T.H.E. Forum 2003: Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

1. T.H.E. Forum 2003: Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant Old Dogs, New Tricks: Reflections on the Land-Grant University, a Flagship Agenda, and Vision 2020 Cecile Guin, Ph.D., LCSW, LSU School of Social Work, OSSRD Barrett Kennedy, Ph.D., Assoc. Dean, LSU College of Art & Design Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

2. The Land-Grant University The federal Land-Grant Act of 1862 marked the beginning of one of the most comprehensive and far-reaching provisions for the endowment of higher education ever devised and adopted. It enabled higher education in this great nation to evolve from being a privilege of a minority to a right of the masses. The "land-grant" institutions quickly came to be recognized as "the people's colleges." (Campbell, J., Reclaiming a Lost Heritage: Land-Grant and Other Higher Education Initiatives for the Twenty-first Century, 1995) Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

3. 1862 Morrill Act The historic Morrill Act of 1862 had one overriding purpose, and that was to directly serve the people's fundamental needs... …in effect, universities were to be chartered by the people (through their representatives) to serve the people. (http://www.adec.edu/clemson/papers/campbell-foreword.html) Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

4. Land-Grant Activities and Outcomes……fostering community through social and economic development. • Health of Communities • Welfare of Citizens • Economic Development • Technology Transfer • Preserve Integrity and Continuity of Tradition • Develop Student Leadership • Instill Civic Spirit Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

5. Contemporary Examples and Models • University of Pennsylvania Center for Community Partnerships Yale University The Dwight Center University of California, Berkeley Service-Learning Research & Development Center Michigan State University Service-Learning Center Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

6. …but where in the South? Service-Learning Centers at Research I Universities… Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

7. Louisiana Vision 2020 • Louisiana as a Learning Enterprise • Technology Fuels Economic Development • Capitalize on Natural & Cultural Heritage Values Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

8. LSU Flagship Agenda • Research to Promote Long-Term Economic Development • Attract and Support Graduate Students • Increase Quality of Undergraduate Students • Enrichment Through Diverse and Engaged Campus Life • Assess and Communicate LSU Achievements • Increase University Funding Resources Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

9. Service-Learning Is… …a credit bearing educational experience in which students participate in an organized service activity that meets identified community needs…and reflect on service activities in such as way as to gain further understanding of course content, a broader appreciation of the academic disciplines, and an enhanced sense of civic responsibility. (Service-Learning Faculty Advisory Council adapted from Bringle & Hatcher 1996) Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

10. Service-Learning Is Not… • a community volunteer service • an addendum to a course • just a “feel good” experience • an internship or practicum Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

11. Institutionalizing Service-Learning……and measuring levels of institutional commitment. • Mission • Promotion, Tenure, Hiring • Organizational Structure • Student Involvement and Curriculum • Faculty Involvement • Community Involvement • Campus Publications (Barbara Holland) Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

12. Making Progress at LSU… “LSU is on the verge of developing a truly outstanding program in the scholarship of engagement – one that would have considerable regional significance and could help raise the university’s national profile….This represents a strategic opening for LSU to position itself as the first flagship university in the Deep South to assume such an important public role.” (Edward Zlotkowski, Service-Learning Scholar) Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

13. A recent UCLA study of 250,000 college freshmen from 500 colleges and universities suggests that more students are disengaged—both academically and politically—than any previous time in the 34 year history of the survey. (Sax, Astin, et.al. The American Freshmen: National Norms for Fall 1999) Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

14. Transforming the Disengaged Academy Students are not alone in their “disengagement.” • The late Ernest Boyer said that “higher education is suffering from a loss of overall direction, a nagging feeling that it is no longer at the vital center of the nation’s work.” (Boyer, Ernest.“The Scholarship of Engagement.” The Journal of Public Service and Outreach. 1996) Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

15. The 21st Century Land-Grant University… …will provide a structured approach to community engagement that advances learning outcomes and develops leaders who practice their discipline with the highest sense of ethics and civic responsibility. Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

16. Community-University Partnerships… …the Way of the Future “It has not always been easy to define exactly what role universities should play in their local communities. What is clear, however, is that higher education has a responsibility to the outside world.” (H.Cisneros, U.S. Dept. of H.U.D. Publication-”Lasting Engagement: Building and Sustaining a Commitment to Community Outreach, Development, and Collaboration”) Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

17. LSU-OSBR CUP… …the Way of the Future The development of LSU’s partnership with the adjacent Old South Baton Rouge community has been a long and arduous process. But, more than any other, this project has crystallized LSU’s institutional commitment to service-learning. The partnership is testimony to the belief that there are few things more fitting and appropriate to the mission of the Land-Grant University than teaching the importance of community, civic engagement, and social responsibility. Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

