​The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations awards $300,000 to Project Pericles

​We are thrilled that The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations (AVDF) has awarded $300,000 to Project Pericles to support a new Periclean Faculty Leadership (PFL)™ Program in STEM and Social Sciences.

In collaboration with community partners, Periclean Faculty Leaders (PFLs) will create new courses across STEM and Social Sciences that incorporate community-based projects addressing grand challenges: Climate Change, Education Access, Immigration, Mass Incarceration, Public Health, Race and Inequality, and Voter Engagement.

In this critical time for our democracy, students are looking for ways to make a difference in society. PFL courses not only incorporate traditional course content, but also teach students how they can use their academic knowledge to address an issue faced by the community. This is an excellent opportunity to support and empower faculty on your campus and demonstrate the relevancy of STEM and Social Sciences in addressing real-world issues.
 
This grant complements our $500,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support the PFL Program in the Humanities. With Mellon supporting PFLs in the Humanities and AVDF supporting STEM and Social Sciences, we now have a robust program that will affect Pericleans, their communities, and higher education more generally for years to come.
 
The AVDF grant will support two cohorts totaling 38 PFLs specifically focused on integrating civic engagement and community-based learning into STEM and Social Sciences. Colleges will receive $4,000 for each Periclean Faculty Leader to support the development of courses to be taught in Spring 2021, Fall 2021, and/or Spring 2022.

In addition to designing, evaluating, and teaching a new or significantly revised course in collaboration with the community, the PFLs engage in peer mentoring and support faculty on their campus and on other campuses; encourage community-based work among their colleagues in STEM and Social Sciences and other disciplines; promote civic engagement locally through campus/community events; and advance public scholarship through publications and conference presentations. Faculty development will be focused at the individual, departmental, and institutional levels. Students will develop the skills necessary to be life-long civically engaged and socially responsible citizens.
 
We are looking forward to working with our campuses on this exciting opportunity.