Florida Institute on Service-Learning & Engaged Scholarship

Posted by on April 27, 2009

Only five days left before registration prices increase and our special rate with the hotel expires — both on October 31, 2008. For more information please visit http://www.floridacompact.org/08institute/index.html

This conference is open to everyone and below you will find information on some of our featured presentations.

Keynote Address by Delaine Eastin. Delaine Eastin is one of the nation’s most effective and passionate advocates for service learning and education reform. After serving in the California legislature and being elected as Commissioner of the nation’s largest state school system, she created and led a state task force to make service learning part of the education of every California student. She will offer ideas and inspiration at the plenary and a subsequent workshop.

Cathyrn Berger Kaye is one of the nation’s premier trainers in service learning, and she will be providing five trainings or workshops at the Institute: (1) Florida Collaboration World Cafe, (2) Heightening the Higher Education Service-Learning Experience, (3) Invigorating Service-Learning in Higher Education, (4) Read On! Why Literature is Integral to a Valuable Service-Learning Experience, and (5) Go Global! Join the in Our Global Village International Service-Learning Experience.

Deanna Berg currently serves part time as the Director of Civic Engagement at California State University, Chico and part time as a consultant to campuses/organizations interested in service-learning and other civic engagement activities. She is particularly interested in institutionalization and has consistently worked with student leaders to build campus infrastructure. She will be facilitating three workshops including (1) Students as Partners: Co-Curricular and Student Led Initiatives, which will pay particular attention to Student Recruitment and Retention in Volunteer Programs, Greek Life and Volunteerism, Service-Learning and Residence Life, and Training Student Leaders, (2) Maintaining Our Motivations, Sustaining Our Passion, and (3) Bridges Burned: Lessons in Failed Partnerships.

Cathy Burack is a Senior Fellow for Higher Education at the Center for Youth and Communities in the Heller School of Social Policy at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. For the past eighteen years Cathy has focused on ways faculty, students and administrators can work together to fulfill the civic missions of their colleges and universities. She is a member of the National Review Board for the Scholarship of Engagement, a Campus Compact Engaged Scholar, and a member of the Advisory Board for the UMass Amherst Masters track in Service-Learning and Engagement. Her workshops will focus on faculty career advancement through engaged scholarship and evaluating the impact of civic engagement initiatives.

Other featured presentations include:

How A Web-based Service-Learning Tracking System Can Change Your Life
Are you looking for a way to track and manage your student volunteers and service-learning students? Need a way to connect people with your community partners, verify student hours, and generate reports on your service-learning or community service program? Miami Dade College (MDC) will demonstrate its online service-learning database and management system, Service-Learning Administrative Website (SLAW), and will field questions to help campuses create their own database. This database was internally created by MDC’s IT department and can be replicated by other colleges. This session is designed for IT administrators, community service/service-learning directors, and anyone else interested in learning more about how your college could design its own tracking system. Database creator and IT programmer Mr. Hai Le is one of the three presenters.
Presenter(s): Josh Young, Director, Center for Community Involvement, Miami Dade College, Ossie Hanauer, Campus Director, Miami Dade College, and Hai Le, Group Manager, Computer Services, Miami Dade College, Miami

Break Away: Creating a Society of Active Citizens One Alternative Break at a Time, Part 1 (1:15-2:45 p.m.)
An alternative break immerses teams of students in community-based service projects and gives them the opportunity to learn about systemic social issues. This session is designed to familiarize the participants with the core components and philosophy of alternative breaks, basic best practices, and current examples from break programs across the nation.
Presenters: Jill Piacitelli, Executive Director & Samantha Giacobozzi, Programs Director

Break Away: Creating a Society of Active Citizens One Alternative Break at a Time, Part 2 (3:00-4:45 p.m.)
Building on the first session, this workshop is designed for anyone interested in starting a new alternative break program or strengthening your current campus program. Areas of focus will include student leadership, finding good sites, fundraising, and recruitment. Join us to learn how you can use alternative breaks as a catalyst into lifelong active citizenship.
Presenters: Jill Piacitelli, Executive Director & Samantha Giacobozzi, Programs Director

Service-Learning and Student Engagement in Honors Programs
Do you have an honors program with a service-learning component? Ever wonder what other campuses are doing with their honors program? Come and join your colleagues from around the state as they share best practices in student engagement and honors programming. Participants will have a chance to learn from each other as well as national models of best practice. This session is designed for honors program administrators and faculty members and anyone interested in learning more about Honors programs around the state of Florida.
Presenter(s): Heather Burk, Service-Learning Coordinator, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, and Kelly Astro, Director of Research and Civic Engagement, Burnett Honors College, University of Central Florida, Orlando

Service-Learning 1001
This workshop is designed for faculty new to service learning who would like to integrate service learning into their curricula. This is an introductory, hands-on workshop that will cover everything from defining what service learning is to identifying learning outcomes, assessment and reflection tools, civic learning objectives, and effective community partnerships. Bring your syllabus and leave with a new one.
Presenters: Melody Bowdon, Associate Professor, University of Central Florida, and Luciano Ramos, Associate Director, Florida Campus Compact

REGISTER NOW for the November 17-19, 2008 Florida Institute on Service-Learning & Engaged Scholarship. Register at http://www.floridacompact.org/08institute/index.html