The Periclean Progress E-Newsletter

Volume 3, Issue 1 – September 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.

Director's Welcome

 

Welcome Back!

We hope you had an excellent summer and are preparing for an exciting and productive year. Staff additions, Periclean Program planning, and conference preparation have made my first summer at the Project Pericles National Office very stimulating.

We have been particularly absorbed in organizing a succession of conferences and programs which will help contribute to the development of future Periclean Programs and to the fulfillment of our mission. On the programmatic front, efforts to help campuses promote civic engagement continue to gain momentum with the launch of Student Choices, Student Voices (SCSV) 2006, the Debating for Democracy (D4D) Program, and the Periclean Program Directors' Conference in October. On the strategic front, our National Board of Advisors will meet for the first time this November and the Presidents' Council will meet in December.

Over the summer, the National Office made two important staff additions, Mollie Kinnamon and Jonathan Aleshire. Mollie joined us on July 10th in the new position of Assistant Director, and Jonathan joined us on August 7th as the Assistant to the Executive Director. They may be reached individually at: Mollie.Kinnamon@projectpericles.org
and Jonathan.Aleshire@projectpericles.org.

Our communication capabilities are greatly enhanced by the redesign of the Project Pericles website. Please visit www.projectpericles.org for links to Periclean schools, Periclean resources, and archived newsletters.

As we continue to evolve as an organization, so too, does the scope and depth of the newsletter. We hope this issue of The Periclean Progress inspires you to think about new Periclean initiatives and Periclean collaborations.

We are looking forward to a great year.

Jan R. Liss, Executive Director

Project Pericles ® Announcements

Conferences
October 12-13 – The Periclean Program Directors' Conference: This conference is a special opportunity for Periclean schools to share information about Program development and activities, meet and network with fellow Pericleans, discuss current and future opportunities for collaborations, and inject new insights and ideas for future initiatives. The conference will be held in New York City courtesy of Pace University and The New School. The Conference kicks off on October 12th with a dinner hosted by President Bob Kerrey at The New School. The conference will resume the next morning at Pace University, Downtown Campus, hosted by President David A. Caputo.

October 14 – The Debating for Democracy Conference: D4D, a signature program of Project Pericles, provides a learning and advocacy experience that encourages students to research and develop thoughtful opinions and advocate them effectively. Students and faculty from six Pilot Periclean Schools (Bates College, Bethune-Cookman College, Elon University, Pace University, Wagner College, and Widener University) will come together to share ideas for shaping the program and planning for our first year's program. The conference will be held at Pace University, Midtown Campus.

November 13 – The National Board of Advisors Meeting: This inaugural meeting, held jointly with the Board of Directors, will be an opportunity to present and discuss the progress of Project Pericles. Hosted by the Ford Foundation in New York City, the meeting will address the exciting opportunities and future plans to extend the envisioned impact of our mission.

December 8 – The Presidents' Council Meeting: At this annual meeting, 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. The Presidents' Council meeting will be held in New York City and will be hosted by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

Program Director Search: Eugene Lang College, the undergraduate division of The New School, has established a unique Practical Arts of Citizenship Program that will be integrated into the school's curriculum. They are currently seeking a Senior Director for the Program that will bring students into learning relationships with major social action organizations in New York City. This builds on the existing prototypic Periclean relationship with the local "I Have a Dream" Program in Manhattan. Its philosophy is described as "making public service the ethical spine of liberal arts education" at Eugene Lang College. For information, please visit their website.

Project Pericles ® in Action

Student Choices, Student Voices: With the election season upon us, we are excited to announce the kick off of Student Choices, Student Voices (SCSV) 2006, the Periclean initiative that encourages the thoughtful political participation of students in the electoral process. SCSV initiatives rally students to examine social and political issues and actively employ the processes of our democracy to promote their views and objectives.

During the 2004 election year, many Periclean schools participated in engaging SCSV activities. For example, Pace University conducted a workshop on how to "practice democracy." Tips on letter writing, action letters and petition signing were discussed so that students could then advocate on behalf of the candidates and issues they supported.

