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Vol. 5, Issue 6, October 4, 2023

Melissa Calabrese |

Blue and Yellow logo: West Virginia University Center for Community Engagement

ACADEMIC COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT NEWSLETTER

Volume 5, Issue 6

October 4, 2023
 
The WVU Center for Community Engagement (CCE) aims to leverage university knowledge and resources to support effective partnerships with communities that enhance discovery through community-engaged teaching, scholarship, and action. The Center supports faculty, staff, and students in working with external partners to meet reciprocal and mutually beneficial needs and advance WVU’s land grant mission.
    / New Public Land Grant Designation
West Virginia University recently earned the Innovation and Economic Prosperity Designation through the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities. During this rigorous process, the community partnerships created through WVU Extension Services were highlighted as areas for talent and innovation throughout West Virginia. Extension Dean, Jorge Atiles , co-led the WVU effort and application process to strengthen the University's long-term commitment to community-engaged practices.
 
Learn more about the Innovation and Economic Prosperity Designation and application process:

/ CCE Impact Report 
Included in this image are nine data blocks in a variety of WVU approved colors. The following data is highlighted " 108,916 hours served in the community, 300+ organizations that use student volunteers, 1.6 Million impact value, 4000+ active student volunteers, 80 service-learning courses taught, 662 community needs met by students, 87 capus and community partners, 23 students placed in P2A, 2 AmeriCorps VISTAs placed throughout the state.
The Center for Community Engagement's 2022-2023 Impact Report offers highlights from our work with faculty staff, students, and community partners this past year. 
    / Service-Learning  Spotlight 
BIO 101 with Dr. Jennifer Stueckle, Engaged Scholar 
This semester, students enrolled in Dr. Jennifer Stueckle 's Biology 101 course are actively connecting with their local community through STEM education outreach efforts. Elementary students are involved in hands-on, project-based learning experiences held in outdoor classrooms where they explore ecosystems and assess habitat conditions by conducting water testing. Remarkably, nearly 20 local schools have benefitted from this program by receiving trout eggs as part of Stueckle's service-learning initiative. 
    / Academic Community Engagement Series
Community Engagement and the Socio-Economic Model
Community Engagement and the Socio-Economic Model
Thursday, October 26, 2023 | 1:00 - 1:45 p.m. (EST)
Learn more and Register:   ACE Series
    / National Voter Education Week
The CCE is joining partners nationwide for National Voter Education Week (NVEW) this week, October 2nd-6th! This is a week of action and celebration of voting that brings joy to the democratic process while helping communities make their voices heard by equipping them with the tools, information, and confidence they need to cast their ballots.

Please encourage students and colleagues to 1) register to vote and 2) make a plan to vote.  
    / WVU Community Opportunities
Research Skills -WVU Libraries Workshop Series
WVU Libraries Research Commons will host several online workshops in October geared towards a variety of academic and professional levels. Increase knowledge and skill levels on research and data management programs through interactive online and in-person workshops. 

Teach for OLLI at West Virginia University
Are you interested in imparting knowledge to lifelong learners? The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at WVU is seeking volunteer instructors and presenters for the upcoming semesters via in-person or Zoom. Designated for older adults, OLLI offers non-credit classes in the arts, sciences, and humanities.
Proposal deadlines: Winter Term: Oct. 2, 2023 | Spring Term: Jan. 2, 2024

Getting through: Healthcare Worker Resilience in West Virginia 
The Neal Museum, a unit of WVU Libraries, is seeking stories and objects for an exhibit highlighting the community work and efforts of healthcare professionals and support staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. 
Proposal deadline: November 1, 2023
    / Academic Community Engagement Consultations
The Center for Community Engagement (CCE) works with faculty, instructors, staff, and graduate students within all disciplines to design or refine community engaged courses, programs, and reasearch.  The CCE is a resource hub; we aim to support your efforts in shaping impactful experiences for your students and partners.   

Considerations include:
  • Adding community-engaged learning to your course
  • Designating your academic community engagement course as a  WVU service-learning course
  • Assessment of Student Learning
  • Seeking assistance with community connections
You're invited to schedule a conversation with the Academic Community Engagement team.
.
    / AmeriCorps Member Spotlight 
Arden Minor, Extension's Communication VISTA 
Photo of Arden with a thumbs up. Video equipment including a green screen and light behind her.
Portrait of Arden with glasses and a smile.
What was your background before AmeriCorps?
 
