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Barry’s President Highlights Community Engagement Achievements
A significant increase in community service is one of Barry University’s major achievements over the past five years. Another major achievement is the institutionalization of service-learning.
“There has been a significant increase in both course-based and voluntary community service – from approximately 26,000 hours of service in 2011 to nearly 60,000 hours this year,” said Barry President Sister Linda Bevilacqua, OP, PhD. More than 40 course sections currently carry the service-learning designation, she noted.
Speaking at the university’s Third Annual Community Engagement Awards recently, Sister Linda highlighted five of Barry’s community engagement achievements over a five-year period.
An increase in the productivity of faculty in community-engaged scholarship is another significant achievement, she said. Since 2011, faculty members have made more than 60 scholarly presentations and published more than 25 articles on community engagement topics, many in peer-reviewed journals.
In her remarks at the awards luncheon, Sister Linda also highlighted the national recognition Barry has received for its community engagement initiatives. Barry has made the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll every year since 2012, she said; and, last year, the university attained the prestigious Carnegie Community Engagement Classification.
Sister Linda said the university’s achievements were attributed largely to the work of the Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI). She also pointed out that the number of community partners recruited and registered by the CCSI since 2011 has reached 180.
“This year, the CCSI is marking its fifth anniversary; and you will all agree that the Center has come a long way in a relatively short time,” Sister Linda said. “The work of the CCSI is woven fully into the fabric of university life – from faculty development to student civic-leadership training; from staff members’ volunteer service to alumni participation in the Deliberative Dialogue Series; from community partnership building to the coordination of the Community Engagement Management System.”
Sister Linda added that the CCSI has lived up to its motto, “Connecting Campus and Community – Transforming Learning and Lives.” She thanked the CCSI staff for their service and accomplishments.
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President Honors CCSI Task Force at Community Engagement Awards
Barry University President Sister Linda Bevilacqua, OP, PhD, has publicly recognized the work of the task force charged with developing and proposing recommendations for the design of the Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI).
Sister Linda presented a CCSI “5 Years of Achievements” memento to each task force member who attendedBarry’s Third Annual Community Engagement Awards, hosted by the CCSI on March 30.
As part of its strategic agenda for 2006–2011, the university decided to create a Center for Community Initiatives to coordinate and promote collaborative community service as an integrating dimension of Barry’s identity. The new administrative unit would be expected to centrally manage Barry’s community outreach efforts so as to ensure that the university would be recognized as “a responsive community leader – a reliable resource for expertise, knowledge dissemination and public service to the diverse communities” it serves.
The university president appointed an eight-member task force whose primary charge was to develop recommendations for the design of the Center for Community Initiatives. The task force submitted its final report in April 2011, and the new unit’s name was subsequently changed to the Center for Community Service Initiatives.
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National Organization Honors a Barry Student Leader
Campus Compact has named Barry Service Corps Fellow Christian Mesa a Newman Civic Fellow. He is one of 218 college student leaders selected for the 2016 Newman Civic Fellows Award. The Newman Civic Fellows Award honors “inspiring college student leaders who have demonstrated an investment in finding solutions for challenges facing communities throughout the country,” Campus Compact said in a statement. “Through service, research, and advocacy, Newman Civic Fellows are making the most of their college experiences to better understand themselves, the root causes of social issues, and effective mechanisms for creating lasting change.”
A cardiovascular perfusion/general studies major, Mesa has been participating in the Barry Service Corps Fellows Program since the start of the current academic year. This civic learning and leadership program is designed to foster civic-mindedness and to prepare students for social change roles.
Barry University President Sister Linda Bevilacqua, OP, PhD, said Mesa has demonstrated that he can make a difference in the community and can inspire others to get involved.
“Given his leadership ability and motivation, Christian Mesa will undoubtedly contribute to public problem solving and to the long-term improvement of community life,” Sister Linda added.
Mesa’s current emphasis is on urban health and, in particular, on supporting the work of three community partners – EcoTech Visions, Urban GreenWorks, and La Paloma Neighborhood Association. In his work with EcoTech Visions, Mesa has focused on increasing awareness of the business incubator's support for the development of “green" manufacturing start-ups (which use recycled materials in production processes) in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods such as
Mesa leads semi-monthly service trips to Urban GreenWorks, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to restore the environmental and economic health of underserved communities. He provides orientations for Barry students who help to maintain two community gardens, and he conducts reflection activities that encourage volunteers to make long-term commitments to supporting sustainable agriculture.
