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Grant Writing from Start to Finish - All Day

Service learning and civic engagement programs are often faced with the daunting task of writing grant proposals. The overall process of writing a competitive grant proposal includes developing a clear program idea, gathering the necessary background information, researching appropriate funding sources, and developing a strong narrative application. The myriad of tasks related to successful grant writing can be overwhelming and this interactive hands?on session will guide you past these basics to developing a holistic approach to proposal development.

The goals of this pre-conference are to: 1) Provide a general overview of the grant writing process, 2) Identify common barriers to securing funding for implementation of faculty innovation, service-learning, and civic engagement programs, and 3) Demystify the grant writing process while encouraging campus wide involvement in the process.

During this interactive pre-conference, participants will develop an idea from conception to a fundable and competitive application. Be prepared to roll-up your sleeves and put your best ideas into practice; at the end of this session you'll be presenting your complete proposal! Level: All

Presenters: Joseph Swaba, Associate Director, Grants Development and Management, Maricopa Community Colleges and Cathleen Hernandez, Coordinator of Grants and Institutional Research, GateWay Community College

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Enhancing Student Learning and Development through Service Learning - Half Day

Two colleges will demonstrate how carefully designed service learning experiences can enhance academic and civic outcomes, meet important institutional goals and prepare students to become critical thinkers and problem solvers. Strategies include designing reflection activities to promote academic achievement, personal and professional skills, and community engagement; developing successful community partnerships; and utilizing evaluation and assessment for program improvement. Examples will offer a practical model of how service learning can be incorporated into the curriculum and easily replicated. An interactive exercise and discussion will help participants design their own service learning courses for desired outcomes and share their ideas with the group. Proven program resources and syllabi will be provided.

Presenters: Mary Ann Balut, Assistant Professor of Nursing, Raritan Valley Community College; Debra Bohr, Service Learning Administrator, Northampton Community College; Dr. Margaret Maghan, Psychology Instructor, Tenure Track, Raritan Valley Community College; and Lori Moog, Director of Service Learning and Community Outreach, Raritan Valley Community College

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Strategies for Success: Increasing Student Achievement, Persistence and Engagement

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." This sage advice by Confucius is especially relevant to college students struggling with developmental and introductory classes. Such students wonder if they can persevere to complete their degree and often become frustrated because they lack basic skills to move forward on their journeys. What are strategies in the classroom and beyond that can lead to greater student success in completing college?

This workshop will present a curriculum reform approach that embeds Core Student Success Skills related to critical thinking, communication, collaboration, organization and self-assessment. We have embedded these skills into over 30 developmental and introductory courses as well as the advising process and co-curricular student engagement activities.

In this interactive workshop participants will be introduced to redesign approaches through course examples with service-learning and civic engagement themes and will then apply strategies to their own course or programs as well as exploring ways that these skills can be more broadly used across their institutions.

Presenter: Donna Duffy, Professor of Psychology, Middlesex Community College and Phyllis Gleason, Associate Dean of Professional & Instructional Development, Middlesex Community College

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  Let's Work Together - Integrating Community Engagement into the Classroom

In an effort to better prepare our students for their careers in the workforce, there has been a new emphasis on the teaching of ethics in business programs. This approach suggests that an additional goal of service learning should be the development of students who are civic-minded and socially responsible. Research will be presented that examines how we have successfully increased community engagement through service-learning. (All)

Presenter(s): Markus Ahrens, Department Chair,Accounting & Legal Studies, St. Louis Community College - Meramec; Robyn Barrett, Assistant Professor, Accounting, St. Louis Community College - Meramec

Engaging Students as Agents of Positive Change

Although I believe in the intrinsic value of service, my primary objective for incorporating service-learning and civic engagement into my courses is to empower students and to help them see themselves as powerful agents of positive change. I think this is one of the most important lessons we can teach our students. Therefore, I believe that the most crucial factor in providing students with a fulfilling service-learning experience, one that will engage them in the service as well as the subject, is to allow them to determine and design as much of their projects as possible. I would like to present the strategies I employ to achieve a balance between my guiding students and giving them choice. Since my pedagogy has been shaped by my experiences in service-learning courses that required students fulfill a number of self directed, individually chosen projects as well as collaborative group projects, I am mindful of making my workshop relevant to faculty in various disciplines. In my workshop, I would like to present some of my strategies and then make it interactive be providing participants time to reflect on the ways they can develop similar guidelines for a variety of projects. (Intermediate)

Presenter(s): Catherine Lipnick-Martin, Assistant Professor, English, Suffolk County Community College

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A Gateway to Fostering Civic Resonsibility: Creating A Cyber-Bullying Prevention Program in Our Community

In this presentation, participants will see how students in the Mental Health and Human Services Program, in partnership with the Service Learning Program, have developed a sense of civic responsibility as they participated in a civic engagement program in the community.

