The Periclean Progress E-Newsletter

Volume 2, Issue 10 -- May/June 2006

The Periclean Progress is a publication of Project Pericles, Inc., a not-for-profit organization that encourages and facilitates commitments by colleges and universities to include education for social responsibility and participatory citizenship as an essential part of their educational programs, in the classroom, on the campus, and in the community.

Project Pericles ® Announcements

This May/June issue of The Periclean Progress concludes the academic year. The Periclean Progress will resume its publication with the fall semester. During the summer, the Project Pericles national office will prepare for three major Conferences:

  • October 12-13 -- The Periclean Program Directors' Conference will be held in New York City courtesy of Pace University and The New School. This will be a special opportunity to share information about Program development and activities, meet and network with new Pericleans, and discuss current and future opportunities for collaboration.
  • November 13 -- The National Board of Advisors (NBA) will meet in conjunction with the Board of Directors courtesy of the Ford Foundation in New York City. This inaugural meeting will bring the NBA up to date on the significant progress of Project Pericles and present for consideration and discussion the exciting opportunities and plans of Project Pericles to extend the envisioned impact of our mission.
  • December 8 -- The annual meeting of the Presidents' Council will be held in New York City courtesy of Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Periclean Presidents will discuss matters relating to the governance, sustainability, and growth of Project Pericles, and will share their perspectives on the development, implementation, and support of Project Pericles on their campuses.
    Participants of these Conferences will be contacted with further information and requests for assistance in developing the Conference agendas.

Congratulations: The Pennsylvania Center for Women, Politics, & Public Policy (PCWPPP), directed by Chatham College Project Pericles Program Director Dr. Allyson M. Lowe, has received a grant from the Rutgers University Center for American Women and Politics to be one of three inaugural Ready to Run Training Network members. The grant provides support to expand Chatham's campaign school in partnership with the Pennsylvania Women's Campaign Fund, and will encourage minority participation. PCWPPP will receive the 2006 League of Women Voters Good Government Award for its student voting efforts and advocacy programs for community women.

The Occidental College student ensemble OxyJazz has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts to educate 2,000 local schoolchildren about jazz through performances, presentations, and individual mentoring sessions. More.

Rhodes College has won the 2006 Tennessee Governor's Environmental Stewardship Award for its bike program. The campus program, run by the Rhodes College Environmental Planning Cooperative, provides bikes as an alternative mode of transportation to cars. Bikes, secured by donations, are available for students to check out at no cost.

New Periclean Websites: Ursinus College and Wagner College have created Periclean websites: www.ursinus.edu/content.asp?page=AcademicPrograms/pericles.htm and www.wagner.edu/faculty/lweintrob/pericles. Consider linking to them from your own website, and visit them often to stay informed about the good work of our colleagues!

Periclean Connections

Program Commencements: Wagner College President Richard Guarasci, in his commencement address to the Class of 2006 on May 19, stated: "Your class helped establish Project Pericles at Wagner College, joining a national effort in making public service and civic leadership an instrumental part of a liberal arts education. With Project Pericles ... you registered your commitment to the critical role of education in developing a generation dedicated to democratic values, public service, and civic leadership." At the ceremony, Wagner College awarded Eugene M. Lang, founder of Project Pericles, a newly created honorary degree, "Doctor of Civic Engagement."

The civic work of Periclean Scholars--Elon University's inaugural cohort of students under Project Pericles--was prominent in President Leo M. Lambert's remarks to the graduating Class of 2006 on May 20. Addressing the graduates, Dr. Lambert said, "Graduating this morning are 29 members of our inaugural class of Periclean Scholars ... [They] were selected as first-year students and they have studied and worked together for the past three years on a significant societal problem: the HIV pandemic in the African nation of Namibia. Their accomplishments have amazed and impressed a great number of people around the world." Dr. Lambert's entire speech may be listened to online.

Periclean People: A Periclean colleague and esteemed educator, Mr. Edgar F. Beckham, passed away on May 24. Mr. Beckham shared his expertise with Project Pericles in the early stages of Debating for Democracy. We extend our thoughts and condolences to his loved ones.

