CCSI Newsletter

Staff, Faculty, and Students Urged to Attend Event on Wednesday

Last-minute registration for Barry’s inaugural Community Engagement Symposium is underway. The registration site is www.barry.edu/CASEvent.

The Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI) is urging faculty, staff, and students to attend the event, scheduled for this Wednesday, March 12, beginning at 9:00 a.m. Pre-opening check-in will be at 8:30 in Andreas 111. Additional details are on the CCSI homepage (click on the symposium image).

Dr. Robert G. Bringle, an internationally recognized service-learning and civic engagement expert, will be the lead presenter at the symposium. He has won recognition for service-learning and civic engagement from several organizations, including Campus Compact and the International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement.

Dr. Bringle will lead two sessions of the symposium:

• “Community Engagement as a Strategic InstitutionalEnterprise” – Andreas Building, Room 111; 9:30–10:30 a.m.

• “Campus and Community Partners as Co-educators” – Andreas Building, Room 111; 2:10–3:10 p.m.

The symposium is free for both the campus and community partners. However,registration is required.

For more information, visit the CCSI homepage, www.barry.edu/service; email  service@barry.edu; or telephone 305-899-3696.

Register now

Symposium at a Glance

Three Community Partners to be Recognized at Event

Three of Barry’s community partners will be recognized at the inaugural Community Engagement Awards this Wednesday. Feeding South Florida, Miami Edison Senior High School, and Mount Tabor Missionary Baptist Church will receive Community Partnership Awards.

New Associate Director for CCSI

The Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI) has a new associate director. Courtney Berrien, previously program director for MCCJ (formerly the Miami Coalition of Christians and Jews), will oversee the University’s community partnerships and coordinate the CCSI’s co-curricular programs.

“Ms. Berrien brings a remarkable depth of experience to the position,” said CCSI Director Dr. Glenn Bowen. “Her work in the areas of teaching, program development, and civic engagement has prepared her for the challenges of her new job.”

Ms. Berrien has 15 years of experience as an educator, coordinating local and international curricular and co-curricular student engagement and outreach programs. She spent half of her career overseas, teaching in international baccalaureate schools. In Beirut, Prague, and Cairo, she founded programs that engaged students with local refugee communities, including refugees from Afghanistan,Iraq, the Balkans, Palestine, and Sudan. Ms. Berrien also led a number of international immersions, including programs in Haiti, Honduras,Jordan, Poland, Qatar,Russia, and Tanzania.

At MCCJ, she facilitated community dialogue, designed community education initiatives, and coordinated youth leadership and civic engagement programs. Ms. Berrien also has served as an educational consultant, providing support to local nonprofits and universities in program design and facilitation, curriculum development, and assessment of student learning. As a Miami Fellow and as a volunteer, she has collaborated on a number of education initiatives in Miami DadeCounty.

Ms. Berrien holds a Bachelor’s in History and a Master’s in Teaching from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington. She plans to pursue a PhD in Education, focusing on engaged scholarship.

Box Tops for Education Collection Drive

The “Box Tops for Education” collection drive continues this week. For each box top – from groceries and household products – that is donated, the school will receive a 10-cent contribution toward much-needed supplies. Additional information is available from the project coordinator at BarryMAPS@gmail.com.

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