Education Commons^™

Promoting Civic And Community-Based Teaching Practices: An Exploratory Study Of Collaborations Between Faculty Development Centers And Civic And Community Engagement Centers, James Morgan Lewing, Lisa M. Bunkowski

eJournal of Public Affairs

The current study sought to provide an initial exploration into collaborative efforts between faculty development centers and civic and community engagement centers related to the promotion of civic and community-based teaching practices. Chief Academic Officers of public institutions supportive of civic and community engagement were surveyed, and findings provided initial evidence that such collaborations do exist and can be effective. However, the partnerships may often be episodic and informal. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

The Praxis Of Realizing Election Imperatives In Trump’S America, Sayil Camacho

eJournal of Public Affairs

American democracy and higher education were not guided by the principle of equality. However, the sociopolitical history of the United States does not negate the responsibility that educators, university administrators, and policymakers maintain today. As a means to advance the praxis of civic engagement within higher education, this study details the work that was accomplished to (a) establish a nonpartisan higher education coalition in the state of Tennessee and (b) institutionalize student political learning and engagement at Vanderbilt University, Tennessee's premier research university. Tennessee is a voting restrictive state with poor educational outcomes for historically marginalized populations—this present day reality …

Introductory Essay: Ejournal Of Public Affairs, Volume 11, Issue 1, Carah L. Ong Whaley

eJournal of Public Affairs

No abstract provided.

Accessibility As A Foundation For An Equitable Digital Civic Engagement Infrastructure, Allison D. Rank, Rebecca Mushtare

eJournal of Public Affairs

Individuals and organizations in both higher education and civic engagement have become increasingly aware of their obligation to foster a sense of belonging among students and support historically under-represented populations within their work. As part of this effort, we argue the civic engagement infrastructure—a term we use to capture the full range of organizations and associated resources directed toward improving civic engagement within higher education that stem from actors both on and off campus—must pay more attention to digital accessibility. We document this need by establishing the degree higher education institutions rely on off-campus organizations and resources in civic engagement …

Civic Engagement Through Theatre: Running A Brechtian Workshop In The Classroom, Margot Morgan

eJournal of Public Affairs

This study presents an innovative active learning technique to support the development of civic education: a theatrical workshop based on the dramaturgy of Bertolt Brecht. I argue that the Brechtian workshop can develop three skills necessary for effective civic engagement: perspective taking, collaboration, and critical judgment/self-reflection, and that these skills are directly tied to the three civic values of pluralism, community, and civic responsibility. Using qualitative data gathered in the course of teaching this workshop to two distinct student populations — a self-selecting group of students in a liberal arts environment and a group of students at a commuter campus …

Enhancing Civic Engagement Through Leadership Education, Lori E. Kniffin, Sonalini Sapra

eJournal of Public Affairs

Many civic engagement courses require students to work with community members to make progress on complex problems, which in itself can be a practice of leadership. Yet there is little evidence that leadership development is strategically incorporated in civic engagement courses. Therefore, we taught eight leadership sessions over two semesters in the Principled Problem Solving Scholars Program at Guilford College. This study examines the perceived impact of leadership curriculum on the personal practices of leadership and the civic engagement for 14 undergraduate students. We present the findings through three themes highlighting (1) the shifts in the students’ philosophies of leadership …

Building Capacity To Alleviate Poverty Through National Service: An Evaluation Plan Guided By Community Partner Perspectives, Laura E. Martin

eJournal of Public Affairs

This paper explores how a national service program, the Mid-South VISTA Project (MSVP), impacts community partner organizations through capacity building activities. MSVP is housed at Mid-South University and extends the community-engaged activities of campus units and while building capacity at partner organizations. The project considers dimensions of nonprofit capacity building, navigating the community-campus partnership process, and the legacy of the VISTA program. The data presented here are part of a larger case study of how programs housed at MSU’s community engagement center impact community partner organizations. Findings from interviews with fifteen VISTA supervisors guide the development of an evaluation plan …

Legislators’ Perceptions Of Public University Student Lobbying Efforts On Public Higher Education Legislation: A Case Study, James J. Krotz, Lisa M. Rubin

eJournal of Public Affairs

College students have a legitimate interest in many policy issues that affect their campuses, but are they effective in lobbying their state representatives for their interests? Elected members of the Kansas state legislature were surveyed to determine if student lobbyists were effective in influencing legislator’s decision-making on matters of public higher education policy in Kansas. Interest group theory was utilized as a lens to view results of legislator perceptions. Findings suggested that 70% of legislator participants never altered their view on an issue after meeting with a college student lobbyist. Responses aligned with partisan politics, with Democrats more likely to …

Feature: The American Democracy Project, Catherine A. Copeland

eJournal of Public Affairs

For the ADP Feature section of the November 2021 issue

Assessing And Improving Political Learning And Engagement On College Campuses, Catherine A. Copeland, Leah Murray

eJournal of Public Affairs

The American Association for State Colleges and University’s (AASCU’s) American Democracy Project (ADP) and the Institute for Democracy and Higher Education (IDHE), located at Tufts University’s Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life, formed a three-year partnership to pilot a process for fostering institutional change to advance political learning and engagement on college campuses. The multidimensional approach to collecting information, deploying dialogues, and crafting interventions provided insight into the necessity of generating institutional support for civic engagement initiatives.