Dillard University president Dr. Marvalene Hughes addressed the House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce at an April 26 hearing, requesting additional federal assistance in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. "Dillard University, and many other institutions similarly situated, have not received funds from FEMA and the university is not in the position to wait for insurance settlements that could be months or years away to rebuild, if the university is to survive," she said. More.

Congratulations to Ms. Cynthia Jetter (Swarthmore College '74), Director of Community Partnerships and Planning at Swarthmore's Eugene M. Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility, for being named winner of the Lewis Brown Freedom Award by the Chester, Pennsylvania chapter of the NAACP.

Congratulations to Wagner College Project Pericles Program Director Dr. Lori Weintrob, Associate Professor of History, for being designated a finalist in the national competition for the Campus Compact Ehrlich Award for Service-Learning.

Ms. Heather C. Ohaneson, who has served as the Assistant to the Executive Director of Project Pericles since October 2003, has been accepted to the Ph.D. program in the philosophy of religion at Columbia University, where she will begin studying this fall as a faculty fellow. We anticipate that Heather will remain involved in Periclean happenings -- perhaps, one day, even as a Periclean professor!

Former Project Pericles Executive Director Dr. Karen E. Holt will become the director of the Fanning Institute at the University of Georgia effective July 1. Composed of several public service units, the Fanning Institute strives to support and enhance community, leadership, and economic development in Georgia. More.

Periclean Visits: Project Pericles Executive Director Jan R. Liss met with Periclean students, professors, administrators, and staff on her May 2-3 trip to Swarthmore College and Widener University, organized by Periclean Program Directors Ms. Patricia James and Dr. Marcine Pickron-Davis. Liss's visit, which included meetings with Presidents Alfred H. Bloom and James T. Harris, III, illuminated Periclean initiatives like War News Radio (at Swarthmore) and the Political Engagement Committee (at Widener).

A 2005-2006 Retrospective

This academic year has been a busy and productive one for Project Pericles. Our progress has been fueled by the enthusiasm and cooperative esprit of our Pericleans, increased recognition of our distinct operating policies, and the enhancement of our services and communications. Listed below is a selection of our accomplishments during the past year:

  • Expansion -- Bates College and Spelman College joined Project Pericles, increasing the number of Periclean institutions to 22. Further expansion is not immediately planned.
  • Governance -- Ms. Jan R. Liss became Executive Director, succeeding Dr. Karen E. Holt. Pace University President David A. Caputo succeeded Elon University President Leo M. Lambert as the Chair of the Presidents' Council. An Executive Planning Committee of Project Pericles was officially formed. Dr. Harry C. Boyte became a member of the National Board of Advisors.
  • Conferences and Meetings -- Two successful Conferences were held. In October, Widener University hosted a two-day meeting of Periclean Program Directors. In December, the Mellon Foundation hosted a meeting of the Presidents' Council.
  • Debating for Democracy (D4D) -- In December 2005, Dr. Richard Guarasci, President of Wagner College, became Chair of D4D's Steering Committee, which has met regularly since. As a signature activity of Project Pericles, D4D seeks to engage students in the political process through research, dialogue, deliberation, and debate. Bates College, Bethune-Cookman College, Elon University, Pace University, Wagner College, and Widener University will serve as pilots for the D4D Program in 2006-2007.
  • Civic Engagement Course (CEC) Grants -- In 2004 Project Pericles implemented a challenge grant program that provided stipends on a competitive basis to faculty members who created or adopted courses with Periclean content. Twenty of the 42 courses developed under the CEC program were taught during the 2005-2006 year. Syllabi of CEC-grant courses are available on our website.
  • E-Newsletter -- The Periclean Progress, launched in December 2004, ends its first complete academic year with this issue. The e-newsletter provides a monthly report of significant activities and developments at Periclean institutions as well as relevant civic engagement news. Its readership has grown steadily within Periclean colleges and universities and has attracted a widening circle of interest among educators and socially engaged institutions. Interested parties are invited to receive the e-newsletter by advising: projectpericles@projectpericles.org.

