The Periclean Progress E-Newsletter

Volume 3, Issue 3 – November 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

November has been a truly historic month for Project Pericles. On November 13th, the Ford Foundation hosted the inaugural meeting of the National Board of Advisors of Project Pericles. The meeting, "Building Our Future", was co-chaired by Senator Nancy Kassebaum Baker and Kurt L. Schmoke and was held jointly with the Project Pericles Board of Directors. Susan V. Berresford, President of The Ford Foundation, opened the meeting.

Throughout the day-long meeting members of many Periclean constituencies (Presidents, Program Directors, Trustees and students) gave presentations. They highlighted our many accomplishments since Eugene Lang founded Project Pericles in 2001. The National Board of Advisors and Board of Directors met to discuss the past, present and future of Project Pericles and to explore issues related to expansion, funding, and strategic goals as Project Pericles moves forward to extend our mission and build our future. The participants were instrumental in making recommendations on how we should focus our energies in the coming years.

One of the highlights of the meeting was the first public presentation of the Ford Foundation's research report, "Liberal Education and Civic Engagement." Dr. Steven Lawry, President of Antioch College and Director of the Ford Foundation Liberal Arts Research Project, presented the report's conclusions for discussion. The report "surveys and assesses recent efforts by U.S. colleges and universities to cultivate in their students the intellectual skills and values conducive to lives of civic engagement." Project Pericles is featured as a "more pedagogically powerful experience of education for civic engagement" resulting from "greater integration between classroom-based and experiential learning" and is a model well worth replicating and learning from. "Project Pericles has some distinctive qualities that merit careful attention." To read the report, visit http://www.fordfound.org/publications/recent_articles/civic_engagement.cfm

Elizabeth Farrell, a reporter for The Chronicle of Higher Education, attended the entire meeting and wrote a piece for the November 24th issue. The article is available (for subscribers) at: http://chronicle.com/weekly/v53/i14/14a04101.htm

Based on feedback from the Program Directors' Conference, the National Board of Advisors Meeting, and the upcoming Presidents' Council Meeting, over the next several months the National Office will work to enhance existing programs, and develop new initiatives.

I look forward to building on our significant progress and tackling the challenges that lie ahead with renewed strength, vision and vigor. My personal thank you to all of the Pericleans for their interest and valued input.

Jan R. Liss, Executive Director

National Office Announcements

Upcoming Meetings

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 hosted by The Rockefeller Brothers Fund in New York City.

Periclean Schools in Action

"Student Choices, Student Voices" drive for student political involvement applauds an impressive 2006 array of Periclean campus and community election initiatives.  

Chatham College works to increase student voting numbers: The Pennsylvania Center for Women, Politics, and Public Policy at Chatham has been working with students since summer orientation to register voters, encourage political action and voting in Pittsburgh (where they live most of the year). The Center developed a system to track student requests for absentee ballots, election information, and registration that helped them reach more than 400 Chatham students with voter information.

Hendrix College sponsors a voter education program: At the end of October, Project Pericles on the Hendrix campus sponsored the "Know Your Ballot Program" to help familiarize people with the voting process. The program, free and open to the public, included an overview of the voting ballot by Jay Barth, Hendrix Associate Professor of Politics and Project Pericles Program Director. Further, the Faulkner County Election Commissioner and Hendrix Biology Professor Bruce Haggard explained and demonstrated new voting devices. Political candidates were on hand to present brief statements about their campaign platforms and to respond to questions from the audience.

Swarthmore College students featured on the Public Broadcasting System's election night program: Eight Swarthmore students, interviewed by political correspondent Gwen Ifill, gave their perspectives on issues that shaped the election. They emphasized the importance of voting with particular reference to students generally in establishing bases for bipartisan solutions to social issues. The interviews were broadcast live on PBS's "Newshour with Jim Lehrer."

