Author: admin

CCBP Council Welcomes New Faces, Announces New Responsibilities

  • October 13th, 2014
  • in News

By Jessica Hancock
CCBP Graduate Assistant

Photos by Sirui Shau

Council members learned of new leaders and decentralization of the Council structure at the September meeting.
Council members learned of new leaders and decentralization of the Council structure at the September meeting.

Graduate student Anna-Margaret Yarbrough tells the Council of SCOPE's growth and research presentations at the past three Engagement Scholarship Consortium conferences.
Graduate student Anna-Margaret Yarbrough tells the Council of SCOPE’s growth and research presentations at the past three Engagement Scholarship Consortium conferences.

Major changes in the staffing and organization of the Center for Community-Based Partnerships Council were announced at the Council’s well-attended Sept. 17 meeting at the Bryant Conference Center.

Here are the changes as provided by Dr. Samory T. Pruitt, vice president for Community Affairs.

  • Dean of the Graduate School Dr. David Francko will become chair of the CCBP Council Executive Committee, a position previously held by Pruitt.
  • Retired dean of the College of Education Dr. Jim McLean will become the new executive director of CCBP.
  • The following individuals will make up the CCBP executive committee: Dean Francko, chair; Dr. Laurie Bonnici, proposal and seed funding support; Dr. Pauline Johnson, faculty teaching and research support; Dr. Angelia Paschal, academic conference and presentation support; the Rev. Tyshawn Gardner, community partnership support; and Anna-Margaret Yarbrough, student involvement and support.

McLean served as a University Research Professor for the College of Education from 1987–1995 and as assistant dean for research and service from 1990–1995. After joining the faculties at East Tennessee State University and UAB, he returned to UA and served as dean of the College of Education from 2004-2012.

Pruitt released this statement about McLean’s appointment: “I am excited to announce Dr. McLean as the new executive director of CCBP effective October 1. He has agreed to serve in this capacity on a volunteer basis and his primary responsibilities will include leading our efforts to connect our teaching, research and service through innovative programs and projects in ways that support our mission to improve the quality of life for families and communities in Alabama and beyond.”

Community Affairs staff member Carol Agomo gives a report on the latest successes of the Savings Lives project.
Community Affairs staff member Carol Agomo gives a report on the latest successes of the Savings Lives project.

Vice President for Research Dr. Carl Pinkert highlighted the opportunities that engagement research provides for faculty members. “I define engagement research as research done in response to a problem,” Pinkert said, contrasting that with research purely to add to disciplinary knowledge.

“You have heard Dean Francko say that faculty seeking tenure and/or promotion on the basis of achievements in engagement research have been successful,” Pinkert said. “As a former divisional dean, I can support that in saying that the great majority of faculty I recommend for tenure or promotion include significant accomplishments in engagement research.”

Engagement research, he said, is valuable because it enables scholars to accomplish all three UA missions — teaching, research and service — at once.

Francko, who has been a mainstay in CCBP Council activity since its creation, provided updates on behalf of Dr. Laurie Bonnici, who was unable to attend the Council meeting, and announced that Bonnici is looking for Seed Fund committee volunteers.

Johnson spoke on faculty teaching and research support. She is also looking for faculty volunteers for a variety of roles, including faculty membership and committee membership. She is seeking to establish an engaged scholars fellowship program to support graduate students, along with guidelines and outcomes expectations for faculty whose graduate students are funded.

Newly named chair of the Academic Conference and Presentation Support Committee, Dr. Angelia Paschal, is seeking additional members.
Newly named chair of the Academic Conference and Presentation Support Committee, Dr. Agnelia Paschal, is seeking additional members

Paschal, who spoke on behalf of Academic Conference and Presentation Support, is also seeking to increase committee members.

Gardner spoke on Community Partner Support from the faith-based community. He believes that churches have value to offer the university, and this partnership seeks to benefit everyone involved.

Yarbrough provided updates on Campus Connecting Communities, a peer education team that forms bridges from campus to communities with a strength based and culturally sensitive approach. This program has already trained over 600 students and will continue to have open sessions once a month in addition to trainings by request

Several other CCBP members provided updates in their specific areas, including Dr. Joyce Stallworth, who announced the addition of Hispanic and Pre-K programs to the Parent Teacher Leadership Academy.

In a staff change since the Council meeting, Dr. Pruitt announced that Dr. Heather Pleasants, who has been with CCBP since 2008, would be moving to a new position in the Office of Academic Affairs. Dr. Pleasants main responsibility at CCBP has been with the Parent Teacher Leadership Academy. In an email to the Council, Pruitt thanked Pleasants for her many years of work, which has brought widespread recognition in the area of parental support for local schools.

The next CCBP Council meeting is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 12 at the Bryant Conference Center.

