Faculty and Staff
Community Partnerships
CBLR Curriculum Council &
CBLR Course Designation
Civic Engagement Advisory Committee
Support for Faculty and Departments
Additional Programs
CBLR Resources
Since its establishment in 1993, the Center for Civic Engagement has worked to support faculty and students in their effort to integrate academic study with responsible engagement and activism. Focusing academic resources on pressing social, environmental, economic, and civic issues links campuses to communities in a dynamic partnership that enhances students’ educational experiences and assists community-based groups, grassroots associations, organizations, non-profit and for profit businesses in their vital work. The Center assists academic departments and individual faculty in engaging their students in community- based problem solving and supports faculty scholarship in the areas of community-based learning and research. In addition, the Center supports student leadership, activism, and volunteerism through AmeriCorps scholarships, off-campus federal work study placements, community-based internships, and provides information through support of the Volunteer Central database.
While there are various ways for students to become civically engaged, to be simultaneously engaged in forms of community service and civic action while critically reflecting on related curricular content is the best path to the kind of responsible, democratic involvement the entire liberal arts agenda in education espouses. The most effective teaching method to prepare students to become active, responsible citizens is community-based learning and research (service learning) because it exposes students to the complex issues and needs of the larger society, engages them in addressing those needs through a variety of actions and problem solving strategies, and links classroom learning with the conditions and contexts of the real world. While every course taught at Fort Lewis will not include a civic component, it is imperative that the overall academic experience of students be conducted within a reflective-active and civically oriented environment. Additionally, it is essential that an ethic of citizenship and civic engagement permeate the extra-curricular/co-curricular culture of student life as well as the curricular.
The Strategy advocated by the Fort Lewis College Center for Civic Engagement staff has been based on the national Engaged Department philosophy. Under this philosophy, the academic departments and the faculty have maximum control of civic education since they define civic engagement in terms of the culture and public mission with regard to their academic fields and situate the work of engagement in the academic course offerings, field internships, and practica to best fit the department’s course sequencing, faculty interests, and student learning goals. The Center also recognizes the value of extra-curricular voluntary service and civic efforts in preparing students for the common good, and endorses the Civic Engagement Transcript as a record of meaningful curricular and co-curricular civic efforts.
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Community Partnerships
Please watch this link for information about selected community partnership opportunities. For complete information about opportunities that exist for collaboration with our community, please contact Center for Civic Engagement staff. It is most effective to foster partnerships through dialogue around your specific course learning goals and project requirements.
La Plata County Compass- The County seeks to partner with FLC faculty and students to work on projects related to the County’s new strategic plan. Areas of interest include: economic vitality, sustainable development, transportation, healthy natural environment, organizational excellence, and thriving families and healthy communities. Please contact Michelle Bonanno in the Center for Civic Engagement for more information.
Durango Nature Studies- DNS seeks Volunteer Naturalists to teach children about nature as well as the science of flora, fauna, and natural history of the area. For more information, please contact Sally at 970-382-9244 ext. 3.
9-R School District Kid's Kamp after-school program- The 9-R school district is looking for dedicated, fun studetns who can spend at least one hour per week for at least one month sharing their talents with k-5th graders in the Kid's Kamp after-school program. Please contact Kathryn Kauppi 749-7565 for more information.
San Juan Mountains Assosiation Family Stewardship Project- In this program, families work together to monitor historic an prehistoric archaeological sites. Families work together to learn the protocals and procedures of site stewardship. Please contact Diane McBride 970-560-1643 for more information.
Del Alma- The Durango Educational Alliance for Multicultural Echievement offers partnership opportunities in at the elementary, middle and high school level including lesson implementation and design, fund-raising, dance, photography, and special event coordination. Del Alma Opportunities Please contact Lisette 382-9693 for more information.
4CORE- The Four Corners OFfcie for Resrouce Efficiency is looking for individual student interns and community-based course collaboration in areas of research, marketing, event planning, climate action, web design and community outreach. 4CORE Opportunities Please contact Teresa Steely 259-1916 for more information.