In addition to election related activities, Pericleans are also developing new initiatives and hosting newsworthy events on their campuses: 

Pace University sponsors Democracy in Action week: Pace University's Project Pericles and Student Leaders for Democracy in Action established a "Democracy in Action" week to address compelling issues including the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, the impact of global warming, and the imminent dangers of a nuclear arms race. One highlight included a lecture by Imam James Yee, the former U.S. Muslim Chaplain from Guantanamo Bay. Another highlight was the Think Outside the Bomb Conference, which attracted high school students, college students, alumni and professionals from the Western United States for a series of participatory discussion panels, workshops, and skills training on political organizing, nuclear disarmament global security, and environmental sustainability.

Pitzer College student establishes Dining With Democracy Speaker Series: Dining with Democracy, a new lecture series aimed at bringing today's leaders to Pitzer College with the goal of inspiring tomorrow's leaders, was established by Pitzer senior Nick Kislinger. "I set out to establish a forum in which students could be exposed to discussions with prominent politicians at both the local and state levels. Following talks that are open to a general audience, a small group of students, faculty and staff meet and discuss politics over dinner with the invited guest. The more intimate dinner setting provides an excellent opportunity for members of the Pitzer community to exchange thoughts and ideas with the politicians," Kislinger explained. Consumer advocate, lawyer, author, and 2000 presidential candidate Ralph Nader kicked off the speaker series on October 25.

Rhodes College students build mock refugee camp: Students built a mock refugee camp on Rhodes campus last month in order to promote awareness of the current Darfur conflict and to foster education and understanding about the current refugee situations taking place around the world. At the Rhodes Mock Refugee Camp, 20 student guides provided information about the current situation in Darfur. Photographs of Sudanese refugees in actual camps were on display and a food distribution, medical, and school tent was set up.

Widener University hosts immigration discussion: Widener Law School invited the legal community, general public, students, faculty and staff to join a discussion focused on immigration issues. Sponsored by the school's student chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, with support from the Black and Minority Law Students Association, speakers included Elena Park, head of the immigration practice at the law firm, Cozen O'Connor, and Dr. Agapito Lopez, a retired ophthalmologist who represents Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties on the Pennsylvania Governor's Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs. Park spoke on federal agency policy and legislative trends involving immigration, placing special focus on how these trends have impacted Pennsylvania residents. Dr. Lopez spoke about the history of migration into the United States, including the changing immigration laws, and possible political and social motives affecting immigration policies.

Periclean Recognition

This past month, three Periclean institutions have been recognized for their excellent work in education and civic engagement. Congratulations Chatham College, Elon University, and Rhodes College for their continued dedication and commitment to bridging higher education and civic engagement.  

The Pennsylvania Center for Women, Politics, and Public Policy at Chatham College is recognized for its commitment to civic engagement: In October, the Center received the 2006 Good Government Award from the League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh recognizing the Center's work, both on the campus and in the community, to empower women students and citizens for public leadership.

Elon University Sociology Professor and Project Pericles Program Director Tom Arcaro has been named the 2006 North Carolina Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching: Dr. Arcaro, the first Elon professor to receive this prestigious recognition, is recognized for his extraordinary dedication to undergraduate teaching, based on four criteria: impact on and involvement with undergraduate students; scholarly approach to teaching and learning; contributions to undergraduate education at Elon; and support from colleagues and current and former students. Upon hearing this exciting news Julie Bourbeau '06 commented, "Dr. Arcaro has unparalleled passion and enthusiasm for his students, his classroom, and the global community at large. He works tirelessly on social issues and research, but is equally tireless in his dedication to relationships with his students and family. Everything Dr. Arcaro does is with his whole heart and I feel lucky to have been his student."

Rhodes College is named to President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll "With Distinction for General Community Service": The 2006 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, presented in cooperation with Campus Compact was designed to increase public awareness of the contributions that college students are making within their local communities and across the country through volunteer service. At Rhodes, more than 80 percent of students participate in community service, and recently Rhodes College has adopted a curriculum that recognizes the synergistic relationship between service in the community and learning in the classroom. According to Rhodes College Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Project Pericles Program Director, Robert Strandburg, "As with laboratories and internships, service engages the student in discovery learning; it provides context for what the student is studying in the classroom, and most importantly creates opportunities for independent problem solving and the exercise of reflective judgement."

