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August 21, 2017 |
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| Annual Report Draws Attention to Social Responsibility, Community Impact
“Community-Engaged Scholarship Recognized in Faculty Promotion Guidelines.” That’s one of the highlights of the 2017 Annual Report of the Center for Community Service Initiatives.
Last academic year, community-engaged scholarship became recognized explicitly in Barry’s rank and promotion guidelines. Faculty will be rewarded specifically for scholarly roles in community engagement, the Report said.
“Articulating policies and procedures that encourage, support, and reward faculty for this kind of work will help to ensure that community engagement becomes more deeply embedded in institutional practices and more clearly characterize Barry’s culture and identity,” says CCSI Executive Director Glenn Bowen in an introductory message. “Indeed, Barry is now poised to become a national model for community engagement.”
The theme of the CCSI Annual Report is “Emphasizing Social Responsibility and Community Impact.”
Other highlights include the finalizing of community engagement strategies for a five-year period, Provost John Murray’s appointment of a Community Advisory Committee, and recognition of the university on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.
The main sections of the Annual Report are Awards and Accolades, Community Partnerships and Projects, Service-Learning, Co-curricular Programs and Participation, Other Community Engagement Activities, and Community-Based Research and Scholarship.
Bowen expresses gratitude to students, faculty, staff, administrators, alumni, and community partners for their individual and collective contributions as the CCSI increased its emphasis on social responsibility and community impact.
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Four Major Days of Service on Academic Year’s Calendar
Four major days of service are listed on Barry’s community engagement calendar for 2017–2018. They are the September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance; International Coastal Cleanup Day; Make a Difference Day; and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service.
The CCSI is inviting faculty and staff members to join students for service in the community.
“The September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance is the culmination of efforts originally launched in 2002 by the nonprofit 9/11 Day with wide support by the 9/11 community and leading national service organizations,” says the Corporation for National and Community Service. “This effort first established the inspiring tradition of engaging in charitable service on 9/11 as an annual and forward-looking tribute to the 9/11 victims, survivors, and those who rose up in service in response to the attacks.”
Barry’s service activities will take place on September 9, the Saturday preceding the 16th anniversary of the terrorist attacks. Volunteers will take part in a community service project in Liberty City. They will serve alongside Miami-Dade community leaders and public servants at Gwen Cherry Park.
The International Coastal Cleanup project will take place on September 16. In partnership with volunteer organizations and individuals around the globe, Ocean Conservancy sponsors the project to engage people in removing trash from the world’s beaches and waterways, identifying the sources of debris, and changing the behaviors that cause marine debris in the first place.
Barry volunteers will collect trash and debris at Historic Virginia Key Beach Park. The volunteers will gather in the Landon Events Room at 7:45 a.m. before heading to the park, where they will complete their service by 1:00 p.m. Breakfast and transportation will be provided.
To register, visit www.barry.edu/service and click on the “Get involved” link.
For more information, email Program Coordinator Ashton Spangler at aspangler@barry.edu or call at 305-899-5465.
Make a Difference Day is observed on the fourth Saturday of October – the 28th this year. USA Weekend magazine created the event in 1992 as “a celebration of neighbors helping neighbors.”
According to Points of Light, a sponsor, “Make A Difference Day is a day to celebrate the power of people to make a difference.”
Barry volunteers will participate in several service projects in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
Barry marks the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service on the Saturday preceding the King holiday, the third Monday of January.
MLK Day provides “a way to transform Dr. King’s life and teachings into community service that helps empower and strengthen local communities,” according to the Corporation National and Community Service.
Barry volunteers will take part in various projects on January 15 in Miami-Dade and Broward.
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Communication Faculty Discuss Service-Learning with Community Partner
Two faculty members in the Department of Communication met recently with a community partner to discuss a service-learning project for the new academic year.
Drs. Nickesia Gordon and Katherine Nelson, associate professors, joined Experiential Learning Coordinator Liz James at the meeting with Andrea Ivory, executive director of The Women’s Breast & Heart Initiative, in Miami Lakes.
Gordon and Nelson teach sections of COM 201: Introduction to Communication, a designated service-learning course. Students enrolled in the course design public awareness campaigns on social issues addressed by Barry’s community partners. Working in teams with faculty and community partner guidance, the students usually employ social media, participate in outreach activities, produce visual materials, and implement other aspects of the campaigns.
During the meeting, the group reflected on students’ work with the nonprofit organization during the 2016–2017 academic year and discussed changes for 2017–2018. Ivory expressed her organization’s gratitude for the service provided by Barry students as part of the communication course.
According to James, the opportunity for faculty and community organizations’ staff members to meet and develop relationships is crucial to the success of university–community partnerships.
“The Women’s Breast & Heart Initiative was very appreciative of the faculty visiting,” James said. “It gave us the opportunity to clarify the roles in the partnership by looking backward and forward.”
