The Periclean Progress E-Newsletter

Volume 4, Issue 2 – October 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

October kicked off with our annual Program Directors' Conference on the beautiful Hampshire College campus. For two days twenty-two Program Directors from all Periclean campuses met to discuss issues of common concern.

At the conference, we discussed individual campus initiatives and future Periclean programming in areas such as "Student Advocacy and the 2008 Elections", "Preparing Students for a Life of Civic Engagement After College.", and "Project Pericles' Role in the National Civic Engagement Dialogue and How It Can Be Expanded". Since the conference, Program Directors have been in regular contact with each other on a variety of issues including service-learning course designation on students' transcripts.

We have been particularly busy planning the 2007-2008 Debating for Democracy (D4D) program. D4D is a campus-based program in which students research, develop their own opinions, and advocate and defend their positions on current policy issues of public import. The 2007-2008 Debating for Democracy program began earlier this month and concludes in December 2008. In addition to the six colleges who participated in D4D during the pilot year, we are pleased that at least fourteen new Pericleans will be participating in the upcoming program.

Based on feedback from attendees, the conference was a tremendous success and generated a number of inspiring ideas. I want to extend my warmest thanks to our Hampshire hosts-President Ralph J. Hexter and Program Director Mary Bombardier-for their hospitality and for their valuable contributions to our agenda.

On October 1, Project Pericles launched the 2007-2008 Debating for Democracy (D4D) program. D4D is a campus-based program in which Periclean students research, develop their own opinions, and advocate their positions on current policy issues of public import. This year, at least 20 Periclean campuses will participate. Campuses have selected one of three topics: Democracy at Risk: Race, Income, and Access in the United States; Democracy at Risk: Energy and the Environment; Democracy at Risk: Privacy and Free Speech in the Internet Age.

We look forward to another full and exciting month of civic engagement work.

Jan R. Liss, Executive Director

National Office Announcements

November 1 - The Project Pericles Board of Directors Meeting: Hosted by the Mellon Foundation in New York City, this meeting will address past accomplishments and future plans to extend the envisioned impact of Project Pericles' mission.

December 12 - The Presidents' Council Meeting: At this annual meeting, Periclean Presidents will share their perspectives on the development, implementation, and support of civic engagement on their campuses. The Presidents' Council meeting will be hosted by the Teagle Foundation in New York City.

Debating for Democracy Website: Project Pericles has developed a social networking website (www.projectpericles.ning.com) to serve as the D4D "virtual community". The website allows participants to discuss policy issues related to their D4D topics, find an internship, and learn how to register to vote. The website is open only to D4D participants (students, faculty, and Program Directors). Faculty members or students at a Periclean college interested in joining the website should contact the Program Director at their college.

Periclean News

Eleven faculty and staff members from Elon University presented research at the 7th Annual International Conference on Service-Learning and Community Engagement. The conference is one of the largest gatherings of professors and researchers who advocate for the growth of service-learning at all levels, from kindergarten through graduate school.

Chatham University's Pennsylvania Center for Women, Politics, and Public Policy has received a $25,000 grant from Verizon to conduct a statewide study on domestic violence. The study's results will be part of the center's annual "Ready to Matter" research series that takes a critical look at issues affecting women. "This grant will enable the research series to dig deeper, exposing domestic violence trends across the state and in individual counties and regions," said Project Pericles Program Director Allyson Lowe, assistant professor and director-Pennsylvania Center for Women, Politics, and Public Policy. "We then intend to release our findings during the next year through our website and with various printed materials."

Faculty and staff of Hampshire College gathered September 18 to celebrate a first for American higher education, as their hosts-President Ralph J. Hexter and his partner of more than 27 years, Manfred Kollmeier- announced their marriage. President Hexter and Mr. Kollmeier married over Labor Day weekend, but delayed their public announcement until they could share it with the Hampshire College community. A celebration with students was held on September 19.

Periclean Focus: K-12 Education

Last month, we added a new section to the newsletter-Periclean Focus. This section focuses on one topic that is generating interest on Periclean campuses, classrooms, and communities. Each month, we will ask members of the Project Pericles community to submit articles, best practices, and news related to this topic.