Mountain Studies Institute- MSI is offering two paid positions for FLC students. MSI Opportunities Please contact Koren Nydick nydick_k@fortlewis.edu for more information.
Southern Ute Water Quality Project- Looking for biology, botany and chemistry students to perform identification of wetland flora and fauna and also to help conduct analysis for pesticides, herbicides, and pharmaceuticals in the water column; engineering and geology students to provide assistance in completing GIS mapping, hydrology and soils analysis; political science students to work on environmental codes; education or environmental studies students to develop educational outreach programs to present environmental protection issues to local schools and community members. Contact Michiko Burns 970-563-0135, mburns@southern-ute.nsn.us
Medicine Horse- This equine assisted therapy center is interested in interns to assist with horses and with counseling clients. Internship Description. Contact: Trish Lemke, Programs Director - 749-3934 or email info@medicinehorsecenter.org
Colorado Wild- This small, nonprofit conservation group is looking for students to help research and publish the Ski Area Environmental Scorecard. Internship Description Contact Paul Joyce 385-9833.
Cadence Therapeutic Riding- This equine assisted therapy center is looking for students to assist in several areas of program development and implementation including marketing, fundraising and volunteer recruitment. Contact Ron Tyner: 247-2724.
Companeros- This grassroots Latino and immigrant rights group is seeking student interns to work on human rights issues. The internships include community organizing training from the Center for Community Change. Two internship opportunities are available: Native American Internship and End Oppression Internship. Contact Eddie Soto 375-9406 or companeros@frontier.net for more information.
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CBLR Curriculum Council
Charge
The CBLR Curriculum Council encourages and facilitates the development of academically rigorous and civically conscious curriculum. The Council seeks to advance the work of faculty who are engaging their students in knowledge production and responsible application of that knowledge for the common good. The Council has developed criteria for CBLR course designation and will apply those criteria in review and approval of CBLR coursework. During the course review process, the Council will work to ensure that approved coursework models best practices in the area of community-based learning and research while also carefully considering disciplinary goals and outcomes and the needs of the community. Members of the Council will support the CBLR initiative by encouraging faculty in their departments and across campus to: learn more about community-based learning and research and participate in related professional development opportunities; engage in scholarship related to CBLR; enable their students to become civically engaged in our campus and community; and submit courses for approval.
Purpose
The first task of the CBLR Curriculum Council was to establish criteria for course designation. These criteria are specific enough to ensure consistency across courses yet not restrictive of academic freedom among individual professors, diverse disciplinary culture and educational goals of departments, and individual needs of students. The course submission and review process will be rigorous to ensure integrity of course selection but not so burdensome as to discourage submissions.
Through the course review process, the primary work of the Council will be to review and approve/disapprove course submissions from faculty and departments for CLBR designation. Submitted courses can be existing, modified, or newly developed to meet CBLR criteria. Council members will use the review process to ensure that approved CBLR courses are academically rigorous and civically responsible. The Council will balance the needs of the academic departments, students, and community partners while placing priority on the academic merit of the course. A fair and stringent course review process will lend credibility to the CBLR initiative by ensuring only courses of excellence in learning and engagement are granted CBLR designation.
The CBLR Curriculum Council will work closely with faculty across campus to provide feedback for curricular improvement. Council members should be knowledgeable about campus resources for professional development and collaborate with the Center for Civic Engagement (formerly the Center for Service Learning) to make those resources available to faculty.
The structure and responsibilities of this Council were informed by the structure and function of the General Education Council. As changes in general education have impacts across the campus, so does the College’s strategic direction of preparing citizens for the common good through participation in community-based learning and research. The CBLR Curriculum Council will thus play a vital role in the institutionalization of civic engagement at Fort Lewis College.