Other examples from the 2004 SCSV Program included hosting public debates on issues relevant to the November election, sponsoring town meetings and open forums to discuss candidates and issues, and hosting panels to discuss issues from "what is democracy?" to how to lobby.

What is your campus doing? In upcoming newsletters, we will be featuring stories relevant to the 2006 election and Student Choices, Student Voices. We are excited to hear about your innovative and inspiring ideas. Please email Mollie Kinnamon by October 3rd:

Periclean Programs in the Spotlight

Chatham College Works Collaboratively to Empower Young Women: In June, Chatham College sponsored The National Education for Women's (NEW) Leadership Pennsylvania for female students from public and private universities and colleges throughout Pennsylvania. NEW Leadership Pennsylvania is an intensive, weeklong residential leadership and public policy institute designed to educate and empower young women for future public participation and leadership. Their goal is to address the under-representation of women as public decision-makers and to emphasize how women can effect change through grassroots efforts.

While students throughout Pennsylvania attended the weeklong institute, Chatham's involvement is distinctive: It involves both students and faculty advisors for a yearlong experience with students returning to campus to carry out an Engagement Project. This year's Project focuses on improving the status of women through active participation in their communities.

Now in its seventh year, NEW Leadership Pennsylvania continues to impact lives. As one student commented, "NEW Leadership reaffirmed my desire to devote my life to public policy." Another student remarked that they learned the importance of taking charge and being confident was not arrogant, but, in fact, often necessary.

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

Students Take Periclean Values On the Road: Elon University's 2007 Periclean Scholars Study Hunger in Honduras: Elon University students, faculty, and staff, recently returned from an inspiring trip to Honduras, where they spent three weeks collecting information on the social and political factors that contribute to widespread hunger in Honduras. They met with community leaders and conducted interviews with the regional director of the United Nations World Food Program, the regional director of the Honduran Ministry of Health, and the Bishop of San Pedro Sula. Students also spent time at the Mario Catarino Rivas Hospital in San Pedro Sula, a hospital with close ties to the Periclean Scholars Class of 2007. The students spent more than two years raising money to build a dining facility for the hospital's pediatric ward.

The students will use the information they gathered in the interviews, along with video footage, to produce a documentary film examining the issues surrounding pediatric malnutrition in Honduras.

A highlight of the trip came when the students were informed that their hard work paid off: plans for the new dining facility at the hospital were finalized and construction was scheduled. Congratulations Periclean Scholars Class of 2007!

Spelman College Helps Revitalize Neighborhoods and Decrease Crime Rate: Students at Spelman College are helping to transform and revitalize the Vine City and English Avenue neighborhoods, which border Spelman College. Through participation in the United States Government Department of Justice Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Grant, Spelman College has worked closely with the Atlanta Police Department, federal and city government agencies, and local civic associations to address residents' interests and concerns about the physical and social deterioration of the neighborhoods. As an essential part of the plan, Spelman students served as interns for PSN, collaborating with community residents to help them meet neighborhood goals, tutoring and mentoring in elementary schools, organizing neighborhood clean ups, and interacting with city government.

The collaboration between academia, federal and city agencies, and local civic associations was a huge success. Crime has fallen fifty-two percent and the revitalization has energized residents, Spelman interns, and surrounding communities.

While Spelman's formal involvement in the grant ends on September 30, 2006, several student interns, inspired by the work they began, will continue to volunteer or work as part-time interns after the grant has ended.

Periclean Connections

Governance
As Project Pericles continues to grow, so does its importance and the scope of its charge. Integral to the development of policies and program concepts of Project Pericles, The Presidents' Council (PC) fosters communication among Periclean schools and promotes the understanding of Project Pericles. To facilitate responsibilities from the operation of Periclean Programs to standards for their evaluation, an Executive Committee was appointed in June by PC Chair, David A. Caputo (Pace University). Members are: Esther L. Barazzone (Chatham College), Richard Guarasci (Wagner College), James T. Harris, III (Widener University), Leo M. Lambert (Elon University), Jane Margaret O'Brien (St. Mary's College of Maryland), Brian C. Rosenberg (Macalester College), Larry D. Shinn (Berea College), and John Strassburger (Ursinus College).