Advocates in Action

Members of the Occidental College community have come together around HBO's Spring 2006 film "Walkout," which chronicles the 1968 advocacy efforts of Chicano rights activists for educational equity in East Los Angeles. Occidental student Eric Hubbard, professor Dr. Katie Mills, and Center for Community Based Learning (CCBL) Community and Academic Organizer Ms. Alexis Moreno created writing workshops for two neighboring middle schools that incorporate lessons from the civic engagement curriculum WALK: Writing, Action & Accountability, Leadership, and Knowledge. After discussing "Walkout," the middle school and college students used each other's essays to talk about how writing enhances leadership and democracy. In addition, a class of eighth grade students made visits to Occidental to meet Ms. Paula Crisostomo, a leader of the 1968 walkouts who currently directs Occidental's Government and Community Relations office. During their visits, the students viewed a documentary by Occidental sophomore Karen Calderon about the current protests in L.A. and worked on letters to the editor sharing their views on pending immigration legislation. For more information, contact Ms. Moreno at amoreno@oxy.edu.

Pericleans interested in advocating for peace might consider creating a chapter of SAVE R US (Students Against Violence Everywhere Are Us) on their campus. SAVE R US is a student-run organization dedicated to the promotion of non-violence in schools and the community. Founded by Swarthmore College sophomore Brandon Lee Wolff at his high school in 2001, the organization has grown to include other Philadelphia-area high schools and colleges. In July 2004, SAVE R US International was launched at the World Youth Centre in Toronto, Canada with the help of the SAVE R US International Advisory Board, which includes Macalester College graduate Stephanie F. Raill. The organization's many activities include annual peace weeks, its signature "unity cafe" discussion groups, and the Peacemakers program, through which trained college and high school students educate elementary school students about bullying and violence. SAVE R US website.

Wagner College has created Project Pericles Advocacy-In-Action grants, which it awarded to the following three advocacy projects in April:

  • MusiKids, a non-profit organization founded by Wagner junior Colin Sheehan -- for a performance on Staten Island featuring Wagner alumni currently in Broadway productions. The actors joined kids and their parents from across the Island in a letter-writing campaign to support arts in education.
  • Three chemistry students who traveled to Bangladesh to work with Dr. Muhammad Alauddin on cancer research related to indoor air- and water pollution -- for beginning a fundraising campaign to purchase water purifiers for Bangladeshis.
  • The Muslim Student Union -- for organizing a group of 16 Wagner students to go to the Rally for Darfur in Washington, D.C., which was attended by other Pericleans, including 11 students from Pace University.

Do you have examples of Periclean-initiated actions that address issues of local, national, or international concern? Email Heather Ohaneson at heather.ohaneson@projectpericles.org.

Notable Program Activities: Campus, Classroom, Community

Campus: Spelman College's Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement hosted the college's third annual Leadership and Women of Color Conference "Building Bridges Among Us and With Others" on May 10-11. Distinguished speakers including Spelman President Beverly Daniel Tatum, Ms. Marie C. Wilson, president of the White House Project, and former Ambassador Andrew Young spoke concerning local and global leadership development and diversity. For more information, contact the Director of the Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement, Spelman Project Pericles Program Director Dr. Jane E. Smith at JaneSmith@spelman.edu.

In its Annual Service Convocation, Berea College featured renowned public service pioneer Nadinne Cruz, 2005 recipient of the Alec Dickson Servant Leader award. Over 500 people attended Cruz's address, entitled "Fighting vs. Weaving, Charity vs. Justice: On the Urgency of Negotiating Differences in 'Walking our Talk' Towards a Better World," in April. More.

Update: Over 1900 people attended Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan's speech at Macalester College, which may be listened to online. Secretary-General Annan, a Macalester alumnus ('61), spoke as part of the inaugural series celebrating the launch of the Periclean school's Institute for Global Citizenship.

Elon University Chaplain Richard McBride received Elon's fourth annual Periclean Award for Civic Engagement and Social Responsibility on May 10. The award, which honors a member of Elon's faculty or staff whose service to the broader community exemplifies the ideals of Project Pericles, was given in recognition of McBride's many contributions to the university since 1984, which include creating Elon Volunteers! (now the Kernodle Center for Service Learning). More.