Membership
The Council is made up of ten faculty: two members from each school/division (Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; Business Administration; Natural and Behavioral Sciences; and Teacher Education/Library). The Chair of the Council must be in a tenure-track position, have experience in teaching CBLR courses, and be approved by the Vice President for Academic Affairs. There are three ex-officio members: a representative from the student body; a community representative; and a staff member of the Center for Civic Engagement.
2007-08 Membership:
Richard Fulton, Chair
Ellen Paul
Gary Linn
Deb Walker
Phil Shuler
Cathy Simbeck
Gretchen Treadwell
Minna Sellers
student rep – ex-officio
community rep – ex-officio
Kalin Grigg/Michelle Bonanno/Jennifer Stark – ex-officio
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CBLR Course Designation Criteria
On April 25, 2007, the CBLR Curriculum Council approved the following criteria to serve as a model of best practice for faculty in the development of coursework and guide the Curriculum Council in a standardized process of course review:
1. The course has a formal academic curriculum that is rooted in the discipline in which the course is being offered.
2. The course contains a set of organized community-based learning and/or research activities through which the student is engaged in meeting an identified community need and/or addressing a community problem through at least one of the following:
a. personal and direct engagement;
b. problem solving project(s);
c. research.
3. The course provides structured opportunities for students to connect their community-based learning and research activities to course curriculum and to reflect on the importance and value of their community-based work.
4. The course facilitates a reciprocal relationship between the College and community through:
a. the public contribution of the problem solving coursework; or
b. a plan for ongoing dialogue throughout the scope of the project; and
c. a method for communicating project outcomes including recommendations for future partnership possibilities.
CBLR Courses
Fort Lewis College will begin offering a Civic Engagement Transcript to FLC students beginning with the freshman class of 2010. This transcript will be separate from students’ academic transcripts and will provide a record of Community-Based Learning and Research (CBLR) course work and co-curricular community engagement and volunteer experiences. This transcript is currently under development by a campus-wide task force with a pilot version planned for implementation in Fall 2009. Please continue to check this link or contact Michelle Bonanno, bonanno_m@fortlewis.edu or 247-7183 for more information.
The following courses have been approved for CBLR Course Designation (to appear on the Civic Engagement transcript):
BA 496- Doug Lyon
MU 316- Mark Walters
ENVS 310- Tina Evans
THEA 460- Kathryn Moller
ECON 499- Deb Walker
MK 486- Simon Walls
ES 354- Cathy Simbeck
ES 356- Cathy Simbeck
ENVS 495- Brad Clark
Soc 320- Kalin Grigg
Bio 470- Catherine Ortega
Bio 250- Julie Korb
Comp 253- Erik Juergensmeyer
Psyc 300- Michael Anziano
ED 447- Will Camp
Please contact these instructors directly for more information about the community-based projects within their courses.
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Civic Engagement Advisory Committee
In line with the mission of the College to increase community-based learning and research opportunities for all students, an advisory committee has been established to provide valuable guidance in the process of creating an engaged campus.
Mission of the Civic Engagement Advisory Committee
The Civic Engagement Advisory Committee supports and advances the College’s mission of offering “accessible, high quality, baccalaureate liberal arts education to a diverse student population, preparing citizens for the common good in an increasingly complex world”. Consistent with the Values of Fort Lewis College, the Committee believes that “informed and engaged citizens are essential to the creation of a civil and sustainable society”. The Civic Engagement Advisory Committee plays a key advisory role in the ongoing development of a campus climate of engagement. Committee members strengthen the College’s civic engagement initiative by communicating, from varied perspectives, the impact of the College’s work in the community and the importance of community issues to the College. The Civic Engagement Advisory Committee supports faculty, students, staff, and community members in the creation of sustainable projects and partnerships between the College and the regional community.
Purpose
The Civic Engagement Advisory Committee is committed to monitoring and advancing overall strategic goals and directions for civic engagement presented in the College’s Strategic Plan and, specifically, the Strategic Plan for Institutionalizing Civic Engagement at Fort Lewis College published by the Community-Based Learning and Research (CBLR) Task Force. The Committee will serve an integral advisory role in the implementation of these strategic plans. Committee members share unique perspectives on the initiative gained from personal experience and from research in schools, departments, and programs across campus and in the community. Because the community-based work of students involves so many stakeholders, this sharing of information is vital in the creation of partnerships that are beneficial for all involved.