I grew up in Weirton, West Virginia, but moved to Morgantown, WV, about 10 years ago
before I started 7th grade. I went to Morgantown High School and then started at WVU in  2019. I graduated with a degree in Interactive Design for Media with a minor in public relations in May 2023. After graduating, I joined AmeriCorps VISTA.

What is the overview of your role?

I serve as the multimedia VISTA for WVU Extension Communications. During my undergrad, I served as the multimedia student worker for WVU Extension Communications. I was brought into that role because of my background and skills in video editing/production. I started in that role in April of 2022. My role with AmeriCorps VISTA is the same. I help produce videos for extension communication. production includes planning, setting up /tearing down, filming and editing. I also create motion graphics for these projects and others as needed.

Why did you join AmeriCorps?

After graduation, I felt like my time at WVU extension wasn't completed. The opportunity arose for me to continue my work as a full-time VISTA and I jumped on it. I love being able to serve the state that I was born and raised in and support WVU Extension; I was a lifelong 4-Her so being able to serve the state from this side as well is an incredible experience.

What has been your favorite activity or accomplishment since starting your service?

I love our work with Energy Express. I visited my first Energy Express site Last Summer, shortly after starting as a VISTA, and was blown away by the support it provides for local children. I knew it was a summer literacy program, but I didn’t know the scope or that it was also a free resource for parents to be able to feed their children and provide childcare during the summer months. I don't work with Energy Express often, but I do help with the Energy Express television show and I love being able to help provide educational content to children around West Virginia.
AmeriCorps West Virginia logo, blue and white
    / AmeriCorps
AmeriCorps VISTAs assist with building capacity and supporting the mission of host sites.  AmeriCorps VISTA members use their skills to develop, enhance, and sustain engagement programs.

VISTA members are awarded to West Virginia University, WVU Beckley, WVU Keyser, and Extension Service departments, colleges, and programs, including non-academic departments and programs.

Go to the Center for Community Engagement - AmeriCorps website to learn more about open positions or to become a host site.
 
/ iServe Support

WVU Faculty, staff, students, and community partners may schedule a 1:1 iServe consultation for personalized support with navigating the special features of WVU's volunteer management system.  Book your appointment by emailing iserve@mail.wvu.edu. 
 
/ Community Outreach  and Resources

Strong community partnerships take time to develop. Jumpstart your Community Engaged course or project by contacting the Center for Community Engagement today!
We gathered some innovative external opportunities to inform and support your community engagement work, and to share your perspective on important topics.
    / Books and Reviews
Preparing Students to Engage in Equitable Community Partnerships 
Elizabeth A. Tryon, Haley C. Madden, and Cory Sprinkel
This new publication provides a wealth of valuable resources and activities to help impart ideas of identity, privilege, oppression, bias, and power dynamics to best support students and communities in these relationships. Believing that authenticity only comes about in an atmosphere of mutual respect and self-awareness, the authors argue for cultural and intellectual humility. 
 
Preparing Students to Engage in Equitable Community Partnerships is a much-needed, comprehensive resource for community-engaged professionals as they prepare students for building relationships when entering a community for learning or research purposes. 

Call for Book Reviews
Michigan Journal of Community Service-Learning 
The MJCSL invites book reviews of recent (published within the last five years) literature about service-learning and community-based research that describes a work's content and approach and examines how the work can be applied to pedagogy, practice, and policy. 
    / Grants and Awards
HOPE VI Main Street Program Grant 
The Hope VI Main Street Program provides grants to communities smaller than 50,000 in population to assist in the renovation of a historic, traditional central business district, or "Main Street" area by replacing unused, obsolete, commercial space in buildings with affordable housing units. Eligible applicants under this NOFO are county governments, city or township governments, and special district governments. 
Submit by: October 12, 2023

Socio-Environmental Knowledge Commons Project Fellowship
SEEKCommons Fellowship is an initiative to bring graduate students and early career researchers with new perspectives and voices to socio-environmental research with open technologies.  Priority will be given to potential fellows with a localized project focus. The dataset fellows work with should have significance to their community/partner communities. 
Applications due: October 15, 2023

