To help students get the most out their community engagement experiences, the Career and Community Learning Center's Community Involvement and Service Learning Office offers two different training sessions. To learn more about the activities and outcomes of these trainings, read the complete story.
Under the direction of Andrew Furco, the AVP for public engagement, a few changes have been made to allow the Outstanding Community Service Award to better serve its purpose: to highlight and reward those who go above and beyond in the name of public engagement. See UMNnews, Feb. 27, 2008, for the complete story.
Dr. Andrew Furco brings national and international experience to his new position as Associate Vice President for Public Engagement. For more information about Dr. Furco's work and his vision for public engagement at the University, see UMNnews, Jan. 30, 2008, for the complete story.
Part of the larger Student Engagement Initiative, the Student Engagement Planner will serve as a one-stop online place for students to explore student engagement opportunities on and off campus, allowing them to take more control of their learning. For more information and a student's perspective, read the complete story.
UMD psychology professor Brenda Butterfield felt she was not reaching the students in her developmental psychology class. By partnering with five local community agencies, Butterfield was able to create a service learning component and benefit the larger Duluth community as well as her students. See UMNnews, Dec. 5, 2007, for the complete story.
The Office for Public Engagement's Seed Grant program provides grants for members of the University community working on engaged projects and initiatives. To read more about the new focus in this Seed Grant cycle and learn about two of last year's funded projects, see UMNnews, Nov. 7, 2007, for the complete story.
Horticultural Science faculty member James Luby is just one of many U researchers on the forefront of cold-hardy wine grape development. Combining their developments with community engagement, these researchers have had lasting effects on the growing Minnesota wine industry. See UMNnews, Oct. 24, 2007, for the complete story.
Minnesota Studies in International Development (MSID) is a study abroad program unique to the University of Minnesota, integrating a grassroots internship into students' experience abroad. To learn more about MSID's opportunities and benefits, click here for the complete story.
The University's Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA) have participated in recent discussion to identify institutional barriers to community based research. Both offices are engaged in creating innovative solutions to these barriers, working to facilitate this type of public engagement across the University. See UMNnews, Sept. 19, 2007, for the complete story.
Joel Hetler, the new director of the Center for Excellence in Children's Mental Health, hopes to bridge the gap between research and practice in children's mental health through public engagement. After almost two decades as Ramsey County's Children's Mental Health Manager, Hetler brings a community perspective and a fresh vision for the future of children's mental health at the U of M. See UMNnews, Sept. 5, 2007, for the complete story.
American Indian Studies junior Amber Ruel has been nominated as the state finalist for the national Campus Compact's Frank Newman Leadership Award. Her dedication to the preservation of the Ojibwe language lead her to engage with the local American Indian community, both inside and outside of the University. See UMNnews, May 30, 2007, for the complete story.
A common perception of student athletes is a negative perception, fueled by news media and other vehicles. Here at the U of M, student athletes participate in the CHAMPS/Life Skills program, which focuses on the development of student athletes in areas such as a commitment to service. Click here for the complete story.
Carrie Fathman, graduate student in the Landscape Architecture M.A. program, finds integrating public engagement into her studies to be a very rewarding experience. Through Kristine Miller's service learning class, Fathman has worked with Juxtaposition Arts, a local youth arts organization, with a focus on urban design. To learn more about how graduate students can engage with the public, read the complete story.
Brenda Reeves and four other U of M staff and faculty members were recognized April 11 as winners of the Outstanding Community Service Award. All of them are dedicated to integrating engagement with the public into their work and their lives. See Public Engagement Spotlight, UMNnews, April 25, 2007, for the complete story.
Elder Atum Azzahir, executive director of the Powderhorn Phillips Cultural Wellness Center in south Minneapolis, will speak about the importance of community knowledge to the University and society at the U of M's first annual Public Engagement Day on April 11, 2007. See Public Engagement Spotlight, UMNnews, April 4, 2007, for the complete story.
Marti Erickson, U child development expert, kicked off the four-part 2006-07 Lessons From the Field series on attachment theory, sponsored by the University's Center of Excellence in Children's Mental Health. Using advances technology, Lessons from the Field strives to engage the Metro and greater Minnesota in issues concerning children's mental health. See Public Engagement Spotlight, UMNnews, March 28, 2007, for the complete story.