This article reviews the goals, plan, and process of this three-year, multi-phased initiative. We weave throughout the results of multi-stage evaluations of …

We Invest In What We Care About, Tyrone Bledsoe Sr

eJournal of Public Affairs

SAAB has a prescription that ensures that young men develop a "Spirit to Care" about their community.

Cowboys Coming Together: Campus-Based Dialogues On Race And Racial Equity, Tami L. Moore, Michael D. Stout, Patrick D. Grayshaw, Autumn Brown, Nadia Hall, C Daniel Clark, Jonathan Marpaung

eJournal of Public Affairs

Public deliberation, as a general approach for exploring complex issues facing geographically-defined communities as well as increasing student civic engagement, has gained standing in recent years as a civic engagement tool on college campuses.Everyday Democracy’s Dialogue to Change (D2C) approach provides a process through which participants deliberate and – most importantly – act toward change to address locally-identified issues of concern in the campus-as-community. The purpose of this article is two-fold: to describe Cowboys Coming Together, a local implementation of D2C at Oklahoma State University (OSU), and to present findings from the initial research exploring the influence of change-oriented deliberative …

Children Are Undiscovered Community Assets, Amy Neugebauer

eJournal of Public Affairs

No abstract provided.

Discipline-Oriented Citizenship, Alexander Pope Iv, Sarah Surak

eJournal of Public Affairs

We introduce a framework for considering the particularities of civic engagement in higher education. Colleges and universities make increasing references to civic engagement in mission statements and other guiding documents. The nature of these documents does not allow for distinctions between types of civic engagement activities that might occur in specific academic disciplines. This may suggest a singular approach to civic engagement. We argue that actual pedagogies demonstrate variance and nuance in purposes of and approaches to civic engagement. Supporting faculty considerations of what content and skills are necessary for civic engagement in a particular academic discipline, we adapt and …

Tools For Living Democracy: Putting The Clde Theory Of Change Into Practice, Romy Hübler, David B. Hoffman, Craig Berger, Jennifer Domagal-Goldman, Stephanie King

eJournal of Public Affairs

The Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement Theory of Change (Hoffman, Domagal-Goldman, King, & Robinson, 2018) addresses four key questions relating to vision/purpose, learning outcomes, pedagogy, and strategy for higher education’s work in preparing students for participation in civic life. In this article, we elaborate on the pedagogy question, offering civic tools and practices faculty and student affairs educators can use to support student learning and foster socially just, civically engaged institutions and communities.

Managing ‘Send Her Back’: Civil Discourse And Educating For Democracy As Campus Culture, Jeremy Tuchmayer Phd, Dennis Mccunney Phd, Tara Kermiet

eJournal of Public Affairs

Until recently, Research University had a small culture of marches, protests, and other free speech actions. However, police involved shootings in Ferguson, Missouri, and Baltimore, followed by the 2016 summer of violence with the mass shooting in Orlando and more police-involved shootings in New York, Chicago, Minnesota, and Texas, dramatically changed the culture at Research University. During the 2016-17 academic year, Research University student organizations hosted more than 25 campus protests and demonstrations—relatively few compared to other institutions, but a large increase for our campus community. Even with wide-ranging topics -- from Black Lives Matter to Turning Point USA speakers …

A Decade Of Building The Community-Engaged School Of Health And Human Sciences At The University Of North Carolina Greensboro, Emily M. Janke, Joi Bulls, Dave Demo, Celia Hooper, Jeremy Rinker

eJournal of Public Affairs

This case example illustrates key opportunities, processes, and outcomes of nearly a decade of intentional efforts to build and support community-engaged faculty culture and institutionalization in the School of Health and Human Sciences at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. Situated within a university-wide, faculty-led movement to institutionalize support for community engagement through policy and practice, we describe the motivation of faculty and administrative leadership to integrate support for community engagement across teaching, research and service roles in the Health and Human Sciences unit at UNCG. We present critical moments of opportunity that were leveraged by faculty and administrative leadership …

Book Review: Teaching With Compassion, Brian K. Obach

eJournal of Public Affairs

This essay reviews the book Teaching with Compassion by Peter Kaufman and Janine Schipper and provides insight into the life and teaching philosophy of Kaufman. He died prematurely shortly after the book was released, but not before prolific public sociological reflection on illness, life, and death.