NIH Community Partnerships to Advance Science for Society (ComPASS) Health Equity Research Hubs
The ComPASS Program is intended to make greater advances in promoting health and preventing disease among disproportionately impacted populations. This program is transformative in its focus on structural health equity interventions given the evidenced impact of structural inequities and health outcomes. 
Submit by: October 23, 2023
Campus Compact Impact Award Applications Open
The Campus Compact Impact Awards are awarded each year to outstanding faculty community engagement professionals and campuses that have demonstrated transformational leadership in pursuit of the public purpose of higher education. Individuals may nominate others for the wards or submit applications on their own behalf.
Applications due October 25, 2023 

Nadinne Cruz Community Engagement Professional Award
Celebrating the ethical leadership and advocacy demonstrated by higher education community engagement professionals.
Nominations and applications due by October 25, 2023

Thomas Ehrlich Civically Engaged Faculty Award
Recognizing senior faculty for exemplary engaged scholarship.
Nominations and applications due by October 25, 2023

Ernest A. Lynton Award for the Scholarship of Engagement
Recognizing full-time, pre-tenure faculty who connect their teaching, research, and service to community engagement.
Nominations and applications due by October 25, 2023
 
Smart and Connected Communities (S&CC)
The S&CC program supports integrated research that addresses fundamental technological and social science dimensions of smart and connected communities and pilots' solutions together with communities. 
Proposals Accepted by: April 1, 2024
    / Events, Workshops, and Conferences

Stepping into the Work: Expanding Understanding of Global Positionality, Responsibility, and Opportunity
hosted by the Collaborative Institute at Haverford College
November 9 - 11, 2023

Place-Based Education Conference
hosted by The Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative
November 9 - 11, 2023

West Virginia Rural Health Conference: Lighting the Way for Rural Health
hosted by WVRHA
November 15 - 17, 2023

Community-Engaged Learning in the Classroom; Rubrics, Reflections, and Resources
This session will discuss creative examples, strategies for grading, and best practices for leading students to reflect upon and make meaning of their community-engaged learning experiences. 
December 6, 2023  l 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. (EST)

Winter '24 Institute on Teaching Social Action
Bonner Foundation
Application due Dec. 15, 2023
January 3 - 5, 2024
    / Requests For Proposals

Ongoing or General Call for Proposals
Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning
MJCSL is seeking lively and original articles on research, theory pedagogy, and other issues pertinent to civic engagement, campus-community partnerships, curriculum-based and co-curricular service learning, and (d) engaged/public scholarship in higher education. 

Civic Science for Transformative Policy Solutions for Societal Challenges
Journal of Science Policy & Governance (JSPG), Sigma Xi and the Rita Allen Foundation 
This Special Issue will promote the concept of civic science to broad audiences, provide a platform for emerging leaders in civic science to showcase the policy implications of their work, and elevate policies needed to advance civic science initiatives to serve society. 
Submission deadline: October 29, 2023

Experiential Learning and Teaching in Higher Education
For its two issues of 20,24,  ELTHE  seeks articles that develop broad, actionable definitions of experiential learning.  See the latest  call for peer-reviewed articles  for details.
To be included in the April 2024 issue: Submit by November 1, 2023
To be included in the November 2024 issue: Submit by May 1, 2024

    / Share Award and Publication Notifications

Have you received notice that your community-engaged project will be funded?  Was your community-engaged scholarship shared in a journal or at a conference?

 Congratulations! Share the news with us at  serveandlearn@mail.wvu.edu
We want to help amplify your community-engaged work! 
Yellow and blue flyer with a blue hand holding a phone. Text includes: Attention Engaged Scholars. Do you have an inspirational story involving community partners? Share your story with us! WVU Center for Community Engagement logo.
Please share your story by emailing serveandlearn@mail.wvu.edu or by
filling out this Qualtrics form:  https://wvu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2gfaFOE62FiFfQq

The Center for Community Engagement team members are committed to:

  • Facilitating faculty and academic staff   in integrating civic and community engagement experiences seamlessly into their coursework, research, and programs.
  • Empowering students   to actively participate in positive change by providing opportunities for social action, leadership development, and meaningful engagement with civic and community initiatives.
  • Cr eating connections   between community organizations and dedicated students, faculty, and staff who share a common goal of promoting positive social change
Did you receive this Academic Community Engagement Newsletter from someone else? You can subscribe here . 
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