Lisa Loegering, assistant director of Service Learning Office at U of MN Crookston, is dedicated to providing undergraduate mentors for the children of Crookston. Their program, UMC Mentoring and Caring, has been engaging with Crookston's youth for the past three years. See Public Engagement Spotlight, UMNnews, March 7, 2007, for the complete story. 
The Weisman Art Museum's Public Engagement through the Arts: U Students as Teachers program aids students in applying classroom knowledge to the real world. To learn more about how undergraduates are currently interacting with the Weisman's Bob Dylan’s American Journey, 1956-1966 exhibit, read the complete story. 
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation is funding 13 projects that seek long-term solutions to health issues for children across Minnesota. Four of those projects are engaging University faculty members in communities from Minneapolis to the Red River Valley. See Public Engagement Spotlight, UMNnews, February 21, 2007, for the complete story. 
When the old classification system for colleges and universities was overhauled in 2005, planning began for the first elective classification--community engagement. Last month, the University of Minnesota's Twin Cities (UMTC) campus was identified as one of 76 institutions in the new classification's inaugural class. See Public Engagement Spotlight, UMNnews, January 31, 2007, for the complete story.
Marketing professor John Kratz worked with the UMD Office of Civic Engagement to identify community clients when he implemented a competitive format in his class. See Public Engagement Spotlight, UMNnews, January 17, 2007, for the complete story.
The Community Engagement Scholars Program (CESP) integrates civic engagement into student culture. And new skills and practical knowledge are not the only benefits of the experience...you can even have your community work noted on your academic transcript! Read the complete story.
Mark Umbreit, a professor in the School of Social Work, is the founding director of the Center for Restorative Justice and Peacemaking, established at the University of Minnesota in 1994. The center, the first of its kind in the country, strives to serve as a resource, both nationally and internationally, for restorative dialogue practice, research and training. See Public Engagement Spotlight, UMNnews, December 13, 2006, for the complete story.
Are you a student interested in furthering your academic studies through research, but don’t know how to get involved? As an undergraduate at the University of Minnesota, one of the nation’s most acclaimed research universities, there are numerous opportunities for students to become engaged in research. One way to get involved is the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP). Read the complete story.
"The Center for Small Towns started with a dream..the dream of U of M Morris' former chancellor David C. Johnson," says Tom McRoberts, director of the Center for the past two years. Johnson shared his dream with Craig Swan, the vice provost for Undergraduate Education on the Twin Cities campus, and Roger McCannon, who became the initial director of the center. Together they worked to make the dream a reality, and today the Center has a commitment to serving communities across the state. See Public Engagement Spotlight, UMNnews, November 29, 2006, for the complete story.
Sauman Chu (College of Design) has co-authored an article entitled "A Case Study: Creating and Designing a Bilingual Resource Web Site for Somali Immigrants," about a project funded by a public engagement seed grant.
The Student Committee on Public Engagement (SCOPE) is a student group committed to supporting public engagement inside and outside the U of M community. SCOPE started in Fall 2005, and since then it has taken numerous steps to bring a sense of community back to the U and to foster the growth of public engagement in students, faculty, and staff. Read the complete story.
Minnesota's DWI legal process, including blood-alcohol testing results and vehicle plate impoundment, has undergone a number of changes thanks to Law School professor Steve Simon. He founded the Minnesota Criminal Justice System DWI Task Force, made up of criminal justice system professionals and traffic safety advocates. Read the entire story on the UMNnews web site. See Public Engagement Spotlight, UMNnews, November 8, 2006, for the complete story. 
Associate Professor Bernadette Longo, along with community activist Angela Dawson, established the Northside Food Project as a first step to address food security issues in north Minneapolis. Food security means ensuring ready access to enough food--and a high enough quality of food--for an active, healthy life. See Public Engagement Spotlight, UMNnews, October 25, 2006, for the complete story. 
The Scribes for Human Rights Program was born when UMTC College of Liberal Arts faculty members Barbara Frey, Human Rights Program, and Patricia Hampl, Creative Writing Program, formed a partnership of high-stakes subject matter and fine writers in training. The program's first scribe, Laura Flynn, traveled four states to document the stories of immigrants detained in Midwest jails. See Public Engagement Spotlight, UMNnews, October 11, 2006, for the complete story. 
Ernest C. Davenport, Jr., an associate professor of educational psychology in the College of Education and Human Development, leads an ACT/SAT review course program designed to help students of color bridge the achievement gap. See Public Engagement Spotlight, UMNnews, September 27, 2006, for the complete story.