In addition to serving in an advisory capacity, Committee members may, as specific projects arise, also be divided into working subcommittees related to specific tasks and stakeholder groups involved in the advancement of the civic engagement initiative. A list of proposed subcommittees follows:
K-12 Partnerships: The charge of this committee is to build and maintain effective and mutually beneficial relationships between the College and local Durango 9-R School District. Committee members will work with teachers, students, staff, and administrators in the District to facilitate partnerships with Fort Lewis College faculty, staff and students. This committee will work closely with the Teacher Education program to assess how new CBLR partnerships with the District might best fit with existing placements of students in Teacher Education.
Community Partnerships: The charge of this committee is to build and maintain effective and mutually beneficial relationships between the College and local and regional community partners (for example: nonprofit and for-profit organizations; city, county and state government; and citizen groups). Committee members will work with community partners to assess needs and resources within the community and facilitate partnerships with Fort Lewis College faculty, staff and students.
Faculty Development: The charge of this committee is to assess the need for faculty development opportunities and to locate, review and provide/distribute development resources. Committee members will work closely with faculty from all departments to understand individual, department-specific, and campus wide need for resources such as educational materials and trainings, course development stipends, classroom assistance, and campus recognition. This committee will work to maintain open dialogue between faculty and the CBLR Advisory Board regarding all aspects of the CBLR initiative.
Co-curricular Engagement: The charge of this committee is to support a College climate of civic engagement by locating and supporting student participation in engagement opportunities outside of the classroom. Committee members will work closely with Student Affairs, Student Housing, The Leadership Center, Service Tree, service-oriented Registered Student Organizations, and others to develop new opportunities for student engagement and increase participation in existing service opportunities. Committee members will also work to align these service opportunities with curricular opportunities for service to maximize the benefit of both to the community and to student participants.
Resource Development: The charge of this committee is to help advance the CBLR initiative by seeking and acquiring external and internal sources of funding for CBLR work. Committee members will consult with the office of Institutional Advancement and the Grants Management office to find possible grant funding, opportunities for corporate sponsorships or donations, and internal funding for faculty or staff that may be used for CBLR work. Committee members may also research other models of funding for similar programs at other colleges and universities.
Strategic Campus and Community Directions: The charge of this committee is to gather and disseminate information about important College and community issues that might have a relationship to CBLR work (such as: student recruitment, enrollment and retention; local, regional, or national political initiatives; and departmental curriculum changes). Committee members will identify these issues, communicate with key stakeholders, keep the Advisory Committee informed as the issue develops, and make recommendations for CBLR collaborations/partnerships. Committee members may also have the responsibility of educating College and community stakeholders about the role that CBLR might play in their work.
Current Membership
| Yvonne Bilinski
Katrina Blair
Jenny Bruell
Libby Cowles
Lauren Ellison
Ken Francis
Richard Fulton
Lori Goodman
Roseanne Kutzleb
|
Laura Latimer
Jack Llewellyn
Jen Lopez
Mark Mastalski
Don May
Sue Morris
Catherine Ortega
Ross Park
Ken Pepion
|
Joelle Riddle
Angie Rochat
Jennifer Stark
Jen Shupe
Carol Smith
Rick Wheelock
Hallie Whitney
Marina Zimmerman
|
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Support for faculty and departments in community-based learning and research (CBLR) course development.
The Center continues to serve as a resource for faculty in CBLR course development and implementation and departmental strategic planning. The Center provides curricular resources including examples of similar coursework, models of reflection and assessment, and contacts with practitioners engaged in similar projects as well as technical resources for initiating and sustaining community partnerships.
