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May 7, 2018 |
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“Considerable Progress” Being Made on Implementation of Barry’s Civic Action Plan
“Considerable progress” is being made on the implementation of a major plan to deepen and strengthen civic engagement at Barry University.
The university’s Civic Action Plan supports the improvement of teaching and learning, research, and service as integrated elements of comprehensive institutional action designed to create a positive impact on campus and in the wider community.
“As an institution, we are making considerable progress in implementing the plan,” said Dr. Glenn Bowen, executive director of the Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI). “Community voice is being amplified through the involvement of the Community Advisory Committee in the implementation and evaluation of civic engagement programs, and students who contribute significantly to community impact are being featured in publications.”
Bowen said the CCSI is accelerating the development of the Barry Service Corps as a high-quality, innovative program that can be instrumental in increasing student access, persistence, and success through civic learning and engagement. At the same time, the CCSI is promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion through experiential learning activities and is coordinating the implementation of the Campus Democracy Project “more intentionally to deepen students’ understanding of political issues.”
As part of the five-year plan, the university is providing opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to become more engaged in community health projects, locally and abroad – mainly in Haiti.
The Civic Action Plan also calls for the implementation of a community garden project, Bowen noted.
With the theme “Deepening and Strengthening Civic Engagement to Maximize Impact,” the Civic Action Plan is designed to achieve five goals linked to commitments articulated in Campus Compact’s 30th Anniversary Action Statement of Presidents and Chancellors. The commitments concern mutually respectful partnerships, preparation of students for engaged citizenship, contributions to communities, capacity to challenge inequalities, and the centrality of the public purposes of higher education.
Barry President Sister Linda Bevilacqua, O.P., Ph.D., was one of the early signers of the Action Statement, affirming the five commitments.
Campus Compact is a national coalition of colleges and universities committed to the civic purposes of higher education.
The CCSI submitted Barry’s Civic Action Plan to Campus Compact last November. After reviewing the plan, Campus Compact designated Barry as a “Campus in Action.”
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Psychology Students Share Outcomes of Service-Learning Project
Dr. Pamela D. Hall, associate professor of psychology, and 11 students showcased a service-learning project as part of a senior seminar capstone presentation at the Department of Psychology Student Research Forum recently.
Through the project, Hall said, the students supported the Lillie M. Williams Head Start Program and the Early Steps Program run by the Haitian Youth Community Center of Florida (HYCCF). Both programs promote the school readiness of young children from low-income families by offering educational, nutritional, health, social, and other services.
HYCCF is a not-for-profit membership organization that provides a variety of childcare, youth, and family services as well as summer programs.
Elements of the service-learning project included reading, art, other creative exercises, and yoga.
The participating students were Lounise Blaise, Melanie Jordan, Sumera Khaja, John Leyden III, Luiza Marangoni, Kyle McHugh, Camille Ridley, Erica Rose, Joshua Saint-Cloud, Kirrin Tubo, and Vukan Vilotijevic.
The Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI) provided funding for the service-learning project as part of the Community-Based Research Incentive Program. The funds were used mainly to support research using photovoice as well as to purchase books and other educational items.
The purpose of this photovoice project was to engage Head Start teachers and senior psychology majors in documenting the socio-emotional progress of Head Start pupils over a 10-week period.
Each week, the Barry students read to the pupils a book focused on socio-emotional well-being and facilitated an activity related to the book. At three points during the project, the Head Start teachers and Barry students took pictures that reflected aspects of socio-emotional development.
The 24th Annual Department of Psychology Student Research Forum was held on April 11. Undergraduates as well as graduate students presented research projects during the on-campus event.
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University Celebrates Achievements in Community Engagement
The Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI) hosted Barry University’s Fifth Annual Community Engagement Awards Ceremony recently.
At the event, the university gave public recognition to students, faculty members, community partners, and the School of Law for their community engagement participation, contributions, and achievements.
Nadinne Cruz, an award-winning experiential learning expert, was the guest speaker at the event on March 28.
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Symposium Highlights Social Responsibility through Experiential Learning
Barry’s Fifth Annual Community Engagement Symposium was held on March 28. The theme was: “Demonstrating Social Responsibility through Experiential Learning.”
Nadinne Cruz, former director of Stanford University’s Haas Center for Public Service and an internationally recognized experiential learning expert, was the lead presenter.
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Undergraduate Nursing Faculty Members Host Community Health Seminar
Faculty members in the Undergraduate Nursing Education program in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences hosted a Community Health Seminar on April 20.
Among the presenters was Laura Naredo, vice president for continuous quality improvement at the South Florida Behavioral Health Network, who focused on the opioid crisis.
Others who made presentations included Daniella “Dani” Dominguez, community education coordinator at the Miami-based YES Institute, who covered gender orientation and LGBTQI subject matter, and Sambra Zaoui, a licensed clinical social worker, whose topic was “Human Trafficking.”
Described as “an inspiring and informative event,” the seminar also featured a Nursing Study Abroad student presentation, “Experiencing Haiti!”
Dr. Mureen Shaw, the seminar organizer, said university faculty members, community partners, and senior students in the Nursing Study Abroad Program were invited to participate. They engaged in discussions on a variety of healthcare and human interest topics, Shaw said.
Dr. Mary Colvin, program director for Undergraduate Nursing Education, acknowledged Shaw’s work. She noted that Shaw spent many hours planning and coordinating the implementation of this Area Health Education Centers (AHEC)-sponsored event.
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Education Faculty Members to Present at International Conference
Three faculty members in the
Drs. Heidi Whitford, Dr. Raul Machuca, and Katsiaryna Matusevich – all assistant professors – will share outcomes of their scholarly work as part of their presentation titled “Enhancing Student Learning Outcomes in a Graduate Level Service-Learning Course.”
IARSLCE is the International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement. Its 18th Annual Conference is scheduled for July 18–20 in New Orleans, Louisiana. |
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Frequently Asked Questions Answered at QEP Website
What is the relationship between “PSR” courses and designated service-learning courses? This is one of the questions answered at Barry’s QEP (Quality Enhancement Plan) website.
In all, 17 questions about the QEP are answered in the FAQ section of the website. “PSR” (personal and social responsibility) is the focus of the QEP.
The Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI) coordinates the service-learning designation process.
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Community Engagement News
Posted On : May 07, 2018