Participants will observe how, as faculty-empowered students to create their own cyber-bullying prevention campaign, students began to express a sense of pride and an awareness of their responsibility to their community. Participants will hear examples of student feedback as to the positive impact this program had in terms of motivating students to continue their education.

Members of the audience will have an opportunity to experience a cyber-bullying prevention activity which portrays students' working knowledge of the issue within their own personal growth and development as professionals within the field. (All)

Presenter(s): Charles Guigno, Associate Professor,Behavior Sciences and Human Services, Kingsborough Community College and Mandy Fraley, Service Learning Counselor, Career Development, Kingsborough Community College

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A Snap-Shot of STEM Service-Learning in Florida

This workshop aims to provide a snapshot of the first year of Florida Campus Compact's STEM Initiative which includes a series of Institutes and subsequent program grants to integrate service-learning into the teaching of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) at colleges and universities in Florida. It recognizes that service-learning tends to be relatively well established in the humanities, and not well established in the STEM disciplines. In this workshop, we will discuss and share the successes and lessons learned from our first round of STEM Day Institutes which were held on six different campuses between October 2010 and February 2011. We also want participates to understand the importance of STEM service-learning nationwide. (All)

Presenter: DeeDee Rasmussen, Executive Director, Florida Campus Compact

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Service-Learning Nuts & Bolts: The Path to College Completion

This informative and interactive workshop is focused on the nuts and bolts of service-learning to insure that programs and courses last the challenges of time and change, increased retention, and college completion.

• Learn the key elements and components of effective service-learning to suffuse service-learning throughout the institution.
• Examine an embarrassment of riches from Brevard Community College's model program.
• Learn some challenges and strategies for program and stakeholder development.
• Examine processes, forms, resources and publications.

Contribute to workshop learning through discussion and group interaction! Great handouts, packets, DVD's and syllabi! (All)

Presenter(s): Philip Simpson, Provost, Dean of Faculty, Office of the President, Brevard Community College; Evelyn Young, Director, Service-Learning, Brevard Community College; and Robin Campbell, Professor, Psychology, Brevard Community College

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Building Effective Partnerships -- Starting with You!!!

What assets do you offer a partnership? We often approach partnerships in terms of how the other person or organization can help us with our project or goal. Need money? Talk to your dean and/or find a funder. Want to have your students learn about homelessness? A homeless shelter would be a good partner. Want to expand the program into another community? Let's contact another college in a neighboring community.

This session will provide you with tools and ideas about what your role is in developing effective partnerships. What are your skills and abilities that you have to offer and what are some barriers that may challenge your partnerships that you have control to change?

Sustainable partnerships are possible when all partners are gaining value from the relationships. When we can clearly answer, "What's in it for you?" as easily as we can answer, "What's in it for me?" then we have a great foundation for a successful partnership. (All)

Presenter(s): Jennifer Dorr, Executive Director, Washington Campus Compact and Atina Pascua, Executive Director, Hawaii Pacific Islands Campus Compact

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SENCER in Theory and Practice

In this session, the principal investigator of SENCER (Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities) will discuss the background and applications of a National Science Foundation supported development and STEM education reform initiative. Since 2001, SENCER has supported an ever-growing community of faculty, students, academic leaders, and others to improve undergraduate STEM education by connecting learning to critical civic questions. SENCER's goals are to: (1) get more students interested and engaged in learning science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses, (2) help students connect STEM learning to their other studies, and (3) strengthen students' understanding of science and their capacity for responsible work and citizenship. The presenters will also share information about SENCER symposia, resources, model courses, and publications. (All)

Presenters: David Burns, Principal Investigator, SENCER and Danielle Kraus, Associate Director, SENCER, National Center for Science and Civic Engagement

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Assessment, Accreditation and Accountability

The future of higher education is being questioned at many different levels - federal, state, and in local communities. The shifting national picture has pushed accreditation to reconsider expectations which impact all institutions. How can our institutions continue to focus on learning and quality in this dynamic time? In what ways can continued efforts to develop engaged, active students provide evidence that fulfills the call for additional institutional accountability? (All)

Presenter: Karen Solomon, Vice President for Accreditation Relations, Higher Learning Commission