He also has facilitated a beautification project in La Paloma. Project volunteers from Barry's main campus contributed not only to the physical improvement of the neighborhood but also to social improvement through the strengthening of relationships among residents.
Sister Linda nominated Mesa for Campus Compact’s Newman Civic Fellows Award on the recommendation of the Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI).
Dr. Frank Newman, for whom the award is named, co-founded Campus Compact with the presidents of Stanford University, Brown University, and Georgetown University in 1985 to foster students’ involvement in public service and as democratic change agents. Now celebrating its 30th anniversary, Campus Compact has grown to represent more than 1,100 college and university presidents committed to fulfilling the civic purposes of higher education.
The KPMG Foundation and Newman’s Own Foundation are sponsors of Campus Compact’s Newman Civic Fellows Award.
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Physical Sciences and Sport & Exercise Sciences Receive Engaged Department Award
The Department of Physical Sciences in the College of
Dr. Christopher “Kit” Starratt, Barry’s interim provost and vice president of mission and institutional effectiveness, presented a plaque to each department at the Third Annual Community Engagement Awards recently. The award is emblematic of achievements in advancing the community engagement goals of the university, educating students for civic and social responsibility, and improving community life.
In the Department of Physical Sciences, a faculty member developed Barry’s first service-learning-designated course, which was highlighted in the university’s successful application for the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification. There are several other community-engaged course offerings in this department.
“Students learn not only in classrooms and laboratories but also in the community, where they share their knowledge and love of science,” Dr. Starratt said. “Notable initiatives include the annual Chemistry and Physics Tournament for high schools, the Chemistry Club’s Magic Shows for elementary schools, and the COACH Program. These initiatives have benefited underrepresented population groups, and they exemplify a deep commitment to the community.”
Department faculty members serve regularly as judges at science fairs in Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
“Internally, participation on the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) Committee, on the Service-Learning Course Review Committee, and in the Faculty Learning Community for Engaged Scholarship also distinguishes this department as highly engaged,” Dr. Starratt noted before he presented the coveted award.
In the Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences, faculty members have developed two service-learning-designated courses and have enhanced other courses with community engagement components.
“Through service-learning, internships, and practica, students engage with South Florida communities,” noted Dr. Starratt. “They serve with professional sport organizations, private and public schools, health and wellness clinics, parks and recreation departments, community centers, Special Olympics, and other organizations.”
Department faculty, staff, and students organize the Fun Fit Fridays program at the Sibley
Furthermore, Dr. Starratt said, a faculty member of this department is working on the prevention of non-communicable diseases in underserved African communities through physical activity and education.
On campus, a faculty member served on Barry’s Carnegie Community Engagement Task Force; another chaired the CCSI’s Community-Based Research Mini-Grant Committee for two years; and a third has been serving on the University’s QEP Committee.
The Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI) organized and hosted the Community Engagement Awards on the university’s main campus in Miami Shores on March 30.
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St. Mary’s School Principal Requests Barry’s Support
The principal of the Cathedral of Saint Mary’s Catholic
Sr. Michelle Fernandez, SCTJM, was the guest presenter at the March meeting of Barry’s Faculty Learning Community for Engaged Scholarship (FLC), hosted by the Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI).
Saint Mary’s has a high turnover of teachers, the principal said. “We need help to train the teachers,” she told FLC members.
More than 300 of the 400 students enrolled at the school benefit from the Step-Up scholarship program. Many of them are lagging behind by two grades, Sr. Michelle said. Some are enrolled in special education and would benefit from additional tutoring.
Founded in 1939, the Cathedral of Saint Mary’s Catholic
The next FLC meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 20, from 2:00 to 3:15 p.m., in Adrian 208. Lorna Owens, CEO of Footprints Foundation, will be the guest presenter.
The FLC is open to all faculty members. For further information, contact Dr. Pamela Hall, the FLC facilitator.
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CCSI Newsletter
Posted On : April 11, 2016
