Center for Service Learning
Fall Updates
|
|
|
Due to the University's policies and guidance surrounding in-person interactions on campus, our team will continue to work primarily in a remote and virtual manner throughout the fall semester.
The CSL's office hours will remain the same, with staff available through virtual channels from 8:30am-4:30pm. On Wednesdays, at least one staff member will be available virtually until 6pm.
All meetings with CSL staff members can be conducted virtually. If you would like to schedule a time to meet with a member of our team, please email [email protected] with a brief description of what you'd like to discuss with us as well as your availability. If you just have a quick question, no need to schedule an appointment- just connect with us via email, phone, our website chat function, or social media!
On a regular basis, we will continue to check our mail and collect any physical forms that need our attention. If you send us something in the mail or drop off a form in our secure drop-box, please email [email protected] and let us know to look out for it.
Here's to a unique year of learning, flexibility, and creatively serving our community!
In Service,
Center for Service Learning Jomella Watson-Thompson, PhD. Emily Edding Rountree, Ph.D. Kate Kemper, M.S.Ed. Will Chaney Bria Thorne
|
A Semester in Review
Despite the twists and turns brought on during the COVID-19 pandemic, the CSL had a busy and successful spring semester. Here are the highlights:
Early this year, we received word that KU received the Carnegie Foundation's Classification for Community Engagement, an elective classification that notes an institution's commitment to community engagement throughout its structure and practices.
Three KU students presented at the Kansas Service and Civic Engagement Conference in February, hosted by Johnson County Community College.
In March, we received confirmation of KU's selection for Newman Civic Fellow, Lauren Spence. Lauren will spend the next year learning and developing alongside hundreds of Fellows from Campus Compact member institutions across the country and directly utilizing what she learns in her work with the Lawrence Humane Society and the Student United Way.
The CSL hosted our first-ever "KU Serves Week" in partnership with the Center for Community Outreach and The Big Event in April. During this week, we celebrated a year of service to the community by presenting our CSL Award winners and hosting our annual Service Showcase and Celebration.
The Student United Way, a new student service organization on campus this year, won the KU Student Involvement and Leadership Center's "New Student Organization of the Year" award.
Thanks for working with us to make all of these awesome accomplishments possible- here's to an awesome fall semester!
|
|
Announcements + Reminders
|
|
Mini Grant Awards for Service Learning
|
The Center for Service Learning is pleased to announce the availability of Service-Learning Instructional Mini-Grant Awards.
The purpose of these Service-Learning Instructional Mini-Grants is to encourage and support faculty in engaging students with the broader community through service-learning by integrating community-based experiences and learning as part of the course curriculum.
University of Kansas instructors of all career tracks including faculty (full- and part-time), staff, or teaching graduate students are eligible to receive these mini-grants. Submissions from all course structures will be reviewed according to the same criteria outlined below. Applicants may request up to $500-$1000 per course section.
Complete the online Service-Learning Mini-Grant Proposal Submission Form!
Please submit proposals online using the link above by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, December 14, 2020 for first consideration and will be accepted on a rolling basis after that.
|
|
Kansas Service + Civic Engagement Virtual Conference
|
Registration and proposal applications are now open for the Kansas Service + Civic Engagement Virtual Conference, hosted by Johnson County Community College from November 10-12, 2020.
As part of the conference, we are looking for students excited to present to their peers on topics such as service learning, community-engaged research, advocacy, and electoral or civic engagement. If students in your course are participating in service or community-engaged work during this semester (or even last semester) please encourage them to submit a presentation proposal!
Prerecorded presentations will be on the website throughout the conference; live events will happen each day. Presentation proposals must be submitted by October 2. Find more details on the conference page!
Questions about the conference or proposal submission? Let us know at [email protected].
|
|
Voter + Census Engagement
|
2020 is a major election year for the United States as a whole, as well as for individual states and communities. Encourage your students, who are eligible to do so, to register to vote by October 13 (for the state of Kansas, other states might vary in deadlines).
