September 13, 2021

IN THIS ISSUE

• This Week’s Constitution Day Event and Day of Service Precede Barry’s Peace Week
• Journals Accept CCSI Staff Members’ Submissions for Publication in Forthcoming Issues
• Barry Faculty Listed Among Presenters at Two International Conferences on Community Engagement
• Federal Work-Study Community Service Placements Available to Eligible Students

This Week’s Constitution Day Event And Day Of Service Precede Barry’s Peace Week

Event On Friday Will Focus On Civic State Of The Union

A Constitution Day discussion and a day of service are on the calendar of events for this week, just ahead of Barry’s Peace Week observance. The first forum in this year’s Deliberative Dialogue Series is scheduled for Peace Week.

September 17, this Friday, is Constitution Day. To mark the occasion, the Campus Democracy Project (CDP) Committee will host a discussion on the civic state of the union. 

The discussion at Barry will follow a panel discussion hosted by the Philadelphia-based National Constitution Center. Open to the public, the 45-minute panel discussion with a Q and A is scheduled to start at noon. 

National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen will be joined by leaders from government, education, and cultural institutions to discuss the state of civics education in the United States.

“We will explore the essential skills needed for a robust republic and the tools necessary to promote active and healthy civil discourse in our country today,” an announcement from the National Constitution Center said. “Panelists will share what their organizations are doing at every level to build guardrails of democracy and support students nationwide.” 

Panelists for “State of the Union: Civics” will include Dr. William R. Hite, superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia; Louise Dubé, executive director of iCivics; and Sal Khan, founder and CEO of Khan Academy. 

Constitution Day marks the anniversary of the day in 1787 when the United States Constitution was signed in Philadelphia.

The National Constitution Center serves as America’s leading platform for constitutional education and debate, fulfilling the congressional charter “to disseminate information about the United States Constitution on a nonpartisan basis in order to increase awareness and understanding of the Constitution among the American people.” 

Here at Barry, participants will discuss the need to promote “active and healthy civic discourse” in the United States, the CDP discussion organizers said. 

“We hope to hear from different voices about the opportunities and challenges involved in civic engagement,” added Dr. Sean Foreman, a co-chair of the CDP Committee.

Co-chair Holly Kachler and other student leaders are expected to participate in the discussions alongside faculty and staff members. 

The CDP Committee will host this in-person event in Thompson Hall’s Kostka Room on Main Campus. 

International Coastal Cleanup Day

International Coastal Cleanup Day, the first day of service for the academic year, is this Saturday, September 18. Barry volunteers will participate in an environmental project at Historic Virginia Key Beach Park in Miami, beginning at 2 p.m.

The organizers are inviting students and others to “learn from community partners and scientists about the importance and fragility of marine environments.” They say volunteers will “contribute to efforts to preserve South Florida’s coastal ecosystem by supporting advocacy efforts on the world’s largest volunteer day for ocean health.”

Barry’s First Year Experience Program is sponsor of a post-service dinner at the beach park.

Deliberative Dialogue

The deliberative dialogue during Peace Week will be held next Thursday, September 23. Titled “Haiti in Turbulent Times: Forging a Path Forward,” the 90-minute, virtual forum will begin at 4 o’clock.

Barry’s Deliberative Dialogue Series elicits “voices and views from campus and community.” Students and alumni, faculty and staff, and community partners take part in the series of forums, working toward a shared understanding of specific social issues and practical solutions to those issues. 

In accordance with Barry’s commitment to social justice, the university “expects all members of our community to accept social responsibility to foster peace and nonviolence … and to engage in meaningful efforts toward social change.”

Further information on these events is available from the CCSI at service@barry.edu and 305-899-3696.

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Journals Accept Ccsi Staff Members’ Submissions For Publication In Forthcoming Issues

Two scholarly journals recently accepted manuscripts submitted by staff members of the Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI) for peer review. The articles are slated to appear in the next issue of those journals.

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education: A Journal for Engaged Educators (ELTHE) is expected to publish an article by Glenn A. Bowen and Courtney A. Berrien in a special issue in October. The article is titled “Implementing an Experiential Learning Program Focused on Civic Leadership to Produce Social Justice Outcomes.”

The theme of the ELTHE special issue is “Exploring the Relationship Between Experiential Learning and Social, Economic, Environmental, and Racial Justice.”

The Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning (MJCSL) will publish, in its winter issue, Glenn A. Bowen’s review of the book “Democracy, Civic Engagement, and Citizenship in Higher Education: Reclaiming Our Civic Purpose.”

MJCSL is one of the leading journals in the service-learning/community engagement field. The journal focuses on research, theory, pedagogy, and other matters related to service-learning, campus–community partnerships, and engaged/public scholarship in higher education.

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Barry Faculty Listed Among Presenters at Two International Conferences on Community Engagement

Faculty members from Barry are among the presenters listed for two international conferences on community engagement this semester.

Drs. Dale Hartz and Katsiaryna Matusevich will be co-presenters at the Engagement Scholarship Consortium (ESC) International Conference today (Sept. 13). Dr. Matusevich and Dr. Pawena Sirimangkala are on the list of presenters for IARSLCE 2021 in November. 

Dr. Hartz is an assistant professor of management in the School of Business; Dr. Matusevich is an associate professor of human resource development in the School of Education. They will co-present a workshop session titled “Going Beyond Your Building: How to Build Successful Interdisciplinary Faculty Collaborations.” 

“IARSLCE 2021: Reflections on a Tumultuous Time” is the virtual gathering of the International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement scheduled for November 15–17. Dr. Matusevich will present a poster, “Serving the Broader Good With Human Resource Development: Exploring the Effectiveness of an E-Service-Learning Graduate Course.”

Dr. Sirimangkala is an associate professor of communication and director of the Honors Program in the College of Arts and Sciences. She will make a video presentation, “Service-Learning/Community Engagement in Honors Colleges and Programs.”

Dr. Glenn A. Bowen, executive director of the Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI), will participate in both conferences. A co-editor of the International Journal of Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement (IJRSLCE), he will be on a panel of community engagement journal editors at the ESC conference tomorrow (Sept. 14). 

At IARSLCE 2021, Dr. Bowen is expected to participate in two special sessions—one focused on “critical applications and new spaces” for community engagement, the other on “confronting racial and ethnic marginalization in higher education.”

Dr. Bowen is a co-chair of the IARSLCE Scholarship and Publications Committee.

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Federal Work-Study Community Service Placements Available To Eligible Students

Students who are eligible for Federal Work-Study (FWS) may apply for community service positions. All students participating in FWS Community Service are enrolled as members of the Barry Service Corps.

The Barry Service Corps is a civic engagement program managed by the CCSI. While gaining valuable work experience, members provide service to the community through nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and local government agencies. 

The CCSI coordinates FWS Community Service in partnership with two departments—Financial Aid and Human Resources.

For further information, contact Brittney Morales, facilitator of FWS Community Service, at BriMorales@barry.edu.

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