Congratulations to Project Pericles Board Member and former President of Teachers College at Columbia University, Arthur E. Levine, for his appointment as President of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation.

Project Pericles welcomes Susan Westerberg Prager as the new President of Occidental College. A former UCLA Law School Dean, distinguished legal scholar, teacher, and academic leader, she is Occidental's first woman president. More.

Grants and Resources

Scholarship Opportunities:
The K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Awards for graduate students who are committed to developing academic and civic responsibility in themselves and others, and who show exemplary promise as future leaders of higher education, is accepting applications. The deadline is September 22, 2006. More.

Youth Service America announces the 2007 Harris Wofford Awards. The Awards, created in 2002 to honor former U.S. Senator Harris Wofford (Project Pericles Board Member), recognize extraordinary achievements in three categories: Youth, Organization, and Media for actively contributing towards, "making service and service- learning the common expectation and common experience of every young person in America." The deadline for nominations is October 19, 2006. For more information, visit www.ysa.org or e-mail woffordawards@ysa.org.

The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation invite nominations for the Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards. The deadline for applications is November 9, 2006. The awards support the teaching and research careers of talented young faculty in the chemical sciences. Visit www.dreyfus.org for complete program information.

Legislation for Consideration:
There is a new bill in Congress called SAVE, Support American Volunteer Efforts, (HR 4387) that would provide a tax refund of up to $2,000 per year to any American who volunteers for a non-profit organization in the nation. The SAVE campaign is reaching out to non-profit organizations, colleges and universities asking them to help spread the word to their members, students, and volunteers to support SAVE. More.

White House Internship Opportunity:
The White House Internship Program offers an excellent opportunity to explore public service. Applicants are accepted for all three terms: fall, spring or summer. To apply, you must be a U.S. citizen enrolled in college or university, and at least 18 years old. The application deadline for Spring 2007 is October 13th. More.

Articles:
Dr. Daniel M. Shea, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for Political Participation at Allegheny College, reflects on the pros and cons of hosting campaign events on campuses, referencing Vice President Dick Cheney's 2004 visit to Allegheny College, in the August 4, 2006 issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education. More.

Congratulations Periclean Schools! Included once again in the latest edition of "Colleges That Change Lives (CTCL): 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges," are Allegheny College, Hampshire College, Hendrix College, Rhodes College, and Ursinus College. The guidebook, written by former New York Times education editor Loren Pope, was written to help students, parents, and counselors find a good college match. The book profiles schools that excel at developing potential, values, initiative, and risk- taking in a wide range of students.

Dr. Zach Messitte, Project Pericles Co- Program Director, and St. Mary's College of Maryland were featured in the article, "A chance to effect change: Small-town college yields big opportunity in politics," on August 11 in the Gazette.Net.

Two articles were recently published by Dr. Lori Simons, a Widener University service-learning faculty fellow, and Beverly Cleary, research assistant, on service-learning research in psychology. "Student and Community Perceptions of the 'Value Added' for Service- Learners," can be found in the Journal of Experiential Education 28 (2), pages 164-188, and "An Evaluation of Academic Service-Learning Model: What and How Do Students Learn While Engaged in Service-Learning?" can be found in the National Social Science Journal 26 (2) pages 93-109.

In the July 30th "Education Life Section" of The New York Times, Bates College, Elon University, Macalester College, and Pitzer College, are featured in stories, titled, "Southbound: Are Furman, Davidson and Elon the new Colby, Middlebury and Bates," and "Off the Beaten Path: Twenty colleges worth a trip, or at least a detour. Visiting Ann Arbor? Do Kalamazoo, too." These two stories explore regional differences among colleges.

 

The Periclean Progress is issued each month during the academic year and is posted on the Project Pericles website.
To subscribe or submit Periclean-related information for publication, email projectpericles@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

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.