· Faculty Mentoring, Technical Assistance and Support: New to the service learning field, or ready to incorporate a component of this learning style into a course? Let us help. You can request a consultation with our staff to look at your course and aid you in incorporating a service learning component with some helpful tips for community partnership success. We also guest lecture to students and classes as well as Departments. We can provide you with excellent supplemental material and have a wide variety of sample syllabi and course work as well as recommended reading lists and material to aid you. We can assist you with modifying a current course, incorporating meaningful reflective- active components to your course work and aid you in analyzing the success or challenges of each course you initiate.
· Resource support: In addition to providing faculty with reading material, we can also help you identify both level- and skill-appropriate service learning or civic activities. We can also bring you a host of classroom and community partnership ideas to enrich your classroom efforts.
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Center for Civic Engagement
Additional Programs
UCAN Serve AmeriCorps
Fort Lewis College is a proud member of Colorado Campus Compact. The Center for Civic Engagement staff serve as advisory members to Colorado Campus Compact. Colorado Campus Compact is a consortium of colleges and universities whose mission encompasses a passion for building campus and community partnerships that engage students in courses, projects, national and local initiatives that promote civic education and responsibility.
One of the capstone programs offered is the UCAN Serve Americorps program. This program offers the opportunity for over 4,000 students on over 36 higher education campuses from the states of Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico the opportunity to earn Americorps Educational Scholarships. These scholarships are available to students of participating campuses who are willing to provide service to communities as they work their way through their academic careers.
For more information on how the Fort Lewis College Center for Civic Engagement can help you incorporate Americorps into your academic experience, contact the Center at 970-247-7026 or email Jennifer Stark, Community Outreach at stark_j@fortlewis.edu
You may also check out the Colorado Campus website at www.coloradocampuscompact.org
Federal Work Study
One of the many incredible aspects of an educational experience at Fort Lewis College could include student participation in the Center for Civic Engagement Off Campus Federal Work Study Program.
Labeled Service Tree, this off campus federal work study program offers students the opportunity to earn Federal Work Study funds by serving hours in the community. Student have earned their work study funds by offering direct service to non-profits in the area through administrative services, art, music, special events and or projects initiated to serve the community. In addition, Fort Lewis College participates in the America Reads/ America Counts Federal Work study program (www.ed.gov/inits/americareads).
Through the Center for Civic Engagement Federal Work Study students are able to enter into tutoring and mentoring partnerships with youth to provide one-on-one tutoring in reading and math.
For more information on how the Fort Lewis College Center for Civic Engagement can help you incorporate an off campus Federal Work Study experience into your academic career at Fort Lewis College, please contact the Center at 970-247-7026 or email Jennifer Stark, Community Outreach at stark_j@fortlewis.edu
VOLUNTEER CENTRAL
The Fort Lewis College Center for Civic Engagement is one of the founding members and current administrator of the Volunteer Central website. Located at www.volcentral.org this website provides volunteers, students, community members and other entities information on various volunteer activities or organizations that would benefit from the involvement of volunteers. For a comprehensive list of all the agencies listed, visit the website and under Volunteer Opportunities just double click the “Search” button.
For more information on how the Fort Lewis College Center for Civic Engagement can help you incorporate Volunteer Central into your academic career at Fort Lewis College, please contact; Jennifer Stark, Community Outreach, at the Center, 970-247-7026 or email at stark_j@fortlewis.edu
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CBLR Resources
Campus Compact: www.compact.org
Association of American Colleges & Universities: www.aacu.org
Publishing Outlets for CBLR Scholarship: http://www.compact.org/resources/service-learning_resources/publishing_outlets/
The Big Dummy’s Guide to Service-Learning: http://www.fiu.edu/~time4chg/Library/bigdummy.html
CSU Community Service-Learning Website: http://www.calstate.edu/cce/
Community-Campus Partnerships for Health: http://depts.washington.edu/ccph/
Learn, Serve, & Surf: http://www.edb.utexas.edu/servicelearning/index.html
Michigan Journal of Community Service-Learning: http://www.umich.edu/~mjcsl/
The National Service-Learning Clearinghouse: http://www.servicelearning.org/
International Partnership for Service-Learning: http://www.ipsl.org/
University of Michigan Ginsberg Center: http://ginsberg.umich.edu/
Bentley Service Learning Center: http://www.bentley.edu/service-learning/
Lowell Bennion Community Service Center: http://www.sa.utah.edu/bennion/index.htm
Raise Your Voice: http://www.actionforchange.org/
Volunteer Central: http://www.volcentral.org/
American Association of State Colleges and Universities: http://www.aascu.org/
The Journal of Public Service and Outreach: http://www.uga.edu/~jpso/
Berger Kaye, C. (2004). The Complete Guide to Service Learning. Minneapolis: Free Spirit Publishing.
