Faculty members selected for community-based learning development initiative

The Community-Based Learning Faculty Development initiative strives to help Elon University faculty members learn to utilize the pedagogies of community-based learning and community engagement in their courses. Last academic year, 82 sections of courses incorporated community-based learning pedagogy into their work, engaging 1,440 students in over 44,000 hours of course-linked service in our community. The Kernodle Center for Civic Life, in partnership with the Faculty Fellow for Community-Based Learning, provides year-round faculty development to support this work. Information about upcoming programming can be found on the Kernodle Center Faculty Development Website.

At Elon, community-based learning is fundamentally an academic endeavor in which engagement in projects and activities takes place through reciprocal and mutually beneficial partnerships with the greater community designed to advance the public good. It is an experiential education approach that involves collaborative relationships, guided by the expertise of professors and community-based practitioners, to combine student learning with community needs as an integrated component of a course. The partnerships between Elon and communities engage students with entities such as nonprofit organizations, schools, government agencies, or locally owned businesses.

This year, 19 faculty members have been selected for four extended faculty development programs: Community-Based Learning Faculty Scholars, Community-Based Learning Research Scholars, Community-Based Learning Course Development Grants, and a First-Year Foundations Community Engaged Community of Practice.

Five Elon faculty members have been selected as Community-Based Learning Faculty Scholars for 2026-27. Over the course of this academic year, they will meet regularly to learn more about pedagogy and practices, devise ways to incorporate these practices into their teaching, and receive a stipend for their work.Frank Gentry, Assistant Teaching Professor of Management
Meleena Gil, Assistant Professor of English
Lauren Guilmette, Associate Professor of Philosophy
Nina Namaste, Professor of Spanish
Nikita Shepherd, Assistant Professor of History

Three Elon faculty members have been selected as Community-Based Learning Research Scholars for 2026-27. Each will work on an independent research project during the academic year and will receive a stipend for their efforts. They are:
Dillan Bono-Lunn, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Public Policy
Tony Reyes, Assistant Professor of Human Service Studies
Carol Smith, Professor of Wellness

Three faculty members have been awarded Community-Based Learning Course Development Grants for 2026-28. They will spend the next two years developing, teaching and assessing their community-based learning courses. Additionally, three faculty members were awarded these grants for 2025-27. They are now in the teaching and assessment phases of their grants. These grants are supported by the Kernodle Center for Civic Life and funded through a grant from the Frueauff Foundation.

2026-28 Community-Based Learning Course Development Grant recipients:
Donna Boyette, Assistant Professor of Accounting
Smaraki Mohanty, Assistant Professor of Marketing
Bethanny Sudibyo, Assistant Professor of Spanish

2025-27 Community-Based Learning Course Development Grant recipients:
Lisa Buchanan, Associate Professor of Education
Sandra Darfour-Oduro, Assistant Professor of Public Health Studies
Chris Nelson, Assistant Professor of Marketing

Five faculty are engaging in a pilot community of practice entitled “First-Year Foundations Community Engagement” focused on broadening first-year student community-based learning opportunities. This community of practice is a partnership between the Kernodle Center and the Elon Core Curriculum with support from Nina Namaste, Assistant Director of First Year Seminars in the Elon Core Curriculum, Heather Lindeman, Coordinator of ENG 1100.
Rebecca Bagley, Assistant Professor of Communication Design
Catherine Bowlin, Assistant Teaching Professor of English
Archie Crowley, Assistant Professor of English
Brooks Depro, Associate Professor of Economics
Celia Hameury, Assistant Professor of Engineering

These faculty development programs are mentored by Elena Kennedy, Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship and Faculty Fellow for Community-Based Learning.  Applications for the 2027-28 programs will be available next spring. In the meantime, there are two upcoming faculty development opportunities:

Essentials of Community-Based Learning Workshop for National Campuses   
Wednesday, Sept. 16, 3:30 – 5 p.m., Virtual
Register here by September 7 
This virtual workshop is for faculty and staff at Elon’s national campuses.
Are you interested in creating a more authentic learning experience in your course by engaging with community partners? Could the learning objectives for your course be enhanced through community engagement? Have you ever wondered how community-based learning works and why reflection is central to that pedagogy? This workshop is appropriate for faculty members who are developing a community-based course, designing a project or assignment that involves community engagement, or are curious about community-based learning pedagogies in general. The workshop will allow for interaction with experienced faculty, and staff members from the Kernodle Center for Civic Life and Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning.

Campus-Community Networking Hour  
Thursday, Oct. 22, 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Register here by October 15 
You are invited to join the Kernodle Center for Civic Life for an afternoon of networking that will bring together Elon faculty, staff, and community partners to discuss opportunities for collaboration, including community-engaged courses. Enjoy hors d’oeuvres and a chance to connect with many partner organizations and campus departments. You will leave with valuable connections for future partnerships.