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Civility in the Classroom

What has happened to civility on our college campuses and in our classrooms? Has the popularity of social media and instant communication impacted how our students interact with others? Have students lost sight of audience awareness and basic respect? This workshop will provide a lively discussion about the downside of living in the instant and distant virtual world and how that may lead to more serious concerns. Join us to learn how service learning provides the antidote for this growing concern. (All)

Presenter: Rudy Garcia, Dean of Students, Office of the Dean of Students, Central New Mexico Community College

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Securing Student Success through Service Learning

Follow-up to Keynote Address.(All)

Presenter: Andy Furco, Associate Vice President for Public Engagement / Associate Professor, University of Minnesota

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The Honors Peer Mentor Program

Members and advisors of Omicron Beta, Mesa Community College's chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, the honor society for two-year colleges, will present their College Project initiative: The Honors Peer Mentor Program. Through this peer mentoring project, Phi Theta Kappa officers have been able to guide freshmen Honors students through their first year experience in an effort to increase retention rates. (All)

Presenters: Scott C. Russell, PhD, Honors Faculty Director,Honors Department, Mesa Community College; Lauren Lucchese, Student & 2010-2011 Vice President of Red Mountain, Phi Theta Kappa, Mesa Community College; and Shela Hidalgo, Student & 2010-2011 Vice President of Hallmarks, Phi Theta Kappa, Mesa Community College

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Branching Out Your Program with Stand-Alone Service-Learning Courses and Service Clubs

This workshop explores how to nurture new growth in an already well-rooted service-learning program through the inclusion of stand-alone service-learning courses and student service clubs. Examine the design and implementation of various course structures and the specific curiculum and materials used by multiple faculty members. Learn how to start and adminster a successful student service club to promote greater student involvement in service-learning and provide on-going opportunities for service projects rather than service placements. (Intermediate, Advanced)

Presenter(s): Erin Baird, Regional Coordinator for Service-Learning, Brevard Community College and Robin Campbell, Professor, Psychology, Brevard Community College

In Pursuit of Citizen Scholars

This informative and interactive workshop is focused on the Citizen Scholar program at Brevard Community College. Academically, Citizen Scholars complete degrees. Citizen Scholars embrace the community on a deeper level due to their commitment in service-learning. Learn about the challenges and triumphs of revitalizing the Citizen Scholar program at Palm Bay campus. Through the combined efforts of our project specialist, our faculty members, and an initial core of dedicated students; the Citizen Scholar program has flourished at our campus over the last year. Participants will contribute through an activity and discussion. (All)

Presenter(s): Debbie Sanders, Project Specialist, Service-Learning, Brevard Community College and Karyn Ott, Associate Professor of Humanities, Humanities, Brevard Community College

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Promoting Community Partnerships during an Economic Downturn through Service-Learning

Two faculty members will provide practical and innovative strategies on how they help create successful service-learning experiences for students in the course Trends in Nursing, which can be applied to different disciplines. Project examples and best practices for developing collaborative partnerships with community organizations will be shared. Topics will include designing high-quality service-learning projects, initiating community partnerships, disseminating work, facilitating student leadership, and creating a framework for assessing student learning outcomes. Handouts will include award-winning project examples, model course syllabus, and a community college program guide highlighting how to link community service with academics across numerous disciplines. (All)

Presenters: Susan Williams, RN, APN,C., Assistant Professor,Health Science Education, Raritan Valley Community College and Janice Buttler RN, APN, C., Associate Professor, Health Science Education, Raritan Valley Community College

Hand in Hand: A Regional Perspective on Building Strong Programs and Partnerships

This workshop will present the unique perspectives of three service-learning leaders who work at different institutions but serve the same community. Learn how collaborative efforts between two community colleges and one university have promoted best practices and addressed community needs and challenges. Strategies for problem solving, pooling resources, and developing a regional culture of service will be presented. Participants will engage in interactive activities that explore the barriers to collaborative work and encourage solution-driven practices. (All)

Presenters: Carol Wilkinson, Service Learning Director, Mira Costa College; Valerie Knox, Community Partnerships Coordinator, Office of Community Service Learning, California State University San Marcos; and Rachael Horn, Sociology Instructor, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Palomar College

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Service-Learning and Developmental Education: A Case Study at Durham Technical Community College

Developmental education students need engaging practices and pedagogies to persist in their education. Service-learning, as a scholarship of engagement, seems like a fitting tool to provide the active, involved learning necessary to developmental students' success. However, integrating service-learning into developmental education courses brings additional complications to service coordination beyond the typical labor-intensive arrangement of SL classes. These complications--perceived or real--may explain why the natural link between SL and developmental education has not been embraced and utilized on our campuses for students' benefits. Come learn how one college addressed these challenges in order to implement a SL project in a learning community's Developmental Reading course. Bring your own experiences to share as we begin a conversation about barriers to the integration of SL in Developmental Studies courses and their possible solutions. (Novice, Intermediate)

