ACADEMIC COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
GRANT BRINGS ADVANCES TO WVU
SERVICE-LEARNING
West Virginia University Center for Service and Learning awards grants for two service-learning courses; one grant to Public Health and one grant to Leadership Studies.
The Academic Community Engagement (ACE) grant awards $1000 for the supplies needed to work towards a proposed project in partnership with a community organization in which the service-learning courses collaborate.
“Just as the focus of service-learning is to place equal priority on the community’s needs and the students’ learning needs, the grant also places an equal focus on the value of best practices in service-learning pedagogy to support transformative learning for students and the development of collaborative relationships designed to have a lasting impact on community,” said Lindsey Rinehart, ACE Coordinator for the Center for Service and Learning.
The collaboration of a public health course, taught by Dr. Elizabeth Claydon, with Pantry Plus More, and a leadership studies course, taught by Dr. Cheyenne Luzynski, with Milan Puskar Health Right were the best fits for the goals of this grant this year.
West Virginia University Awarded the Only Bike Friendly College Campus in West Virginia
Placing bike racks at West Virginia University (WVU) was only the beginning of this public health and environmental initiative.
In October, WVU was awarded the first college campus in the state of West Virginia to be bike-friendly. This award was also new to the city of Morgantown.
There are so many benefits to riding a bicycle on campus; bike racks can be found closer to buildings than parking spots, the opportunity to use the rail trail between the Evansdale and Downtown campus, and it is much faster than riding the bus or the PRT.
Since the campus received the award, advances are still being made as bicyclist and pedestrian safety is a major issue in Morgantown. Signage, lane markings, rack standards and bicyclist safety education programs are steps in the right direction for this cause.
Those interested in learning more about bike-safety in Morgantown, visit WVU Transportation and Parking for more information.
WVU students and faculty are also encouraged to register their bicycles with University Police in the case of a lost/stolen bike.
To read more about bike-friendly campus award, visit Mountaineer E-News for more information.
/Engagement Resources
Call for Papers
Special Issue: Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement
Topic: Challenges and Promises of Community Engagement Scholarship Academy of Community Engagement Scholarship
The Academy of Community Engagement Scholarship (ACES) is composed of community and higher education scholars. ACES is planning a Special Issue of the Journal of Higher Education and Outreach that will focus on contemporary challenges of community engagement scholarship (CES) and the promises it holds for addressing complex problems in society. The editors of the special issue are particularly interested in papers that illustrate the potential and reality of how CES impacts such problems when approached through community and higher education partnerships.
We invite the following types of papers: essays that illustrate thought provoking examination of current issues related to community-higher education engagement that are anchored in the literature; research articles; and "practice stories from the field" that describe the collaborative processes and outcomes of CES. The focus of the papers should include one or more of these three core domains of CES:
Knowledge Capital. Knowledge comes from many sources and we acquire it in different ways. How does this understanding of knowledge inform the co-creation of new knowledge through CES
The Practice of Community Engagement Scholarship. CES is a shared responsibility between diverse stakeholders that involves addressing power dynamics and engaging in reflective/reflexive practices. What practices create strong partnerships that support the co-creation of new solutions to existing problems?
The Politics of Community Engagement. Community engagement initiatives and their outcomes are fraught with politics. These initiatives become vehicles for social and political change. How are community engagement initiatives and their outcomes impacted by politics, policies and practices within communities and higher education? How have community engagement initiatives changed socio-political relationships?
When and Where to Submit
Abstracts must be received by January 26 at 5:00pm EST. Please send a cover email that includes the corresponding author and a word document with the abstract, title, authors and corresponding author's contact information to Theodore R. Alter (tra2@psu.edu).