Encourage your students to complete the 2020 Census if they have not already done so. As of September 10, the national self-response rate for the Census was 65.7%, 69.1% for Kansas, 71% for Douglas County, and 69.5% for Lawrence.
|
|
Our Faculty Ambassadors have been instrumental in helping the CSL promote service learning best-practices and community engagement across the University of Kansas. In an effort to better include our staff and community partners, we are excited to promote our new Ambassador model, including Service Learning, Community Engagement, Civic Engagement, and Community Partner Ambassadors. These groups will help us further our work both on an off-campus. The goal of the Ambassador program is to serve as a liaison to enhance coordination of community engagement efforts, as well as provide feedback to enhance our endeavors through community-university partnerships.
If you are interested in participating as an Ambassador, please email us at [email protected].
|
A new resource for faculty was recently launched at Washington University,
A collaborative project of the Gephardt Institute for Civic & Community Engagement, Arts & Sciences, University Libraries, and the Center for Teaching and Learning. It's creation was prompted by a central question, "Beyond Community Engaged Teaching pedagogy, how can we more broadly support faculty in their course design to teach for social impact?"
topics covered include:
· Course design
· Incorporating a racial equity lens
· Building in the election
· Contextualizing St. Louis
· Integrating information literacy
· Engaging with community
· Critical digital pedagogy
· Trauma informed pedagogy
· Inclusive pedagogy
|
|
Service Learning Transition to Online
|
Please tell us about your service learning transition to online format here:
SERVICE LEARNING CONTENT TRANSITION TO ONLINE. We'd love to know if you've been able to transition your service learning component of your course into an online format, and if so, how or what adaptations you made to do so. If you're willing, we'd like to share your story with other faculty navigating similar paths.
|
|
|
Fall into Service with the CSL!
This fall, there are numerous ways you can support our efforts to promote community engagement in and outside of the classroom. Here are some options to start your list of possibilities:
-
Request a class visit by a CSL staff member to discuss service opportunities on and off-campus, principles of ethical service, and the Certificate in Service Learning. Email us at [email protected] to request this service. -
- Email us at [email protected] to share your service learning projects and collaborations, so that we can promote the incredible work happening across the university.
- Join one of our CSL Ambassador groups by emailing us at [email protected].
|
Service Learning
Course Spotlight:
Course Name: ARCH 608 Architecture-Urban Dwelling
Faculty Name: Marie-Alice L'Heureux Service Component Description: The Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council is one of Kansas City's oldest and largest neighborhood associations. Over the last 20 years the organization has seen great improvement in the health and stability of the community. However, with this positive growth they now are faced with the challenges of increasing gentrification of the neighborhood. Students worked with Nailah M'Biti the Chief Development Officer to design affordable and mix use housing options that could fit in some of the vacant lots in the neighborhood.
|
Staff Spotlight:
Kate Kemper
Kate serves as the Assistant Director of the CSL, and is responsible for student engagement initiatives as well as civic engagement programming and promotion.
Kate also manages the CSL's social media and website.
Kate received her M.S.Ed. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Kansas in May 2020, and has worked for the CSL since August 2018.
|
The CSL uses a number of resources to promote opportunities that come to us, including Hire Jayhawks, volunteer.ku.edu, and our own social media and newsletters. We are happy to promote programs and opportunities on your behalf.
Have a project in mind? Looking for service opportunities or a community engagement collaboration? Let us know how we can include you in partnerships, or how we can help you create them by completing the survey at csl.ku.edu/help. Our team will review your submission and reach out with suggestions, ideas, and resources tailored to your needs as well as posting the opportunities on the relevant promotion platforms.
This is a relatively new tool that we rolled out last fall, so please give us feedback on how it's working!
|
|
Service Learning
Course Designation
If you teach a course that integrates service learning or community engagement within its curriculum and have not yet gone through the designation process, click the button below!
|
|
 |
|
Follow Us on Social Media
The CSL uses our various platforms to promote service events, award/funding deadlines, and showcases the impact that service and community engagement has on our students and alumni.
Feel free to tag us and use the hashtag "KUServes" so we can share all of the incredible things you and your students do for the community!
|
|
|
|
|