Classroom: Benefits of Bates College's Short Term, a five-week spring session known for combining intense academic work and dynamic creativity, include opportunities for civic engagement. Alexandria Salton, a junior majoring in math, appreciated the opportunity to understand theory through real-world applications in Dr. Meredith Greer's Short Term unit that studied roller coasters as a means of conveying principles of mathematics and physics. Salton and two classmates extended the unit's "real-world applications" by teaching local seventh graders about the physics of roller coasters for their class project. Ms. Kathy Claerr advised Monique Brown '07 in the biology unit "Work-Study Internship in the Natural Sciences." Brown interned for 40 hours a week at a psychiatric institution for children. For the unit's required final project, Brown produced a reference guide of tranquilizers and antipsychotic drugs and their uses at the hospital. More.

The New School's Eugene Lang College has partnered with the Public School 33 "I Have a Dream" Program to engage elementary students in literacy learning through theater. Lang College faculty member Cecilia Rubino and six Lang undergraduates run the weekly after school theater program at that school. The second grade Dreamers also write their own short scenes that will be acted out as small chapters of a "Dream Journal" for parents and IHAD supporters. The Lang College students also tutor Dreamers in small literacy groups. In weekly meetings with Professor Rubino, the college students review readings and discuss the relationship of arts, education, and literacy. For more information, email Professor Rubino at Rubinoc@newschool.edu.

Jessica Flores, a student in Pace University's Periclean Leadership Program, received a 2006-2007 Pace University Presidential Award in the Civic Competency category to film a documentary in Argentina with her faculty adviser on the victims of Argentina's Dirty War. Argentina's Dirty War was the subject of a Project Pericles Global Citizenship Week event at Pace on May 4. More.

Community: Berea College hosted the first annual Campus-Community Partnerships for Sustainability conference, which was attended by over 350 students, faculty, college presidents, and community leaders from Kentucky and nearby states on April 22-23. From participating in panels to touring Berea's Eco-Village, participants learned how they could collaborate to promote a sustainable environment. More.

Hampshire College has partnered with Youth of Color and Allies in bringing together young people from around western Massachusetts for monthly meetings that address racism. The meetings, which include networking, food and dancing, and an open mic, also seek to counter military recruitment. Participants meet with the author and activist Luis Rodriquez. For more information, contact Hampshire Project Pericles Program Director Ms. Mary Bombardier, Director of Community Partnerships for Social Change, at mbombardier@hampshire.edu.

Updates: Elon University's screening of the film "Testing Positive" on May 5 drew 400 people and raised $3,800 for Alamance Cares, a local, North Carolina HIV/AIDS organization. The film's production and screening involved collaboration between over 200 people -- faculty, staff, students, business professionals, and community members. View the trailer for the film here.

The excellent contributions in poetry, prose, and painting for the Wagner College Project Pericles Art of Democracy contest "A Tribute to Rosa Parks: What is an Engaged Citizen" have been judged. Ahmed Elmahdi won the first prize and $300 for "A Singing Portrait," a charcoal drawing of a Sudanese activist. Alvin Grant won second prize and $150 for "Rosa: Pioneer, Leader, Activist," a graphic collage about Rosa Park's life. Kim Simek was awarded third prize and $50 for "Engaged Citizens," a collage of a simulated Google search for the top 40 results for "What is an Engaged Citizen?" Nicole Filippazzo received honorable mention for her poem, "One," which was also printed in Nimbus, Wagner's student literary publication. Congratulations to all participants! For more information on the contest, which was inspired in part by the Periclean work of Bethune-Cookman College, email Wagner Project Pericles Program Director Dr. Lori Weintrob at lrweintr@wagner.edu.

Innovative Initiatives

Widener University's commitment to and active involvement in its own Chester, Pennsylvania community is evident in a new endeavor it is undertaking: the creation of the Widener Partnership Charter School. The school's mission is to develop urban elementary (K-5) students with the behaviors, task commitment, and creativity to succeed in the current educational environment. The Widener Partnership Charter School, which will open this fall, has a target student-teacher ratio of 17:1. More.