Presenter(s): Erin Riney, Instructor, Developmental English and Reading; Instructor, College Transfer Success; Coordinator, Service Learning,Student Engagement and Transitions, Durham Technical Community College

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Applying SENCER to Mathematics Courses

The presenters for this session have extensive experience applying the SENCER approach of connecting course content to issues of mathematics and are leaders in the SENCER community. Dr. Prabha Betne has successfully led the Project Quantum Leap (PQL) program at LaGuardia Community College, New York. With funding from a U.S. Department of Education FIPSE grant, the goal of the PQL project was to adopt the SENCER approach of teaching to a new setting and population: high-risk, urban community college students in basic skills mathematics courses. The funding provided support for developing the required teaching materials, training lead faculty, and implementing the SENCER approach in classrooms. Dr. Cindy Kaus's Statistics with Community-Based Projects is an introductory statistics course that covers both descriptive and inferential statistics and includes semester-long group projects on a local community issue. Groups perform a statistical analysis on the data collected, draw conclusions based on the analysis, present their findings to the class and wider community during a poster presentation, and write an action letter to a community group that may benefit from their report. (All)

Presenters: Prabha Betne, Associate Professor, Mathematics, LaGuardia Community College of the City University of New York and Cynthia Kaus, Associate Professor, Mathematics, Metropolitan State University

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Health Care Careers to Sustain a Community

Delgado Community College has launched a new program called the Community Care Initiative, which seeks to institutionalize service learning in its Allied Health programs. According to a recent United Way report, the poor health of New Orleans residents results from a lack of access to care due to the continued closure of a number of major health providers in the city and a widespread lack of health insurance coverage. Students in several Allied Health programs are restructuring clinical rotations to partner with community agencies that serve low-income and uninsured populations--those most likely to experience poor health. The CCI includes a student development program that provides leadership opportunities, structured reflection, and instills a sense of civic responsibility, especially within the context of careers in health care. (All)

Presenter(s): Linda Kieffer, Department Chair and Psychology Professor, Arts and Humanities, Delgado Community College; Matthew Sweeney, CCI Program Coordinator, Service Learning, Delgado Community College; and Linda Kelly, Associate Professor/Occupational Therapy Asst., Allied Health, Delgado Community College

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International Service Learning: Process and Lessons Learned

International travel and experiences are enriching and educational by themselves but when aligned with academic study, these service-learning opportunities provide deep learning opportunities that link course work with helping to meet community-identified needs. This type of learning lasts forever and often is life-changing. Through international Service-Learning, the participants also have the opportunity to learn about another culture, learn about themselves, and apply course and discipline knowledge while working alongside of local residents. (Novice)

Presenters: Cecilia Bidigare, Associate Professor, Nursing, Sinclair Community College

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Project HOPE

In January 2010, Mesa Community College's (MCC) Center for Service-Learning was awarded a Make it Personal: College Completion grant funded by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and managed by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). MCC used the funds primarily to award mini-grants to faculty to create, implement, and share the results of service-learning projects centered on the theme of preventing unplanned pregnancy among community college students and thereby, enhancing their rates of success in achieving their community college educational goals. Center for Service-Learning staff, as well as faculty and students working on Project HOPE, will share their experiences utilizing service-learning as a retention tool to enable college completion and student success, working with internal and external partners, and leveraging external funding to support service-learning projects. (All)

Presenter(s): Duane Oakes, Faculty Director,Center for Service-Learning, Mesa Community College; Phyllis Salsedo, Instructor, Reading Department, Mesa Community College; and Heather Thomas, Student & 2010-2011 Vice President of Scholarship, Phi Theta Kappa, Mesa Community College

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Creative Partnerships: A Win-Win Situation for Meeting Course Objectives and Community Needs

Course objectives can be met in a variety of ways, but doing hands-on service projects that benefit the community are an especially effective way of helping students connect outcomes to real world applications. During this session, we will share examples of community partnerships that help meet course objectives in this way. We will also spend time allowing participants to collaborate on the development of ideas for community partners and the process of establishing strong community relationships. (All)

Presenter(s): Sherry Knoppers, Associate Professor, Nursing, Grand Rapids Community College; Sandy Andrews, Professor, Physical Sciences, Grand Rapids Community College; and Leigh Kleinert, Associate Professor, Biological Sciences, Grand Rapids Community College

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Engaging Faculty through Social Responsibility Assessment

