Civic and Community Engagement Commons^™

From Service To Purpose: Helping Students See Civic Engagement As A Path Forward, Anna Spethman

Presentations

What’s one experience that shaped your career—but didn’t come from a formal job?

Civic engagement offers students more than an opportunity to serve.  It can build skills, confidence, connections, and pathways to meaningful careers.  Yet students do not always recognize or articulate the value of these experiences. This interactive session explores practical strategies for helping student connect service to career readiness and community impact through intentional reflection, skill identification, and storytelling.  Participants will leave with approaches they can use to help students move from service, to purpose, to pathway.

Examining The Perceptions Of Restorative Practices In A Non-Profit Organization: A Comparative Analysis Of Staff And Youth Attitudes, Autumn N. Alicea, Anne Hobbs Dr

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This study examines the attitudes toward restorative justice (RJ) among staff and youth at a non-profit residential organization. Using the Restorative Justice Attitude Scale, data was collected from 14 staff members and 14 youth participants (N=28). Results indicated that staff members reported significantly higher mean scores (M = 84.50, SD = 8.38) on the Total Restorative Justice Attitude Scale than youth participants (M = 67.93, SD = 15.81). ANOVA results revealed statistically significant differences between the two groups on attitudes toward restorative justice, F (1, 26) = 12.007, p = .002. Effect size analysis (η² = .316) indicates that approximately …

Union, John C. Lyden

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Union (2024), directed by Stephen Maing and Brett Story.

Factors Influencing Participation In Liberal Student Organizations On College Campuses, Nathan Johnson

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Despite a long history of student organizations on college campuses there is relatively little research on participation and student experiences in such groups, especially on what factors motivate students to become involved. This study sought to examine factors that influence participation in political organizations on college campuses through dependent variables of attendance and holding a leadership role. The sample focused on groups understood to be “liberal” such as the College Democrats, environmental groups, and others. Respondents were reached through personal connections, social media, and distributing the survey to student organizations. The examined factors accounted for less than a fifth of …

Community Partnership Initiative (Cpi), Deepika Angelene Jantz, Joseph Nabiry, Doris Uwaezuoke

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

UNO is committed to community involvement. The Community Partnership Initiative (CPI) was created with the goal of combining community partners with campus groups in order to work together to serve communities nationwide. The CPI application was designed to give partners and users a way to create and manage their projects online. Additionally, the tool was designed as a way for the CPI office to highlight the ways they are working to benefit the community and create a more dynamic way to analyze, track, and display the projects, partners, and communities they are working in. The CPI application is currently being …

State Of The University Address, Uno Office Of The Chancellor

Chancellor’s Speeches

Good morning.

I want to thank the faculty, staff, students, community members, Board of Regents members, state senators, friends and my family who were able to attend today.

The first time I stood in this spot to deliver a State of the University address, I was interim Chancellor, and I had been in that role for a total of 28 days.

In that speech, I invited you to take a journey with me.

Vol. 27 No. 3 (Autumn 2016), Doi 10.18060/21388 Building An Engagement Center Through Love Of Place: The Story Of The Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center, Sara Woods, B. J. Reed, Deborah Smith-Howell

Scholarship of Metropolitan Mission

Universities throughout the United States operate engagement centers to extend campus faculty, staff and student resources to their communities. In 2014, the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) opened the Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center (Weitz CEC): a privately funded $24 million, 70,000 square foot facility located in the middle of its original Dodge Street campus. In addition to offices for its service learning and community service enterprises, the CEC houses over thirty university and community organizations and offers extensive space for meetings, dialogue and collaboration. This paper will discuss its strategic and programmatic origins, unique design, and lessons learned in …

Nebraska Watershed Network, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Newsletters 2015-2016

This newsletter features: Water at Kaneko Gallery; NE Scifest; Raise the Roots; Gifford Park Garden; Sustainability Launchpad; Girl Scouts; and Director's Note

Black Lives Matter | Special Edition Omaha Table Talk, Inclusive Communities

Newsletters 2015-2016

OMAHA, NE, July 20, 2016 - Inclusive Communities will host will host a special edition of its monthly Omaha Table Talk, Black Lives Matter at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center (Weitz CEC). Black Lives Matter sheds light on the issues surrounding the discussion of race in relation to the Black Lives Matter Movement.

Student Engagement Spotlights, Uno Office Of Academic And Student Affairs

Accreditation

Community engagement and service are fundamental components of UNO’s identity. The following students exemplify commitment to community engagement. Their work represents the breadth of UNO’s involvement in various causes.

To learn more about these students and others, visit the UNO Campus Commitment website (to be published soon).

Uno Student Engagement Spotlights, Uno Office Of Academic And Student Affairs

Community Engagement

Community engagement and service are fundamental components of UNO’s identity. The following students exemplify commitment to community engagement. Their work represents the breadth of UNO’s involvement in various causes.

P-16 Initiative, Uno Service Learning Academy

Newsletters 2015-2016

This newsletter features: Gaining Perspective: Race & Our Juvenile Justice System; Mapping Histories: Learning Across the Ages; College & Career Readiness Characteristics Found in Service Learning; Service Learning Around the World; Student's Collaboration Leads to Environmental Sustainability; Multiple Collaborative Projects Created Diverse Experiences for Students; Students Learn to Speak Mandarin; Infusing Rigor into Service Learning: A K-12 Teacher & UNO Professor's Perspective; A Lesson in Ethics: What Would a Boys Town Middle School Student Do? and Letter from the Program Coordinator.