Hendrix College has announced plans to create The Village at Hendrix, a community that will be the first fully developed neighborhood in Arkansas to adopt New Urbanist principles that promote the revival of traditional neighborhoods. A combination of residential buildings and commercial space, The Village at Hendrix will be built in five phases over the next 10 years on 100 acres of undeveloped land owned by the college across the street from the campus. Andres Duany, Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company's principal planner and co-founder of the New Urbanism movement, says The Village at Hendrix has "the potential to become a model for universities across the country that strive to achieve a new synergy between their campuses and the surrounding communities." More.

The Institute for Urban Education (IUE) at The New School, part of a national movement for university engagement with public high schools, prepares high school students for the transition to college through community-based programs and public programming at the university, while preparing college students for careers in urban education through fieldwork and coursework. Students also develop deeper commitments to urban education and civic engagement by participating in IUE events such as the Challenging Education Speakers Series and the Young Writer's Conference. For more information, visit the IUE website or email Daphne Farganis, Director, at farganiD@newschool.edu or Sierra Stoneman-Bell, Coordinator for Educational Partnerships at StonemaS@newschool.edu.

Grants and Resources

Grant Opportunities: The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation is accepting grant applications for its Innovation Fund, through which it provides one-time grants to spark the creation or expansion of innovative education programs. Proposals should focus on international educational experiences or foreign language immersion programs. Programs must serve low- to moderate-income high school students with exceptional potential. Each grant will total up to $150,000. Colleges and universities are eligible to apply. Deadline: June 29. More.

The Sociological Initiatives Foundation invites grant applications for $5,000-$15,000 for projects that provide insight into sociological and linguistic matters. Areas of particular interest include: social and political inequalities, poverty and employment, and social welfare issues (e.g., education, housing, and health care). Deadline: August 15. More.

Youth Service America and the Civil Society Institute invite submissions for the Red White and Green Climate Change Grant. The program will award $500 each to 25 individuals between the ages of 15 and 25 or to organizations that serve that population. Applicants will develop and implement a service project about climate change that engages their community and candidates running for election in November 2006. Deadline: September 1. More.

Award: The Gleitsman Foundation is accepting nominations for its 2007 International Activist Award, which will honor those who have struggled to correct social injustice worldwide (excluding the United States, which is the focus of the foundation's Citizen Activist Award in alternate years). Honorees will share $100,000 and will receive a specially commissioned sculpture designed by Maya Lin. Deadline: November 3. More.

Articles: The New York Times featured the exciting civic engagement work of a new interdisciplinary course at Trinity College in its May 3 article, "Mapping the Invisible City Outside Their Walls." The class, taught by philosophy professor Dan Lloyd, combines philosophy, computer science, and cartography, and gives students the opportunity to connect with their local community while conducting research off-campus. More.

Former Virginia governor Mark Warner urged graduates to lead lives of civic responsibility in his commencement address at Wake Forest University. To read an article from The Washington Post on his speech, click here.

The Periclean Progress is issued each month during the academic year.
To subscribe, email us at projectpericles@projectpericles.org.
To submit Periclean-related information for publication, email Heather Ohaneson at heather.ohaneson@projectpericles.org.

"CLAIMING THE LEGACY OF PERICLES"®

Periclean Colleges & Universities
Allegheny College * Bates College * Berea College * Bethune-Cookman College *
Chatham College * Dillard University * Elon University * Hampshire College *
Hendrix College * Macalester College * New England College * The New School *
Occidental College * Pace University * Pitzer College * Rhodes College *
St. Mary's College of Maryland * Spelman College * Swarthmore College *
Ursinus College * Wagner College * Widener University

National Office
Executive Director: Jan R. Liss,
jan.liss@projectpericles.org

Board of Directors
Chair: Eugene M. Lang

Presidents' Council
Chair: David A. Caputo, Pace University

National Board of Advisors
Co-Chairs: Sen. Nancy Kassebaum Baker & Hon. Kurt L. Schmoke

The title "Project Pericles ®," and its embodiment in the Logo, are registered service marks of Project Pericles, Inc. All rights reserved.