Self-Assessment Rubric For The Institutionalization Of Community Engagement At The Level Of The College Within A University, John Saltmarsh

eJournal of Public Affairs

No abstract provided.

Institutionalizing Community Engagement: The College Within A University As A Missing Organizational Link, John Saltmarsh, Michael Middleton, Melissa Quan

eJournal of Public Affairs

This article examines the kinds of organizational change that can be implemented at level of a college in a university to institutionalize community engagement as a core value of the college.

Utilizing The College-Level Community Engagement Assessment Rubric To Identify Strengths, Weaknesses And Opportunities For Growth In Drexel University’S College Of Arts And Sciences, Cyndi R. Rickards, Jennifer Kebea, Brian Daley, Lawrence Souder

eJournal of Public Affairs

The College of Arts and Sciences (CoAS), one of Drexel’s largest colleges, has intentionally aimed to grow and deepen its commitment to civic engagement across the last decade. CoAS has significantly demonstrated a commitment to community engagement by making it a funding priority and creating a leadership position to support engagement. Because of the varying levels and formats of the college’s efforts towards civic engagement, a process of assessment was needed. To channel our assessment efforts we adopted Saltmarsh and Middleton’s pilot assessment rubric. A group of seven engaged faculty from across the college and the Executive Director of the …

Economic Engagement, Development, And Entrepreneurship: The Role Of Applied Public Service Colleges, Jason Jolley, Gilbert Michaud

eJournal of Public Affairs

This paper investigates the unique role of applied public service colleges in engaging with communities through economic development and entrepreneurship-related activities. Schools of public administration, affairs, and service are often distinctively tasked with being public facing, and connecting and working with outside agencies, nonprofits, and other stakeholders. Using a case study of Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs, we discuss the emerging engagement role of these types of schools through a typology of strategies brought forth by the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities. We outline seven specific programs run by the Voinovich School, and discuss …

Book Review: Epistemic Injustice: Power & The Ethics Of Knowing, Star Plaxton-Moore

eJournal of Public Affairs

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Our Towns: A 100,000 Mile Journey Into The Heart Of America, Keith Morton

eJournal of Public Affairs

Book review of James and Deborah Fallows, Our towns: a 100,000 mile journey into the heart of America

Bridging The Gap Between Researchers And Wider Audiences: Navigating A Community Literacy Collaboration In Real-Time, Terry S. Atkinson, Kimberly L. Anderson, Elizabeth A. Swaggerty

eJournal of Public Affairs

While campus-community partnerships are common, such engaged scholarship efforts often lead university researchers to community-centered presentations and publications; however, this type of scholarship and especially the venues in which it is often disseminated are of questionable value within the academy’s tenure and promotion process. Three literacy scholars who were invited to study the impact of community-wide Imagination Library implementation share challenges they encountered related to collaboration, communication, and dissemination of findings during the first two years of a five-year early literacy community partnership. Selected outcomes and implications for other community-engaged scholars include (a) investing in true multi-directional consistent collaboration and …

The Role Of Positive Youth Development, Educational Policy, And Cultural Relevancy In School Settings, Rolanda L. Ward, Tanyetta A. Carter

eJournal of Public Affairs

Changes in federal education legislation have presented scholars, educational activists, and educators with an opportunity to influence educational outcomes that are youth-centered and youth-driven, specifically among students of color in underserved schools. Opportunities for youth to initiate, design, implement, and evaluate district programs and interventions are beneficial not only to youths’ intrinsic development, but also to the school communities in which they spend the most time. This article links the growth and promotion of positive youth development (PYD) theories and programming to current federal policy changes that support the inclusion of youth in school reform. The authors also discuss historical …

Developing Civically Engaged Citizens In An Introductory Criminal Justice Course, Tamara J. Lynn

eJournal of Public Affairs

Criminal justice programs are often considered a training ground for students’ future careers; however, that training often lacks a focus on civic engagement. This article highlights an experiential learning project in an introductory criminal justice course that was designed to develop the skills of civically engaged professionals. The project, combining research with service-learning, was implemented in an undergraduate criminology course to demonstrate the ways in which research and theory are necessary for implementing social and political change. Student participants achieved the desired learning outcomes and gained a deeper understanding of their role as change agents. The success of this project …

Debate, Critical Thinking, And Civic Education: Why No One Should Give Up On Burma, Joseph Zompetti

eJournal of Public Affairs

I traveled to Myanmar to instruct indigenous NGOs in critical thinking and democracy promotion. In this paper, I examine the political and cultural context of Myanmar before and after the 2010 elections. Fortunately, given the democratic initiatives since the 2010 election, the activists and organizations with whom I worked are now safely advocating for ongoing reforms and are free from persecution. Specifically, I discuss the training curriculum I presented, and how debate and critical thinking pedagogy help influence the democratic impulses of concerned citizens in Myanmar. I believe this reflection is worthwhile for anyone interested in debate, critical thinking, citizenship, …