The Periclean Progress

Volume 3, Issue 5 – January 2007

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

From January 4-7, 2007 many of our Periclean Presidents attended The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) 2007 Presidents Institute in Tucson, Arizona. This year's institute addressed a wide range of topics including strategic vision, fundraising, board relations, enrollment management, institutional planning, and educational programs. The program began with opening remarks from Richard Ekman, President of CIC and member of Project Pericles Board of Directors. Our Presidents Esther L. Barazzone of Chatham College, David A. Caputo of Pace University, Trudie Kibbe Reed of Bethune-Cookman College, and John Strassburger of Ursinus College gave presentations and Michael McPherson, member of the Project Pericles Board of Directors and President of The Spencer Foundation, participated in the closing plenary. The meeting culminated with the presentation of the 2007 Allen P. Splete award for outstanding service to Project Pericles founder and Chair, Eugene M. Lang. The Allen P. Splete award is given to honor significant contributions made to independent higher education.

2007 is off to an exciting start as our Pericleans are working together to make a fundamental impact on civic engagement in higher education.

Jan R. Liss, Executive Director

National Office Announcements

Upcoming Meetings:

Annual Meeting of The Association of American Colleges and Universities: This meeting titled, THE REAL TEST: Liberal Education and Democracy's Big Questions, is being held January 17-20, 2007 in New Orleans, Louisiana to address the Katrina disaster in terms of how to effectively prepare students to be responsible citizens and leaders in both times of crisis and relative tranquility. Project Pericles' "Debating for Democracy" is presenting a session titled "Mobilizing Students as Policy Advocates" to address how college students can contribute to the informed development of policy on local and national levels and reinvigorate participatory democracy. Click here. for further information on the meeting. For a current list of Pericleans who plan to attend, please click here.

Periclean Schools in Action

Chatham College sponsors program to educate women on the campaign process: The Pennsylvania Center for Women, Politics, and Public Policy at Chatham College and the Pennsylvania Women's Campaign Fund are sponsoring a unique training opportunity, The Winning Edge Campaign School, for women interested in running for office as well as for those women who want to run political campaigns. The program, held January 19-21, 2007 will be based on the simulation of an actual campaign where participants will learn how to build a campaign from the ground up. The Program has already proven itself successful with the election of Lisa Bennington, a 2005 Campaign School graduate and Chatham alumna, to the Pennsylvania State House this past November. You can read about the Campaign School on Chatham's website.

Odyssey Program grants totaling $63,000 will give 74 Hendrix College students and faculty a chance to extend their learning beyond the realm of the traditional college classroom: The Hendrix Committee on Experiential Learning awarded funding for eleven student projects and eight faculty projects for the Spring 2007 semester, which will allow students and faculty to participate in experiential learning projects that will take them from New Orleans to rural China and the Arkansas Delta to Spain. Projects include the exploration of Jewish heritage in Arkansas, the investigation of superheated water as an environmentally-friendly alternative to non-renewable petrochemical solvents, and a comparison of archaeological structures in ancient villages in Turkey, Greece, Crete, and England.

New England College participates in local fundraising effort to help community school: Together with several local businesses and organizations, students from Project Pericles at New England College participated in the 20th annual White Birch Community Center Breakfast serving more than 200 breakfasts and hosting more than 20 crafters and vendors in order to raise money for classroom supplies for the Henniker Community School.

Periclean Recognition

Wagner College and Pace University curricular programs are praised in a recent report released by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U): Wagner's curricular program, based in part on "learning communities" where students take a pair of courses together and then work in a local community that relates to the courses, was recently praised in the AAC&U report, "College Learning for the New Global Century." According to Richard Guarasci, Wagner's President, the idea is to produce "civic professionals," students with both knowledge in subject areas and the ability to apply that knowledge to societal problems. The report outlines curricular goals for all colleges based on four broad essential learning outcomes, noting that different kinds of institutions would assure these outcomes in different ways.

The report also calls for colleges to operate under seven "principles of excellence" that would guide their curricular programs. Pace University is praised for putting principle #7 into practice: assessing students' ability to apply learning to complex problems. According to the report, Pace has made a comprehensive commitment to assessment as a way of strengthening both teaching and learning and works to provide evidence of a students' learning over time.

Resources and Publications

The American Democracy Project of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) calls for proposals: In order to assess how far the American Democracy Project has come and what the next steps in the preparation of citizens for our democracy will be, AASCU is requesting that colleges and universities submit descriptions of their programs and practices in areas including programs of civic engagement, civic skills, issues in civic engagement, how to undertake civic engagement, and assessment. Accepted proposals will be presented at the June 2007 conference. Proposals are due online by February 5, 2007. If you have questions about the submission process, please contact Cecilia Orphan at (202) 478-7833 or orphanc@aascu.org.

Hitachi Foundation opens nomination process for Yoshiyama Award honoring youth community service: The Hitachi Foundation presents the Yoshiyama Award for Exemplary Service to the Community each year to ten high school seniors from around the United States on the basis of their community-service activities. The award recognizes exemplary service and community involvement. The deadline for applications is April 2, 2007. For more information, visit their website.

IREX seeks proposals for Policy-Connect Collaborative Research Grants: IREX, an international nonprofit organization providing leadership and innovative programs to improve the quality of education, strengthen independent media, and foster pluralistic civil society development, has announced the 2007 Policy- Connect Collaborative Research Grants competition. This program seeks to support advanced research by U.S. experts in policy-relevant subject areas related to Southeast Europe and Asia, facilitate collaboration among and between U.S. and international scholars, and disseminate knowledge about Europe and Asia to a wide network of constituents in the United States and abroad. The deadline for submissions is April 1, 2007. Visit www.irex.org for more details.

National Endowment for the Humanities and Institute of Museum and Library Services invite grant applications for New Digital Innovation Program: The Institute of Museum and Library Services and the National Endowment for the Humanities invite applications to a new digital humanities grant competition. The new program, "Advancing Knowledge: The IMLS/NEH Digital Partnership," seeks applications for innovative, collaborative humanities projects using the latest digital technologies for the benefit of the American public, humanities scholarship, and the nation's cultural community. The deadline for applications is March 27, 2007. More information.

 

 

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.