Using a process model for assessing social responsibility (SR) at Minneapolis Community and Technical College (MCTC), facilitators of this workshop will assist attendees in developing and refining institutional outcomes for SR for their home institutions and classroom assessments. MCTC is in the second year of a three-year focus on SR, following a process of assessment that has been in place for eight years and proven effective. This process begins with a clear method for creating and revising definitions and outcomes and anchoring the teaching of SR into classroom practices, while also connecting them to a larger, campus-wide framework that requires the collection, analysis, and response to data on student learning. The process also results in instructors and students having a more explicit understanding of what SR is, how it can be demonstrated, and how the teaching and learning of SR can be improved. Specific results and findings of MCTC's assessments will be shared, as will the method for implementing evidence-based improvements that close the loop and contribute to increased student mastery of SR outcomes. Workshop participants will engage in activities that will allow them to identify and develop means for adopting or adapting this practical model at their institutions. Attendees will leave the session having identified aspects of the model salient for their context, as well as the beginnings of a strategic plan to overcome the challenges at their institution and to implement an intentional, connected and effective process for assessing student learning in SR. (All)

Presenter(s): Greg Mellas, Service Learning Director and Spanish Faculty, Minneapolis Community and Technical College; Cheryl Neudauer, Center for Teaching and Learning Campus Leader and Biology Faculty, Minneapolis Community and Technical College; and Michael Seward, Local Union Chapter President, English Division Coordinator and English Faculty, Minneapolis Community and Technical College

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Community Partner Secrets to Success

Successful collaborations do not happen by accident. They take planning, focus and reciprocity. This workshop will describe how Kirtland Community College and River House Inc. created a collaboration to impact virtually all students in their small rural community concerning issues like poverty, homelessness, and sexual and domestic violence. Come to this interactive discussion with your best practices for success concerning collaboration issues including: service-learning, curriculum development, campus events, and community partner fund raisers. (All)

Presenter: Nicholas Holton, Service Learning Coordinator, Kirtland Community College

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What about Service-Learning in Europe?

The birth of service-learning in Europe emerged in the Anglo-Saxon area with "Community Education" which, like "service learning", is considered an educational practice and is by the same principles and pedagogical basis (Bendit, 2007). And now, what is happening with service-learning? How is it done? Why is this kind of practice important? What experiences/projects are there? (All)

Presenter(s): Esther Luna, Researcher, Methods of Research and Diagnosis in Education, University of Barcelona, Spain

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Service Learning for the Nontraditional Student

Many students enter college with a very busy life and full schedule. To accommodate the schedule of this time-challenged student population, this workshop offers the steps on how to design a semester long service-learning project that is based on a central theme. This format offers many choices of short term activities that the students can chose and combine to meet their scheduling needs, yet still participate in a comprehensive service-learning experience. The participants will practice developing a theme and brainstorming possible ideas for individual activities. (All)

Presenter(s): Kathleen LeBlanc, Coordinator of Human Services Program/Professor, Dept. of Behavioral & Social Sciences, Naugatuck Valley Communuity College

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SENCER and the Dual Poster Concept

Dual posters are an effective way for students to learn how to effectively communicate their research to non-science audiences by creating posters that break down, in terms anyone can understand, the implications and applications of a given topic. However, many students do not understand the process of removing jargon and translating their work for the general public. Shepard and Maguire have created a handbook with a step-by-step process for translating existing scientific posters into a dual poster version that is more easily understood by the general public. The session will focus on the process of creating a dual poster and use our handbook as a guide. This program will be beneficial to students and faculty alike as we take them step-by-step through the method. Several posters will be shown in both forms along with the steps that participants took in creating them. Potential applications will be discussed including student recruitment, attaining funding and policy change. (All)

Presenters: Cynthia Maguire, Lecturer II, Chemistry and Physics, Texas Woman's University and LeAnne Shepard, Student, Texas Woman's University

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Empowering the Communities: Honors and Service-Learning as Catalysts for Positive Social Change

Students of the US-Mexico Borderlands are keenly aware that the social and educational dreams of the past have yet to be attained. In response, Cochise College students have created a five-pronged approach to lessen intolerance, prejudice and discrimination; to enhance the educational success and career goals of a challenged, at-risk public school population; to rekindle an interest in science as an academic and career goal; and to involve students in rebuilding their community. The presentation will address how each project began, the level of institutional support, lessons learned by the Honor/Service-Learning students involved, and how each project can be implemented at other community colleges/universities. (All)

Presenter(s): Lisa Westrick, Assoicate Faculty, Social Service Department, Cochise College and Edmund Priddis, Biology Instructor, Science, Cochise College

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