President Leo M. Lambert gave special credit to Elon's community partners Oct. 19 when he received the inaugural Higher Education Civic Engagement Award from The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars. Elon received the award for cultivating a campus culture that recognizes its responsibility as the member of a larger community.
At an awards luncheon at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., Lambert said that the agencies Elon partners with, “whether they are the citizens of Namibia or Honduras, or the Boys and Girls Club right down the road,” are the real heroes in providing meaningful civic engagement experiences for students.
“They help students connect knowledge and experience in powerful ways and inspire them to live meaningful lives of work and service,” Lambert said. “They are our valued teachers and we are grateful that they share their communities, experiences and stories with us.”
A total of 67 nominations for the Washington Center award were received from colleges and universities nationwide. In addition to Elon, awards were given to Villanova University, Wartburg College, Cabrini College and Tennessee State University
“What finally set the five winners apart in a very strong field was the strategic thoughtfulness and comprehensiveness of their approach,” said Joseph Johnston, a senior vice president of The Washington Center. “Each of them has made a strong commitment to put civic engagement at the center of what they do. And each of them is delivering on it in very impressive ways.”
Johnston said that nominations specified the challenges that were addressed, the kinds of work the efforts entailed, the type and breadth of support for them on campus, the impacts they have had on campus and off, and why they may be a model to other institutions.
Elon cited several programs in its nomination letter:
Academic service-learning: During the 2007-2008 academic year, 25 faculty members taught 35 service-learning courses across a range of academic disciplines. Community partners receive regular training and development and are considered field faculty for our students. Elon University prides itself on maintaining lasting relationships with agencies and organizations that accept Academic Service-Learning students.
Social Entrepreneurship Scholars Program: Students in this program work intensively with the local community providing service, researching issues, and developing new initiatives to address community needs. Launched in Fall 2009 the first student cohort is focusing on the health needs of local Alamance County children through their work with Head Start and Positive Attitude Youth Center. The SES Program at Elon is the first of its type in the county in that it is interdisciplinary, linking service-learning and social entrepreneurship education.
Kernodle Center for Service Learning: The center educates students through curricular and co-curricular experiences; creates and supports collaborative and sustainable relationships between faculty, staff, students and community partners; encourages personal responsibility and a deeper understanding of societal issues; fosters creative solutions to social concerns and identified community needs; and builds student leadership, and faculty and staff engagement.
Elon Academy: A three-year college-access program for low-income local high school students who demonstrate academic promise and have little or no family history of college, the Elon Academy serves 79 scholars and their families and has been highly successful in raising student aspirations, providing pathways to college, and supporting students and families who are typically underrepresented on college campuses.
Elon University Poll: Recognized as the “poll of record in North Carolina,” Elon conducts frequent regional and statewide telephone surveys on issues of importance to North Carolinians and other southern states. Results are shared with media, citizens and public officials to facilitate informed public policy making.
Project Pericles: Periclean Scholars take a series of courses culminating in a class project on local or global social change. Projects are designed and carried out by a cohort of approximately 33 students from each year’s class. A $5,000 endowment gift ensures that Periclean Scholars projects are sustained.
“What is unique about Elon is the remarkable commitment of faculty, staff, and students to civic engagement and their efforts to work together to provide experiences that connect student life with academic programs,” said Deborah Long, a professor of education and coordinator of civic engagement at the university.
The Washington Center for Internships and Academic seminars is an independent, nonprofit organization that serves hundreds of colleges and universities in the United States and other countries by providing selected students challenging opportunities to work and learn in Washington, D.C., for academic credit. The largest program of its kind, The Washington Center has more than 40,000 alumni who have become leaders in numerous professions and nations around the world. It was established in 1975.