This month, we are focusing on K-12 education. In the last few years, Pericleans have started innovative programs designed to help young people in their communities reach their academic potential. Programs have focused on topics ranging from college preparation to tutoring.

On May 18, leaders from the Penobscot Nation, the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, the Passamaquoddy Tribe and the Aroostook Band of Micmacs met with Bates College President Elaine Tuttle Hansen, and the Presidents of Bowdoin College and Colby College at Indian Island in Maine. They formally established a long-term relationship that will provide recruitment of and full tuition for Native college students, an expansion of Native studies courses, and opportunities for Native educators.

Raul Matta, a third year Hampshire College student, is a lead organizer for Military Recruitment Education Network, a counter military recruitment project in Western Massachusetts. This network is part of a national movement to educate young people about alternatives to the military. This year Raul is working with Community Partnerships for Social Change, led by Project Pericles Program Director Mary Bombardier, to recruit and train Hampshire College students to be organizers for this project. Currently Raul and his team are doing outreach in three area schools. They are working in collaboration with a local initiative, College Prep of Holyoke Planning Network, to provide mentoring and advice that increases the accessibility of college to local youth.

Allegheny College students enrolled in Professor Elizabeth Ozorak's junior seminar are partnering with Second District School in a mentoring program for elementary school students. Small groups of students meet weekly with college student mentors to engage in a variety of problem-solving activities. After several weeks, the groups will choose a real-world problem to work on. The goal is to improve the children's skill and confidence in problem-solving while supporting them in making a real difference in the community.

The Bates College Education Department and the Harward Center for Community Partnerships have developed a wide array of partnerships with local schools in Lewiston and Auburn, Maine. In a partnership with Longley Elementary School, Bates students are paired with elementary students through the Longley Mentoring and BatesBuddies programs to help build reading and social literacy skills. Bates students have also partnered with Longley teachers to focus on writing literacy.

Rhodes College has a long standing adopt-a-school relationship with neighboring Snowden School with more than 100 Rhodes students working at the school each week. Students serve as tutors and mentors to elementary and middle schoolers and design and administer complex reading and math tutoring programs. The relationships became so broad and deep that formal adoption proceedings were initiated in 2007. Rhodes is now the official adopter of Springdale Elementary School, Cypress Middle School, Central High School, and Snowden School. Additionally, Cypress Middle, Snowden, and Springdale Elementary science students are studying a NASA-sanctioned science curriculum through the NASA Stars program at Rhodes College. To date, 435 students and 16 science teachers from the Memphis City Schools have benefited from the program.

The Lang Center for Civic & Social Responsibility at Swarthmore Collegesupports the work of the Chester Youth Collaborative by offering high school students an opportunity to participate in the College Advancement Program (CAP). The program provides weekly one on one tutoring in math, science, reading comprehension, and writing. The core program is supplemented with SAT and college application preparation. Swarthmore College students support the program as tutors and program assistants. The SAT prep sessions are provided by the Swarthmore College Student Society of Black Engineers as their community service project. Staff provides support by conducting a diverse group of workshops on topics including financial aid.

The Chester Children's Choir, a year-round program created and run by Swarthmore College music professor, John Alston, rehearses at Swarthmore and performs both in the College's Lang Concert Hall and in Chester. Participants receive tutoring and mentoring during the school year provided by Swarthmore students. During an intensive five-week Summer Learning Program, the children study music, reading, science, art, and African dance and drumming.

Pace High School, founded in 2004 in collaboration with Pace University's School of Education, now enrolls over 300 mostly low-income students from Chinatown in New York City. Pace University student teachers regularly volunteer in the classrooms of Pace High School and youth are regularly brought on campus to use facilities such as the library and computer labs. They can also attend courses at Pace's downtown campus. Students have access to college counselors from Pace who volunteer to help them select and apply to colleges.

The "Above the Line" Project, designed and implemented by Professor James Jennings, is funded by the Hendrix Odyssey program. Held in June, the project involved remediation and enrichment in literacy, grammar, mathematics, science, and higher order thinking skills for 22 low-achieving third graders in the Forrest City School District. Four students from Hendrix College assisted in the curriculum for the "Above the Line" Project. Following the three weeks of intensive remedial studies utilizing the "Above the Line" Project curriculum, a majority of students improved their test scores in a number of subject areas.

