The Periclean Progress E-Newsletter

Volume 2, Issue 7 -- February 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

Welcome to our newest Pericleans, Bates College and Spelman College! Bates College, a liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine, and Spelman College, a historically black women's liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia, have joined Project Pericles, bringing the number of Periclean institutions to 22 (listed below). Project Pericles at Bates and Spelman will advance the civic engagement efforts fostered under the leadership of President Elaine Tuttle Hansen and President Beverly Daniel Tatum, respectively, in the Harward Center for Community Partnerships (Bates) and the Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement (Spelman). Eugene M. Lang, Project Pericles Founder and Chair, says, "We welcome Bates and Spelman as respected additions to the vibrant group of colleges and universities that is leading the way for higher education to raise the level of civic participation of students."

For Your Calendar: A forum on campus-community partnerships featuring Periclean Presidents John Strassburger of Ursinus College and James T. Harris, III of Widener University will be held in Philadelphia on March 23 as part of the 17th Annual National Service-Learning Conference. To learn more about their session, "Indicators of Success: Measuring an Ideal Campus-Community Partnership," and how to attend, visit the conference website.

Congratulations: The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded a $75,000 grant to Hendrix College to support the college's efforts to assist students and their families displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Hendrix has enrolled 57 students whose families were in the direct path of the hurricane. Hendrix President J. Timothy Cloyd led one of the school's three relief trips to the Mississippi Gulf area. More.

Periclean People

Project Pericles Executive Director Jan R. Liss attended a briefing of the Nonprofit Voter Engagement Initiative at the Carnegie Corporation on January 24 and a briefing of the National Coalition of Black Civic Participation at the Ford Foundation on February 10. To discuss opportunities for collaboration between Project Pericles and the National Coalition, particularly opportunities to facilitate voting in the upcoming local elections for residents of New Orleans, contact her at jan.liss@projectpericles.org or (212) 986-4496.

Building on their January meeting at the Council of Independent Colleges Presidents' Institute, the Presidents' Council Committee on Collaboration, chaired by President Larry D. Shinn of Berea College, convened by phone on February 15 to plan for projects in which Periclean Programs can collaborate. While recognizing that each campus Program has unique civic engagement efforts, the group is seeking to identify common programmatic ground that might lead to external funding. The Committee welcomes participation from all Periclean Presidents and Program Directors. The Committee will follow up with all Periclean institutions in March.

Advocates in Action

Wanting to increase awareness of the atrocities in Darfur, Sudan and incite change, two Swarthmore College students created the Genocide Intervention Network (GI-Net) in 2004. Since its formation, GI-Net has had remarkable success, becoming a recognized non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., and raising $250,000 to contribute towards protecting the residents of Darfur. It has initiated numerous campaigns including the 100 Days of Action Campaign, the Be A Witness Campaign, and the Genocide Hits Home Campaign. It has promoted legislation -- the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act -- in the Senate. GI-Net is also focusing its work on "alleviating the widespread and under-reported scourge of the Darfur genocide: rape," according to Rita Kamani, a sophomore involved in Swarthmore's chapter of the GI-Net, Swat Sudan. Interested in creating a chapter on your campus or becoming an individual member? Visit GI-Net's website or email Ivan Boothe at boothe@genocideintervention.net. For more information on the work of Swat Sudan, including a lobbying event they are organizing for April 28 for concerned activists from across the U.S., email Rita Kamani at
rkamani1@swarthmore.edu.

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

Notable Program Activities: Campus, Classroom, Community

Campus: During Pace University's annual "Political Action Week for Human Rights," February 21-25, student leaders unite with Project Pericles at Pace to bring attention to local and global human rights struggles -- including ways to take action and organize for creating change. As part of this year's series, students will focus on the genocide in Sudan, the "Dirty War" in Argentina, the backlash against immigrants in the United States, the genocide of indigenous people, the lives of migrant workers, and the health hazards of genetically modified foods. More.

The Wolfson Center for National Affairs at The New School, in cooperation with Dēmos and The New Press, held a public forum on January 31 addressing the growing concentration of wealth, income, political, and economic power in America. This event, which featured New York Times columnist and Princeton economist Paul Krugman, coincided with the release of Inequality Matters: The Growing Economic Divide in America and Its Poisonous Consequences, edited by Jim Lardner and David Smith. More.

On February 22-23, Project Pericles at Pace University hosted civic engagement expert Dr. Harry C. Boyte, Co-Director of the Center for Democracy and Citizenship in the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. During his visit, Dr. Boyte conducted an interactive workshop on "Organizing Cultural Change on Campus," spoke to the Pace C-Span classroom (a collaborative venture in distance learning), and gave a public lecture, "Higher Education's Mission for the 21st Century: Renewing a Democratic Society." Dr. Boyte is the author of seven books on civic engagement, including Building America: The Democratic Promise of Public Work and Common Wealth: A Return to Citizen Politics. He was the featured speaker at Macalester College's inaugural Project Pericles event. More.