18. Ring the Bells for Unity Local clergy, community leaders, and representatives from LSU gathered to sign declarations of commitment and celebrate the partnership between University and Community. (May 2002) Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

19. Working Effectively with Community • OSBR Community (Leo Butler Center) • Community Revitalization Committee • School Improvement Team • School Open House • Administrators, teachers, K-6 students Engaging with OSBR community partners Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

20. Learning through Service-Learning… You tell me and I forget. You teach me and I remember. You involve me and I learn. Benjamin Franklin Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

21. Average Retention for Learning Activities Service-Learning Is Learning by DOING. 5% Lecture 10% Reading 20% Audio - Visual 30% Demonstration 50% Discussion Group 75% Practice by Doing 90% Teach Others/Immediate Use of Learning (Source: National Training Laboratories, Bethel, ME)

22. Increased learning and motivation to learn Deeper understanding of subject matter Deeper understanding of complexity of social issues Increased ability to apply content to real problems Closer ties to other students and faculty Improved leadership skills Increased tolerance for diversity Increased feeling of connection to community Greater self-knowledge National Research Indicates Positive Learning Outcomes: (Eyler and Giles. Where’s the Learning in Service-Learning?, 1999) Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

23. Service-Learning cultivates a student leadership base committed to civic engagement, who graduate with an understanding of the context of social and economic development challenges, and with the knowledge and desire required to solve the systemic problems that threaten the future of Louisiana. Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

24. “Pioneers” blaze the trails and become the leaders… Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

25. Interior Design Bogalusa Main Street Project Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

26. Landscape Architecture Landscape Architecture students get feedback from community members after creating a development plan and a web site for community organizations to facilitate community development and communication. Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

27. Kinesiology Kinesiology students visit inner-city classrooms to teach children about neural function, helping schools meet state standards for instruction. English and Math English and math students tutoring in 18 area public schools. Nicholson Elementary credits math tutors for 100% of 4th graders passing LEAP exams Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

28. Engineering Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

29. Stuart Feilden, Engineering Student Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

30. Polk Elementary Playground Dedication Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

31. Faculty Leadership… • Create incentives for curriculum redesign • Provide training and models for designing learning experiences that link academic objectives with civic responsibilities • Encourage and reward faculty “risktakers” Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

32. Prof. Marybeth Lima, Biological & Agricultural Engineering Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

33. Role of the Faculty Advisory Council… Senior faculty members appointed by Provost Formulate service-learning policies and strategies Facilitate development of service-learning initiative Promote an understanding of service-learning principles, practices, and scholarship Develop mechanisms to increase service-learning course offerings Provide input on faculty interests, needs, and abilities Recommend program assessment strategies Communicate benefits of service-learning to colleagues Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

34. Administrative Commitment The Service-Learning initiative cannot be successful without substantial administrative support. • Resources, staff, space • Advocacy and support from LSU System President, Chancellor, and Provost • Departmental validation of Service-Learning approach Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

35. Progress over time… 1995-19962001-02 Faculty 4 86 Departments 3 32 Colleges 1 All Students <100 1800 Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

36. Lessons Learned and Challenges Conflicting Cultures – University vs. Community: Old Academic vs. 21st Century Educator Structure and Organization: Ensure the academic rigor, scholarship, ethical standards, and integrity of partnership Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

37. Where We Need to Go… …What We Need to Get There “We need education in the obvious more than elucidation of the obscure.” (Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.) Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

38. What will it take? • Additional staff to promote and guarantee rigorous and ethical standards • Additional space for staff and resources • Sustained funding for incentive grants, awards, and Service-Learning Fellow • Center for Community Engagement, Learning, and Leadership: a regional model to coordinate and facilitate LSU initiatives Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

39. Service-Learning: The Bottom Line When course activities are designed to engage the learner in reflection, dialogue, and other forms of critical thinkingabout the relationship between the relevant, meaningful, community-based application of knowledge, and the interpretive, theoretical template of an academic discipline, the course unleashes an enormous potential to broaden and deepen the academic, social, moral, and civic dimensions of learning outcomes. Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

40. “It seemed to me that when a person gets old and looks back over his life, what is important in it is not prestige or the amount of money in the bank, but rather whether or not he feels that his life has been useful. If he has been able to contribute, even in some small way, to making it possible for people to live lives that are more satisfying to them than they might otherwise have been, that, it seems to me, is probably the most meaningful of all life's satisfactions.” (John Hannah, President of Michigan State University, 1941–1969) Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant

41. How can I learn more? “High above the hushed crowd, Rex tried to remain focused. Still, he couldn’t shake one nagging thought… He was an old dog and this was a new trick.”(Gary Larson, “The Far Side”) LSU Service-Learning www.cas.lsu.edu Engagement+Learning+Leadership=Land-Grant