Alumni Survey Fall 2015, Uno Office Of Institutional Effectiveness

Community Engagement

The alumni survey provides the university information on the lives of students one or more years after graduation and their opinions about various topics concerning their time at UNO and beyond. In the past, UNO used an external vendor, ACT, to conduct the alumni survey. The survey was long, the cost was high, the response rate was extremely low, and, ultimately, the vendor discontinued the survey. UNO decided the best route was to create and administer their own alumni survey.

Alumni from 2010 and 2012 were surveyed by UNO in Fall 2015 in an effort to learn which cohort would …

Yvonne Miller And Carly Conrad, Student Spotlight, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Community Engagement Spotlights

Carly Conrad and Yvonne Miller were t he recipients of t he 2015 Outstanding Student Service Learning Award. They raised awareness about Native Americans living in Whiteclay, NE through showing the documentary Sober Indian Dangerous Indian.

Alma Becerril Salas, Student Spotlight, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Community Engagement Spotlights

Through the Office of Latin/Latino American Studies (OLLAS), Alma Becerril Salas helped create the Latino art exhibition ‘Latino-Latin American Artists: Exhibition & Conversations’. This art exhibit is the first of its kind to feature solely Latino artists from the Omaha metro area.

Breanna Brown, Student Spotlight, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Community Engagement Spotlights

UNO swimmer, Breanna Brown, participates in the Big Brothers and Big Sisters mentoring program.

2016 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, Uno Office Of Academic Affairs

Community Engagement Award Applications

Program Purpose: The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll recognizes higher education institutions that reflect the values of exemplary community service and achieve meaningful outcomes in their communities. The Honor Roll is part of the Corporation for National and Community Service’s strategic commitment to engage millions of college students in service and celebrate the critical role of higher education in strengthening communities.The President’s Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge is a parallel national initiative that was launched in 2011,based on recommendations from President Obama’s inaugural Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships.Administered by The White House Office of Faith-based …

Matthew Van Ormer, Student Spotlight, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Community Engagement Spotlights

Matthew Van Ormer worked at The Collaborative and is the co-founder of UNO Be The Match, a student organization aimed at adding individuals to the national bone marrow registry.

Neal Grandgenett, Faculty Spotlight, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Community Engagement Spotlights

Neal Grandgenett, Ph.D, is a strong advocate of advancing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education. As the Haddix Community Chair of STEM Education and the Co-Chair of the UNO STEM Leadership Team, Dr. Grandgenett leads UNO's STEM outreach efforts.

Amelia Squires, Staff Spotlight, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Community Engagement Spotlights

Amelia Squires is the UNO STEM Outreach Coordinator. She engages youth in STEM education opportunities like EUREKA-STEM!, which is an enrichment program that begins with a 4 week summer camp held on UNO's campus for middle school girls.

Sandra Rodriguez-Arroyo, Faculty Spotlight, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Community Engagement Spotlights

Sondra Rodriguez-Arroyo, D.Ed, was the 2016 recipient of the Service Learning Academy (SLA) Faculty Service Learning Award.

Jeanette Harder, Faculty Spotlight, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Community Engagement Spotlights

Jeanette Harder, Ph.D., founded t he UNO nonprofit STEPs.

Anthony Hughes, Student Spotlight, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Community Engagement Spotlights

Anthony Hughes led the Queer Nebraska Youth Network (QNYN) from JAnuary 2014 through May 2015. The QNYN is the only youth-focused, peer-led LGBTQ+ group in Nebraska.

Jacques Musavyimana, Student Spotlight, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Community Engagement Spotlights

Jacques Musavyimana is the president of UNO Students Against Hunger. Jacques founded UNO Students Against Hunger in fall 2015 with the aim to educate people about food insecurity and eradicate hunger.

Krystal Herrmann (Staff) & Alan Kolok (Faculty), Spotlight, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Community Engagement Spotlights

The Nebraska Watershed Network (NWN) is a student-driven organization that aims to promote water quality through citizen science. Dr. Alan Kolok is the NWN director and Krystal Herrmann is the program coordinator.

Alex Bauer, Student Spotlight, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Community Engagement Spotlights

Alex Bauer is highly engaged with her community. "It started out that I'd do these things to make my parents happy and fulfill requirements for scholarships - but then, it really started to become an ingrained part of me. It became something that I was passionate about intrinsically. I want to make change in the world."

Adrienne Cavill, Student Spotlight, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Community Engagement Spotlights

Adrienne Cavill was one of the creators of the Marss Magnet Middle School Financial Literacy Program. Taught by College of Business Administration (CBA) Scholars, the class gave back to the community by teaching financial literacy topics to students.

Joseph Allen, Faculty Spotlight, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Community Engagement Spotlights

Joe Allen, Ph.D., is an associate professor in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. As the director of the Center for Applied Psychological Services and the founding director of the Volunteer Program Assessment- UNO, Dr. Allen has served hundreds of nonprofits.

Alyssa Cardona, Student Spotlight, University Of Nebraska At Omaha

Community Engagement Spotlights

Alyssa Cardona organized a fundraiser that saved a maternal and child health clinic in Managua, Nicaragua from closing.

Weitz Cec Building Viewbook, Weitz Cec

Programs and Brochures

Welcome to the Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center (Weitz CEC), the first of its kind in the country. Since opening in April 2014, the Weitz CEC, and the programs and partnerships it houses, have made a dynamic impact on our students, campus, and community.

The Weitz CEC is an expansive concept in university-community relations. Through its Student Service and Leadership Collaborative, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) will elevate student volunteerism initiatives by incorporating leadership, civic responsibility, and cultural competence. Our award-winning Service Learning Academy now has room to grow, providing more students with experiences that enhance learning, foster …