Block, P. (2008). Community: The Structure of Belonging. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Boyte, H. (2008). The Citizen Solution: How You Can Make a Difference. St. Paul, MN: Minnesota Historical Society Press.
Butin, D. (2005). Service-Learning in Higher Education. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Chambers, E. (2005). Roots for Radicals: Organizing for Power, Action, and Justice. New York: The Continuum International Publishing Group.
Dewey, J. (1997). Experience & Education. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Eyler, J. & Giles, D. (1999). Where’s the Learning in Service Learning? San Francisco: John Wiely & Sons, Inc.
Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: Continuum.
Furco, A & Billig S. (2001) Service-Learning: The Essence of Pedagogy. Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing
Jacoby, B. (2003). Building Partnerships for Service-Learning. San Francisco: John Wiely & Sons, Inc.
Jacoby, B. (1996). Service-Learning in Higher Education: San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, Inc.
Heffernan, K. (2001). Course Organization. Fundamentals of Service-Learning Course Construction. Providence: Campus Compact.
Hooks, B. (1994). Teaching to Transgress. New York: Routledge.
Howard, G. (2006). We Can’t Teach What We Don’t Know. New York: Teachers College Press.
Kaner, S. (1996). Facilitator’s Guide to Participatory Decision-Making. Philadelphia: New Society Publishers.
Kozol, J. (1991). Savage Inequalities. New York: Harper Perennial.
Kretzmann, J. & McKnight, J. (1993). Building Communities for the Inside Out: A Path Toward Finding and Mobilizing a Community’s Assets. Skokie, IL: ACTA Publishers.
Lappe, F. & DuBois, P. (1994). The Quickening of America: Rebuilding Our Nation, Remaking Our Lives. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, Inc.
Lappe, F. (2007). Getting a Grip: Clarity, Creativity and Courage in a World Gone Mad. Cambridge, MA: Small Planet Media.
Loeb, P. (1999). Soul of a Citizen: Living with Conviction in a Cynical Time. New York: St. Martin’s Press.
Longo, N. (2007). Why Community Matters: Constructing Education with Civic Life. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Maybach, C. (1996). Investigating Urban Needs: Service Learning from a Social Justice Perspective. Education and Urban Society. 28(2).
Mathews, D. (2006). Reclaiming Public Education by Reclaiming Our Democracy. Dayton: Kettering Foundation Press.
Meier, D, & Wood, G. (Ed.) (2004). Many Children Left Behind. Boston: Beacon Press.
Putnam, R. and Feldstein, L. (2003). Better Together: Restoring the American Community. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Wade, R. (1997). Community Service-Learning: A Guide to Including Service in the Public School Curriculum. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Zlotkowski, E., Long, N. & Williams, J. (2006). Students as Colleagues: Expanding the Circle of Service-Learning Leadership. Providence. Campus Compact.
Hudson & Hudson, Southern Poverty Law Center. (2005). The Children’s March. Montgomery, AL: Teaching Tolerance & Home Box Office.
Marrow, J., Learning Matters, Inc. (2005). Declining by Degrees: Higher Education at Risk. PBS Home Video.
Marrow, J., Public Broadcasting Service (U.S.). (2003). Public Schools, Inc. PBS Home Video.
