The icebreaker line at University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee |
The Bringing Theory to Practice Project (BTtoP) encourages colleges and universities to reassert their core purposes as educational institutions not only to advance learning and discovery, but to advance the potential and well-being of each individual student, and to advance education as a public good that sustains a civic society.
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In This Issue
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee: Community Service Scholarship Programs: A Path to Meaningful Engagement and Leadership Development for Low-Income Students
By Laurie Marks, director, Center for Community-Based Learning, Leadership, and Research, and assistant clinical professor, Educational Policy and Community Studies, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
During a 2009 speech President Obama told young Americans; “…if you are willing to volunteer in your neighborhood or give back to your community or serve your country, we will make sure that you can afford a higher education.” AmeriCorps programs have resulted in more opportunities for young people to be a part of the national service movement while also contributing to the financial support of their college education. Beyond financial assistance, both publicly and privately funded community service scholarship programs may also provide less tangible benefits such as a more welcoming cocurricular learning environment and opportunities for students to explore their civic identity, find informal professional mentors, and make connections to students from similar socioeconomic backgrounds.
Introducing the BTtoP Civic Monograph Series, 2012-2014
By Barry Checkoway, professor, social work and urban planning, and founder, Ginsberg Center, University of Michigan; demonstration site program director, BTtoP Project
BTtoP views civic engagement as a core theme of higher education, along with the related themes of engaged learning and psychological well-being. As leaders within the initiative, we develop knowledge of the relationships between these themes at the same time as we provide information and ideas about each one. Consistent with this purpose, BTtoP is launching a Civic Monographs series which will raise questions and provide perspectives on fundamental issues related to the civic mission of higher education.
Fourth Round of BTtoP Demonstration Site Grants Completed June 2012
By Ashley Finley, national evaluator, BTtoP, and senior director of assessment and research, AAC&U
Bringing Theory to Practice’s fourth round of demonstration site grants concluded in June 2012. The culmination of this most recent round of demonstration site grants represents a discernible maturation in BTtoP’s work over the last decade. It is easy to forget that projects and programs develop and mature over time, just like learning and our own individual development. Because of the outstanding work across all of the demonstration site projects, not to mention the many other category I and II mini and program development and grants generated since 2003, Bringing Theory to Practice has steadily matured over the years.
In Brief
BTtoP Celebrates One Year of Membership in AAC&U’s CLDE Network
AAC&U and the Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement Action Network
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Bringing Theory to Practice is an independent project sponsored by the Charles Engelhard Foundation of New York City and the S. Engelhard Center and developed in partnership with the Association of American Colleges and Universities.
Association of American Colleges & Universities
1818 R Street, NW
Washington, DC 20009
www.aacu.org
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