Resources and Publications

Resources:

American Association of Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) announces "Core Commitments: Educating Students for Personal and Social Responsibility" call for applications: AAC&U invites colleges and universities to submit a proposal to become part of a Leadership Consortium to test and adopt new ways of deepening students' sense of integrity, ethical obligations to self and to others, and responsibilities as citizens in a diverse democracy and interdependent world. AAC&U seeks applications from colleges and universities where presidents, academic and student affairs leaders, faculty, and students commit to actively working together to engage issues of personal and social responsibility as features of a contemporary liberal education. For more information, visit: http://www.aacu.org/core_commitments/about_cfp.cfm

The Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards is accepting entries: The awards recognize outstanding works that contribute to our understanding of racism or appreciation of the rich diversity of human cultures and are given for both fiction and nonfiction. Submission information can be found at the awards program website: http://www.anisfield-wolf.org/

Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center announces application process for research fellowships: Approximately 40 fellowships are awarded annually by the Ransom Center to support scholarly research projects in all areas of the humanities. Each year the fellowship program has a special topic. This year's topic is "In Times of War." Special consideration will be given to research proposals that address and investigate the transatlantic cultural exchange of ideas, but proposals do not have to relate to the special topic to be eligible for fellowship support. The deadline for applications is February 7, 2007. For more information, visit: http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/about/fellowships/

Microsoft Research seeks tech proposals from colleges and universities for tablet technology in the classroom: Microsoft Research will use this RFP as a catalyst to encourage educators to apply resources toward the revising, updating, and validating of curriculum and pedagogy in conjunction with tablet technology in higher education. The deadline for applications is January 31, 2007. For submission information, visit: http://research.microsoft.com/erp/

National Association of Service and Conservation Corps (NASCC) Offers Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service Mini-Grants: The National Association of Service and Conservation Corps, in cooperation with the Corporation for National and Community Service, is offering mini-grants to support service projects as part of the 21st anniversary of the Martin Luther King, Jr. federal holiday. These mini- grants will support service activities designed to alleviate conditions of poverty in communities and engage disadvantaged youth. NASCC will fund organizations that mobilize volunteers, especially disadvantaged youth, to undertake service activities to benefit impoverished communities. For application information, visit: http://www.nascc.org/

The National Youth Leadership Council is accepting applications for the Alec Dickson Servant Leader Award: The award honors exemplary leaders who, through their actions, compassion, creativity, and courage, have inspired the service- learning field, positively impacted the lives of young people, and motivated others to take up the banner of service. Deadline for applications is January 22, 2007. For more information, visit: http://www.nylc.org/

Youth Service America/Youth Venture Program invites applications from young social entrepreneurs: Ventures must be youth-led and designed to be a lasting, sustainable asset to the community; and be a new organization or a new program within an existing organization. Ventures can be school-based clubs, community organizations, or for-profit or nonprofit businesses. The deadline for applications is December 18, 2006. For more information, visit: http://www.ysa.org/

Publications

A research study on "Student Engagement in a Flexible Model of Service Learning in Information Systems Curricula" was recently published in the Journal of Informatics Education Research. The study by James Lawler and Zheng Li, both of Pace University, reviews what impact two Centers at Pace have had in engaging students in helping community agencies and challenged citizens with computer Web technology.

The November 8 issue of Inside Higher Ed explores this year's increased turnout among young voters from the last mid-term election in 2002, and highlights mobilization efforts on college campuses. Allegheny College, Elon University, andHendrix College are three of the schools highlighted.

New England College and Project Pericles at New England College were featured in the November 13 Boston Globe article, "Students to renovate Mississippi homes" and on WCAX's website, the local CBS television station.


 

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.