"Women Effecting Change," a panel discussion at Rhodes College centered around legal reform in the 1970s, women's voting rights, and the significance of the legacy of previous generations of women activists for today's women, was held on February 21. The event, which featured Rhodes faculty and alumnae, was moderated by Dr. Gail Murray, chair of the Rhodes Department of History. More.

Classroom: Chatham College's spring Periclean seminar series "Citizenship and Civic Engagement in Action" is underway. Designed as a complement to the new "Citizenship and Civic Engagement" general education courses, these seminars are part of Chatham's Periclean initiative to facilitate civic engagement, social responsibility, and spirited dialogue on the meaning of citizenship, democracy, and public participation. Presenters will discuss the major issues affecting women's public leadership as well as how to become involved in government. Email Chatham Project Pericles Program Director Dr. Allyson Lowe at ALowe@chatham.edu for more information.

Elon University is selecting its next class of Periclean Scholars. The program, which provides learning experiences that prepare students to be global citizens and informed leaders while developing an ethic of work and service, is the centerpiece of Project Pericles at Elon. Periclean Scholars take special courses in their sophomore, junior, and senior years that center around a class project they have devised and developed. Previous Periclean Scholars projects have focused on HIV/AIDS in Namibia and malnutrition in Honduras. More.

Wagner College inaugurated "Expanding your Horizons," a series of global civic engagement courses in which students traveled to Bangladesh, El Salvador, and New Orleans, this winter.

  • In Bangladesh, chemistry students working with Dr. Mohammad Allaudin studied air and water pollution and related health problems, particularly cancer. They interviewed arsenic experts, attended an international conference, distributed water filters, and collected skin and hair samples to analyze.
  • In El Salvador, political science students working with Dr. Steven G. Snow volunteered in an orphanage.
  • In New Orleans, nursing students working with Dr. Paula G. Tropello distributed medical journals, gloves, and personal hygiene kits, and attended a press conference with New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin at which he called a halt to the construction of homes until the levees are repaired.

Students will present their findings from the courses at a Project Pericles-sponsored panel, "From Tourist to Global Citizen: Bangladesh, El Salvador and New Orleans" at Wagner on March 2. To attend, or to learn more about Wagner's global civic engagement initiatives, email Wagner Project Pericles Program Director Dr. Lori Weintrob at lrweintr@wagner.edu.

As part of the course "Rebuilding Through Service: Lessons From Katrina," Berea College students and faculty went to Louisiana in January to work with the grassroots community development organization Southern Mutual Help Association.

  • Before their trip, the class analyzed the meaning of service and citizenship, and studied the hurricane as well as the subsequent recovery process.
  • In Louisiana, the students worked alongside Cajun and African American families rebuilding their homes.
  • When they returned, the students visited the offices of Senator Mitch McConnell and Representative Ben Chandler in order to make policy recommendations.

The class presented their findings to the campus, creating booths that focused on central issues such as media representation, race and poverty, and the rebuilding process. For more information, email the creator of the course, Project Pericles Program Director Dr. Meta Mendel-Reyes, Meta_Mendel-Reyes@berea.edu, and the trip's co-leader Betty Hibler, More.

A group of 26 Elon University students, faculty, and staff recently returned from a three-week Academic Service Learning course in Guatemala, where they worked with Habitat for Humanity building housing. The course, "Culture and Service in Guatemala," examines the history and culture of this war-ravaged country and incorporates service so that the students have the opportunity to work alongside organizations and communities striving to promote peace and justice there. During the trip, the group visited local non-governmental organizations, a Women's Co-Op of indigenous people who make crafts to support the education of their village's 500 children, "Safe Passage" and "Global Vision" -- two schools that educate Guatemala's poorest people, and a coffee farm ("Coffee Finca") where they discussed fair trade practices, child labor, and education with workers. More.

Community: Three years of work by Elon University's Periclean Scholars Class of 2006 culminated on January 22-24 in the successful gathering of international student leaders in Namibia, Africa, for the Future Leaders Summit on HIV/AIDS. The Summit, which was organized in conjunction with students from two Namibian universities, received extensive media coverage -- including a five minute feature on the CNN International program "Inside Africa," which aired February 4, and an article in the New Era newspaper in Namibia. Eleven Periclean Scholars and a Swarthmore College student joined Elon Project Pericles Program Director Dr. Tom Arcaro and Carolyn Nelson, associate director of university relations for design, for the three-week trip. Summit website.

St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak were featured participants in a forum at Macalester College on February 21. The two mayors discussed their leadership styles, the challenges they face, how they plan to work together, and how students can learn from their career paths. Former St. Paul Mayor George Latimer, an urban studies visiting professor at Macalester, moderated the event.