The mission of The Women’s Breast & Heart Initiative is to “save lives by connecting at-risk women with the prevention and early detection necessary to fight breast cancer and heart disease.” The organization provides access to information and resources in order to control and/or minimize the risk of both breast cancer and heart disease among at-risk women in the local community. A Barry alumna, Ivory is the founder of the organization. She is a member of the university’s Community Advisory Committee.
Three other community partners will also benefit from the communication students’ design and execution of public awareness campaigns this year. They are the Cathedral of Saint Mary Catholic School; the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, including the Student/Farmworker Alliance; and PACT (People Acting for Community Together).
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Community Engagement Fair Scheduled for September 19
The annual Community Engagement Fair will be held on September 19, from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., on Barry’s Miami Shores Campus.
A workshop for community partners will precede the showcase segment of the fair. During the showcase, community partners will provide information on community-based experiential learning opportunities.
Additional information is available from the CCSI at service@barry.edu or 305-899-3696.
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Deliberative Dialogue Series Begins with Forum on Opioid Epidemic
This academic year’s Deliberative Dialogue Series will begin on September 26 with a forum focused on the opioid epidemic.
Titled “Florida’s Opioid Epidemic: A Serious Public Health Issue,” the 90-minute forum will be held in Room 112 of the Andreas Building, beginning at 4 p.m.
Every day, more than 90 Americans die after overdosing on opioids, according to information at the website of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
“The misuse of and addiction to opioids – including prescription pain relievers, heroin, and synthetic opioids such as fentanyl – is a serious national crisis that affects public health as well as social and economic welfare,” the Bethesda, Maryland-based NIDA says.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the total “economic burden" of prescription opioid misuse alone in the United States is $78.5 billion a year. This includes the costs of healthcare, lost productivity, addiction treatment, and criminal justice involvement.
The CCSI organizes the Deliberative Dialogue Series as a method of civic learning and engagement in addressing social issues of current concern. The series brings together campus and community stakeholders to weigh perspectives about the issues and to work towards practical solutions.
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Fifth Annual Community Engagement Awards Set for March 28
The Fifth Annual Community Engagement Awards will be held on March 28, 2018.
The primary purpose of the Awards is to publicly recognize students, faculty, staff, a department, and community partners for their community engagement participation, contributions, and achievements. Additionally, each award is designed to encourage excellence and to inspire similar achievements by others.
The seven categories of awards are Community Impact, Community Partnership, Community-Based Research, Engaged Scholarship, Community Engagement Educator, Service-Learning Faculty, and Engaged Department.
Each award takes the form of a plaque. A perpetual plaque honoring the winners of the Engaged Department Award is displayed in the Center for Community Service Initiatives, Adrian 208.
All winners are potential nominees for state and national awards. In particular, a Community Impact Award winner is nominated for Campus Compact’s Newman Civic Fellows Award each year. Winners may be nominated also for awards from Florida Campus Compact, the state affiliate of the national organization.
The March 28 event is scheduled for 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. in Rooms 111 and 112 of the Andreas Building on Barry’s main campus.
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Community Engagement Leadership Groups Seek New Members
Faculty and staff members interested in joining one of Barry’s community engagement leadership groups are asked to contact the CCSI as soon as possible.
The groups seeking additional members are the Community Engagement Awards Committee, Community Engagement Liaisons, Community Engagement Symposium Committee, Faculty Learning Community for Engaged Scholarship, and Major Days of Service Committee.
The CCSI list of community engagement leadership groups includes five others. Their memberships have been finalized.
Nominations for the Community Engagement Awards will open on October 9 and close on January 26.
Calls for applications for community-based research incentives and the Service-Learning Faculty Fellows Program will be issued in October.
For further information on the community engagement leadership groups and to volunteer, contact Dr. Glenn Bowen at gbowen@barry.edu or Courtney Berrien at cberrien@barry.edu.
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School-Based Enrichment Program Needs Volunteers
A school-based enrichment program called KAPOW needs volunteers. This is a civic engagement opportunity for Barry faculty and staff.
KAPOW (Kids and the Power of Work) exposes young students to career opportunities and helps them connect what they are learning in school to their futures.
“Here's your chance to have a profound effect on the lives of 25 students forever!” says Program Director Tania Reynolds.
“To participate, you are assigned to one class at a local elementary or middle school. You are assigned to one teacher and that teacher's class. You visit the same class seven times during the school year to deliver one hour of fun, dynamic, easy-to-use, and interactive lessons using our KAPOW curriculum,” Reynolds explains. “Before you begin the lessons, a one-time training will show you how to deliver the lessons and ensure that you will be successful and have a great time doing it!”
The KAPOW website and a video provide additional information on the program. Further details and sign-up information are available from Reynolds at taniakapow@gmail.com or 305-338-5548.
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CCSI Newsletter
Posted On : August 21, 2017
