Much of the programming begun during the first year has continued. Every summer, Elon either hosted a summit that built on the one held in June 2002 or sponsored faculty development workshops that focused on incorporating civic engagement and social responsibility issues into the curriculum. The service sabbatical program continues each year. Additionally, each year a new class of Periclean Scholars has been selected who will have the same opportunities as the first class, including the development of their own unique class project.
The goals for the first five years were the following:
Enable 18 employees to spend a month in service to a cause to which they are committed
Fund a vast array of special projects embedded in classes that are designed to bring together a concern for the common good with students' academic experience
Encourage faculty and community partnerships
Provide a unique environment for four classes of Periclean Scholars, each of which will be working on a major project. The impact on the entire campus community will be enormous. Our dream is to inspire graduates who are as focused on ways in which they will contribute to their local, national and global communities as they are on their future careers. This is a paradigm shift of no small order, but one that, if we examine our mission statement closely, is our destiny.
D4D Debating for Democracy, On April 3 and 4, 2008, Project Pericles held the 2008 Debating for Democracy (D4D) Conference in New York City for 50 student leaders from Periclean colleges and universities. The event consisted of workshops, keynote addresses, panel discussions, and “legislative hearings”. The conference was sponsored by the Christian A. Johnson Endeavor Foundation and hosted by TIAA-CREF.
A highlight of the two-day conference was the Legislative Hearings. In early March, 41 groups of students from 21 Periclean colleges and universities, who wanted to participate in the hearings, submitted original legislative proposals to Project Pericles addressing a variety of public policy issues. After reviewing these proposals, a committee selected six finalists.
At the conference, the six teams presented their proposals to the legislators and a large audience of students, faculty, and other interested people. The legislators who participated in the event included former U.S. Senator and current President of The New School, Bob Kerrey, and former U.S. Senators Nancy Kassebaum Baker and Harris Wofford. At the end of the event, the legislators selected the winning proposal from Berea College. The Berea team will receive a $4,000 award that can be used to fund advocacy and education activities including lobbying trips and education workshops.
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