Many of the candidates running for U.S. Senate and Governor of Maryland will speak at St. Mary's College of Maryland as part of the spring lecture series of its Center for the Study of Democracy. (All of the candidates running were invited.) For more information, visit the Center's website or email St. Mary's College of Maryland Project Pericles Program Director Dr. Zach Messitte at
zpmessitte@smcm.edu.

Project Pericles at Pace University has organized an Alternative Spring Break trip to New Orleans for March 19-26 for students to assist Pace's community partner, a New Orleans agency for the Homeless, with various projects to restore their shelters and transitional housing. Email Pace Project Pericles Program Director Dr. Mary Ann Murphy at mmurphy@pace.edu for more information.

Innovative Initiatives

Next year, Hendrix College will provide funding for more than 100 students and faculty to pursue their passions and scholarly interests as part of its Odyssey Program, a new curricular program that encourages students to embark on educational adventures in one of six categories, including Service to the World, Global Awareness, and Special Projects. This year, Hendrix awarded one of its first project grants to senior Nick Stinson. Stinson received funding for his organization, the Conway League of Queer Activists, to host a four-week series entitled "Let's Talk!" The series is a forum for people to discuss issues with local community members. The first meeting, which addressed harassment and discrimination, featured as speakers Hendrix Project Pericles Program Director and politics professor Jay Barth, Hendrix students Tara Allison and Zac Harmon, and John Schenck, a local gay rights activist. Several elected officials, including State Sen. Gilbert Baker, Rep. Betty Pickett, and Councilman Andy Hawkins, were in attendance. The town hall meetings are a collaboration between Stinson's organization -- comprised of citizens of Conway and students from Hendrix and the University of Central Arkansas -- and the Center for Artistic Revolution, a statewide Arkansas group that focuses on community organizing. Dr. Barth stressed the importance of the event, both as a forum for civil discourse for the community and as an important learning experience for the organizers. For more information on the town hall meetings, click here. For more information on Hendrix's innovative Odyssey Program, click here.

In a spirit of social entrepreneurship, in December 2005, Swarthmore College student Scott Fortmann-Roe '08 created Giveteam.org, a non-profit website designed to generate money for charity. When someone uses Giveteam.org to access an online merchant such as eBay or Amazon.com, the merchant will return two to twenty percent of the purchase price to Giveteam.org, money that is then donated to charity. While there are other sites that work like Giveteam.org, they take a cut from the money generated. Type giveteam.org/amazon instead of amazon.com, to give. More.

Grants and Resources

Grants:

Student Opportunity: The Nation magazine is seeking essays from high school and college students about which issue most concerns their generation. Winners will receive cash prizes and their essays will be published online and in the magazine. Deadline: March 31. More.

Fellowship Opportunity: The Nonprofit Sector Research Fund, a grantmaking program of the Aspen Institute in Washington, D.C., is accepting applications for the William Randolph Hearst Endowed Fellowship. Aspen seeks to introduce a diverse group of students to issues relating to philanthropy, volunteerism, and non-profit organizations through a 10-15 week internship. A fellowship grant of between $2,500 and $5,000 will be awarded. Fellows may arrange with their colleges or universities to receive academic credit for the experience. Deadline: July 15 for Fall 2006. More.

Grant Opportunities: America's Promise and Youth Service America have announced the Katrina's Kids Community Service Grants for hurricane relief. The program will offer seventeen grants of $1,000 to young people (5 - 25 years old). Applicants will be expected to develop and implement sustainable projects that support hurricane-relief efforts in the Gulf Coast region. Deadline: March 3. More.

The Common Counsel Foundation's Grassroots Exchange Fund (GXF), which provides discretionary small grants to build bridges between grassroots organizations throughout the U.S., is accepting applications for 2006. The fund was established to encourage social change organizations to seek technical assistance from one another, and to help build regional and national networks among organizations. More.

Other: The Rockefeller Foundation is accepting proposals from small groups seeking to address significant issues to convene in its Bellagio Study and Conference Center in Italy for a month. The program provides organizations and networks with the ability to bring together individuals for intense periods of discussion, debate, and collaboration around major problems. Priority is accorded to proposals that address such problems within or across given fields, are innovative in their design, and promise concrete outcomes beyond the drafting of a statement or recommendations. The Foundation provides room and board without charge for all conference/team participants. The Foundation also offers individual residency programs. Deadline: August 1, 2006 (for programs to take place between August and mid-December 2007). More.

Article:

The Los Angeles Times recently covered the challenges facing Rock the Vote, the youth-and-civics group founded in 1990 with the goal of politically empowering the MTV generation. Rock the Vote has helped to register millions of young voters in the last fifteen years but is now struggling to survive. To read the Los Angeles Times article, which raises interesting questions regarding the glamorization of political involvement, click here.

The Periclean Progress is issued each month during the academic year and is posted on the Project Pericles Forum, www.projectpericles.org/forum.
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.