OCE CONNECT

November 2023

The Office of Community Engagement faculty and staff at the Levitt Center for the annual Faculty and Staff Awards Celebration on October 26th. Executive Director Nick Benson received the David J. Skorton Staff Excellence Award in Service to the University of Iowa and Faculty Fellow for Engaged Teaching and Scholarship Rachel Young was named the 2022 Scripps Howard Teacher of the Year.

The month of November brings several opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students interested in honing their skills in civic and community engagement. For undergraduate students, the Iowa/Minnesota Campus Compact Civic Action Academy is scheduled for November 10^th and 11^th at Grinnell College and promises to offer professional development and networking opportunities in addition to skill-building in leadership, dialogue, advocacy and more.

For graduate students interested in community engagement, the Graduate Engagement Corps (GEC) offers training and education in community-engaged research, community-engaged teaching and partnership development, in addition to connections with other graduate students, faculty and professionals in diverse fields. The deadline to register for the 2024 GEC cohort is November 20^th, and students are encouraged to submit their application as soon as possible!

As always, students are encouraged to reach out to the Office of Community Engagement with questions, to learn more, or to ask for additional resources and training in their community engagement work.

In partnership,

Nick Benson

Executive Director

OCE Opportunities

Graduate Student Opportunity:

2024 Graduate Engagement Corps Applications Open

The Office of Community Engagement is excited to open applications for the 2024 Graduate Engagement Corps (GEC). The GEC provides graduate and professional students with training in critical areas of community engagement, including community-engaged teaching, community-engaged research, and building community partnerships. To learn more about the GEC and the impact you can have as a graduate student, visit: https://engagement.uiowa.edu/GEC.

The deadline to apply is Monday, November 20th.

Apply Here

Community Engagement Network (CEN):

Coffee with the Network

Community engagement scholars and practitioners that are part of the Community Engagement Network (CEN) are encouraged to join us for Coffee With the Network this Wednesday, November 8th at 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm, 2520D, UCC. We are very pleased that Cady Gerlach will be our guest speaker. Cady is the Executive Director of Better Together 2030 and Vice President of Community Development with Greater Iowa City, Inc. Better Together 2030 is an exciting community development organization seeking to build a shared vision for Johnson County, and this is a great opportunity to see how your research and teaching might align with this collaborative effort.

Bring your lunch and we'll bring the coffee and cookies! We look forward to seeing you there.

https://engagement.uiowa.edu/community-engagement-network

Additional Engagement Opportunities

Focus Groups: Participation Requested

Community-engaged faculty, staff, graduate students, and post-docs in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences are encouraged to attend one or more of three upcoming focus groups offered in partnership with the CLAS Associate Dean for Outreach and Engagement Christine Getz and OCE this month. The focus groups are intended to explore additional opportunities for communication and collaboration in CLAS community engagement and will give attendees the chance to share ideas and feedback with administrators.

The workshops will occur on November 14^th, November 20^th, and November 29^th. For more information about the focus groups,visit:

https://clas.uiowa.edu/deos/mailing/october-11-2023/clas-and-oce-outreach-and-engagement-focus-groups-november-14-november.

Campus Compact Civic Action Academy

The 2023 Civic Action Academy will be held on November 10th - 11th in Grinnell, IA at Grinnell College. This professional development opportunity will bring students from Iowa and Minnesota together to learn new ways of making a difference and building skills through civic and community engagement.

Sessions will offer skill-building in civic action including philanthropy, leadership, dialogue, advocacy, and more. Students will also have a chance to learn what others are doing on other campuses and network with peers.

Engagement and the Arts

Arts Share

University of Iowa Dance Company Performance

UI Dance Company will be performing at the Iowa City Public Library on Friday, November 17th at 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm. This is a free and family-friendly event (Iowa City schools aren’t in session that day).

Join us for an interactive program of dance and conversation with the UI Dance Company. The company will present an excerpt from their newest work "Winning" by Stephanie Miracle, a piece that playfully dips and dives, forms and dissolves in questions of why we compete, how we play games, when teamwork works, and what we are connected to. "What are you cheering for?"

See more at https://www.icpl.org/events/50890/university-iowa-dance-company-performance.