Consistent with the conference theme, the content should relate to institutional commitments by urban and metropolitan universities to drive progress in their regional communities. Complete information about proposal submissions can be viewed here. Submission deadline: April 17, 2009 Jenzabar Foundation Announces Call for Nominations for Higher Education Student Leadership Awards The Jenzabar Foundation has announced its second annual Student Leadership Awards. The awards will recognize seven student groups -- and their respective leaders -- that have demonstrated a commitment to making a difference through community service and/or humanitarian endeavors either in the United States or globally. The 2009 Student Leadership Awards will provide grants in recognition of achievements in the following categories: local community support to individuals or groups that are underserved by existing community resources; international humanitarian efforts; campus ministry programs that reach beyond campus boundaries; education outreach to groups or individuals not enrolled in the institution; environmental protection, natural resource management, alternative energy promotion or climate/habitat awareness; health care provision or awareness; and issue advocacy targeted to local, state, or federal governments. Nominations are open for students enrolled in an accredited institution of higher education and can be submitted by individuals, educational institutions, or nonprofit organizations that have produced work consistent with the foundation's mission to recognize and support the good works and humanitarian efforts of student leaders serving others across the globe. Criteria and nomination process information are available at the Jenzabar Foundation Web site. Submission deadline: March 29, 2009 The Periclean Progress is issued each month during the academic year and is posted on the Project Pericles website. To subscribe, email us at [email protected]. To submit Periclean-related information for publication, email us at [email protected]. "CLAIMING THE LEGACY OF PERICLES"® Periclean Colleges & Universities Allegheny College • Bates College • Berea College • Bethune-Cookman University • Carleton College • Chatham University • Dillard University • Drew University • Earlham College • Elon University • Goucher College • Hampshire College • Hendrix College • Macalester College • Morehouse College • New England College • The New School • Occidental College • Pace University • Pitzer College • Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute • Rhodes College • St. Mary's College of Maryland • Spelman College • Swarthmore College • Ursinus College • Wagner College • Widener University • The College of Wooster National Office Executive Director: Jan R. Liss Board of Directors Chair: Eugene M. Lang Presidents' Council Chair: Brian Rosenberg, Macalester College National Board of Advisors Co-Chairs: Sen. Nancy Kassebaum Baker & Hon. Kurt L. Schmoke The title "Project Pericles ®," and its embodiment in the Logo, are registered service marks of Project Pericles, Inc. All rights reserved. |
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