Founded in 2004, Opportunities Abound is a partnership between Macalester College and Admission Possible, a non-profit organization whose mission is to help make college admission possible for talented, motivated and economically disadvantaged students in Minnesota. Through this relationship, Macalester and Admission Possible promotes the enrollment of promising low-income Minnesota students, many of whom are multiracial or of color, into Minnesota colleges and universities. This project joins together the offices and programs at Macalester that currently work independently with area youth and students of color, including the Community Service Office, Lealtad-Suzuki Center, MAX Center for Academic Excellence, Financial Aid, and the Admissions Office. Twelve Macalester students actively participate in the Opportunities Abound Student Leadership Program.

Two Professors at New England College, Bill Preble and Larry Taylor, have been traveling to K-12 schools across New Hampshire with several of their students this fall helping them conduct research on school climate and respectful schooling, and training teams of student leaders who will work with adults to improve school climate and safety. Their work is supported by the NH Department of Education as part of its APEX-Dropout Prevention Program.

Resources and Publications

Living Democracy, a new introductory American Government text, was created "to help transform student apathy into activity". Each chapter of the textbook begins with an anecdote designed to grab the reader's attention. For example, the chapter on Civil Rights begins with an overview of the Supreme Court case Grutter vs. Bollinger. Written by Daniel M. Shea, Professor of Political Science and Founder of the Center for Political Participation at Allegheny College, Living Democracy aims to inspire students and help them experience the impact of government in their daily lives. Shea's co-authors are Joanne Green, Associate Professor of Political Science and the Director of Women's Studies at Texas Christian University; and Christopher Smith, Professor of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University.

National Policy Consensus Center (NPCC) has published a report entitled, Integrating Collaborative Activities: Public Deliberation with Stakeholder Process. This report explores how leaders can create better solutions by combining collaborative governance activities - engaging the public in discussion and implementing their ideas through a representative group of stakeholders. The report examines cases in the United States where public deliberation has been integrated with stakeholder processes. The report concludes with recommendations for how future collaborative efforts can be shaped to maximize their benefits.

The Partnership for Public Service will award five grants of up to $3,000 to assist Call to Serve member schools in building effective campaigns to promote federal service. In addition to the monetary award, each school will have the opportunity to seek guidance from one of the Call to Serve Recruitment Initiative institutions. Schools will also receive support from Partnership staff and resources. Applications are due November 16.

The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation is accepting applications for the 2008 Barbara Jordan Health Policy Scholars Program. This is an opportunity for college seniors and recent college graduates who have a strong interest in addressing racial and ethnic health disparities, or who are themselves a member of a population that is adversely affected by racial and ethnic health disparities. During their nine-week experience, the scholars work in congressional offices in Washington, D.C., obtaining first-hand experience in the policy-making process and participating in seminars and site visits to enhance their practical knowledge of healthcare issues. Each scholar also writes and presents a health policy research paper in one of the following areas: Medicaid and the uninsured, Medicare, or HIV/AIDS.

Scholarship applications are now being accepted for the 2008 Institute on Philanthropy and Voluntary Service. The Institute is a summer internship program for outstanding undergraduate students active in service and interested in exploring careers in the nonprofit sector. The 2008 summer institute will be held from June 7 through August 2, 2008, at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. This residential program offers a combination of nonprofit internship experience for 30-35 hours a week, academic learning, leadership development, and service projects in the nation's capital. To learn more, click here for more information or contact Ms. Patty Gentry, Program Coordinator, at ipvs@tfas.org.

State Farm created the Service-Learning Champion Award to recognize a non-traditional advocate of service-learning by acknowledging the valuable role played by a business or community leader who has partnered with youth in advancing the cause of service-learning. The award is designed to recognize a community member, business partner, or public official whose contribution was instrumental to the success of a youth led service-learning project. This annual award will be presented to the recipient at the National Service-Learning Conference in April in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Transportation, lodging, and conference registration costs for the award recipient will be provided by State Farm. The deadline is December 1, 2007.

Website of the Month

Smart Communities is a blog written by Suzanne W. Morse, the president of the Pew Partnership for Civic Change and the author of the book Smart Communities: How Citizens and Local Leaders Can Use Strategic Thinking to Build a Brighter Future.

 

 

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 University
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.