Periclean Faculty Leaders advance public scholarship at AAC&U

Project Pericles presented two energizing panels “Creating Curricula, Empowering Communities” and “Collaborating for a Healthy Democracy” at The American Association of Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) 2023 Annual Meeting held in San Francisco January 18-20. With both a 75-minute and a 60-minute panel, an honor to have two chosen by the AAC&U’s selective process. This was a valuable opportunity to share the incredible work of nine Periclean Faculty Leaders–each of whom develop innovative curricula that create experiences that equip students to transform our political and social landscape. 

​Each PFL taught an innovative course addressing a need identified by a community partner in addition to one of society’s grand challenges: Climate Change, Economic Justice, Education Access, Immigration, Mass Incarceration, Public Health, Race and Inequality, and Voter Engagement. Five faculty were Mellon Periclean Faculty Leaders in the Humanities and four were Arthur Vining Davis Foundations Periclean Faculty Leaders in STEM and Social Sciences. PFLs develop innovative curricula that create experiences that equip students to transform our political and social landscape.  The sessions had a uniquely wide breadth, featuring faculty from nine institutions and highlighting two major Periclean initiatives: The Periclean Faculty Leadership (PFL) Program™ and Periclean Civic Engagement Resources. 

​The first panel was “Creating Curricula, Empowering Communities” and highlighted new community engagement courses offered at various Periclean campuses. The faculty presenters included Ian Carbone (Associate Professor in Department of Environmental Science and Sustainability at Allegheny College), Nancy Dixon (Associate Professor and Program Coordinator of English at Dillard University), Stephen Haynes (Professor of Religious Studies and Director of the Liberal Arts in Prison Program at Rhodes College), and Minjoon Kouh (Professor of Physics and Neuroscience at Drew University), and Kaitlyn Patia (Assistant Professor of Rhetoric, Writing, & Public Discourse at Whitman College).

“Collaborating for a Healthier Democracy,” was the second PFL panel. Presenters included Stephanie Kelley-Romano (Assistant Professor in the Department of Theater and Rhetoric at Bates College), Sandy Marshall (Associate Professor of Geography at the Department of History and Geography at Elon University), Sabrina Stierwalt (Assistant Professor of Physics at Occidental College), Kathleen Yep (Professor of Asian American Studies at Pitzer College). Arielle del Rosario, Associate Director of Project Pericles facilitated each of the panels.

This is makes it the 17th year in a row Project Pericles has presented at AAC&U. We thank our funders: The PFL program is supported by the Mellon Foundation, The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, and The Eugene M. Lang Foundation.  ​For more information about the PFL program, please visit our programs page.