National Summit on P-16 Service-Learning Leadership

Posted by on March 23, 2009

My name is Shelley Henderson, and I am the P-16 Coordinator for the Service-Learning Academy at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. I wanted to let you know about a summit my office is planning that is intended to be for service-learning/civic engagement directors of urban, metropolitan universities who share an interest in P-16 (pre kindergarten to post secondary) coalitions and are poised to move to their campus civic engagement efforts to a new level in partnership with schools.

We wish to cordially extend an invitation to institutions with solid reputations for school/university/community service-learning partnerships to participate in the UNO Service-Learning Academy’s 2009 National Summit on P-16 Service-Learning Leadership on September 21 and 22

There is no cost for registration for the Summit; travel, lodging and meals are covered as well. The event will be held at UNO’s Scott Conference Center and lodging will be provided at the adjacent Marriott Courtyard Omaha Aksarben Village.  Flight details will be arranged with Travel and Transport at UNO. This email is intended to inform you about the event so that you can begin to plan for this premier opportunity.  Only seven institutions will be selected ultimately.

If you would like to consider sending one representative from your higher education institution to the event, note that you will be required to select and bring along one representative from a PK-12 school/district with whom you partner through service-learning.  Start making your PK-12 school/district partner selection and contacts today!  You will not be selected to come without a current and sustainable, partnering PK-12 school/district representative.

The Summit on P-16 Service-Learning Leadership we are inviting you to is not a typical conference-styled engagement — a roundtable discussion format will allow for open discussion.  The summit discussion sessions will center on leading successful collaborative P-16 service-learning implementation based on research-based indicators and strategies that define and support sustainability and institutionalization. The event format will allow participants a chance to function as a working group over the two days to share best practices and program challenges, and then construct strategies to advance program goals.  Institution representatives should not prepare formal papers and presentations to share, but should plan to bring along artifacts about their institutions and their engagement with the schools.

Let us know of your interest and availability to participate.  However, your intent to participate does not guarantee selection; we will only select 7 interested higher education institutions and their partners–14 total individuals.  To help us better plan for this event, please answer three questions:

1. Are you willing and able to attend or send one representative from your institution the summit? (Answer and mailing information is needed by March 26th; an application and registration packet will be sent)

2. Have you identified one PK-12 school/district partner that is willing and able to attend the summit, as well?  (Answer needed by April 23rd)

3. If selected, will you be able to make and document travel and lodging plans as early as June 1st? (We cover the costs, but require an early commitment.)

Again, the Consortium Conference is September 23, 24, and 25, 2009, and we welcome you to attend it as well.  The scheduled keynote speakers for Thursday and Friday of the Consortium Conference are Mark Milliron, the founder of Catalyze Learning International; and Shelley Billig of RMC Research Corporation.

If you have any initial questions, feel free to contact my graduate assistant, Sarah. Her email is shanify@unomaha.edu, and her office phone is (402) 554-3880.