Dr. Carl Pinckert, vice president for research, tells the Council of the importance of engaged scholarship in higher education today.
Dr. Carl Pinkert, vice president for research, tells the Council of the importance of engaged scholarship in higher education today.
Dr. Joyce Stallworth announced the addition of Hispanic and Pre-K programs to the Parent Teacher Leadership Academy.
Dr. Joyce Stallworth announced the addition of Hispanic and Pre-K programs to the Parent Teacher Leadership Academy.
Dr. Jim McLean, former dean of the College of Education and new CCBP executive director, addresses the Council.
Dr. Jim McLean, former dean of the College of Education and new CCBP executive director, addresses the Council.
New and old leaders of the CCBP Council, from left, Dr. Samory Pruitt, Dr. Angelia Paschal, Anna-Margaret Yarbrough, Dr. Jim McLean, Dean David Francko, Dr. Pauline Johnson, and the Rev. Tyshawn Gardner.
New and old leaders of the CCBP Council, from left, Dr. Samory Pruitt, Dr. Angelia Paschal, Anna-Margaret Yarbrough, Dr. Jim McLean, Dean David Francko, Dr. Pauline Johnson, and the Rev. Tyshawn Gardner.
New executive committee member Dr. Pauline Johnson outlines plans for increasing community engaged projects, such as the Engaged Scholars Fellowship Program, which will support three new GRAs.
New executive committee member Dr. Pauline Johnson outlines plans for increasing community engaged projects, such as the Engaged Scholars Fellowship Program, which will support three new GRAs.
The Rev. Tyshawn Gardner, pastor of the Plum Grove Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa, will chair a committee to bolster faith-based community partner organization projects.
The Rev. Tyshawn Gardner, pastor of the Plum Grove Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa, will chair a committee to bolster faith-based community partner organization projects.
Graduate Dean David Francko's report to the Council emphasized that engaged scholarship is making headway in tenure and promotion considerations.
Graduate Dean David Francko’s report to the Council emphasized that engaged scholarship is making headway in tenure and promotion considerations.

Fulbright Winners, Community Reception Showcase Refurbished CCBP Offices

  • September 10th, 2014
  • in News

By Jessica Hancock
CCBP Graduate Assistant

Dr. Samory T. Pruitt, left, and Mike Morrow discuss improvements at the CCBP office building during the Global Cafe/Fulbright reception. In the background are new photos documenting CCBP engaged scholarship projects.
Dr. Samory T. Pruitt, left, and Mike Morrow discuss improvements at the CCBP office building during the Global Cafe/Fulbright reception. In the background are new photos documenting CCBP engaged scholarship projects.

Recent Fulbright Scholarship winners shared their experiences with a new wave of Fulbright hopefuls, faculty, staff and members of the community at a presentation and reception at the Center for Community-Based Partnerships (CCBP) on August 26. The purpose of the event was to introduce the campus to the Fulbright Program and to showcase for students and community members the refurbished CCBP headquarters at 900 Anna Avenue, adjacent to the Million Dollar Band practice field.

A panel entitled “The Fulbright Scholarship: Breaking down Cultural Barriers through Language Education” was sponsored by Global Café, a CCBP initiative now in its second year.

Guests were welcomed into the comfortable CCBP lobby, with $30,000 worth of new furnishings and other improvements, including large photos on the walls depicting CCBP projects and campus landmarks. Mike Morrow, director of Support Services, said the improvements included new carpet, soft seating, dining furniture, a serving bar, a television and artwork on the walls.

“It was the vision of Dr. Samory Pruitt [vice president for Community Affairs] to give the facility the feel of a coffeehouse, and I think we’ve done a good job.” Yun Fu, a program assistant for the CCBP, feels the new look represents the CCBP, and its programs and projects. “It’s ideal for hosting Global Café events,” she said.

Dr. Beverly Hawk points to some of the photos that highlight the work of CCBP to UA student Ruth Bishop.
Dr. Beverly Hawk points to some of the photos that highlight the work of CCBP to UA student Ruth Bishop.

“With the vision of Dr. Pruitt and the hard work of others, especially Antwon Key, who helped select and prepare the photos displayed throughout the center, that we now have a completely new look for the office,” Fu said. “During the Global Café event on Aug. 26th, we had about 60 community partners and others attend and they couldn’t tell us enough about how much they loved the new look. I think it will be perfect place for the Global Café to carry out different events from time to time.”

Emma Fick, a 2013-14 English teaching assistant (ETA), led off the Fulbright panel by sharing her experiences from her time in Novi Pazar, Serbia. Fick taught English to Serbian university and high school students and worked on a side project in which she studied Orthodox art. Fick said she was enthusiastically accepted by the community, grew close to many of the students and residents, and became something of a celebrity in the small town.

“You will get very close to the students you teach,” Fick said. “It is a very meaningful experience.”

During her presentation, Fick emphasized the importance of flexibility. “No experience is what it is ‘supposed’ to be,’” she said. “It is very organic. In your application, I would stress a willingness to adjust to what a community needs.”

Emma Fick, a Fulbright grantee to Serbia, emphasizes the importance of flexibility. She told potential Fulbrighters "to adjust to what the community needs,"
Emma Fick, a Fulbright grantee to Serbia, emphasizes the importance of flexibility. She told potential Fulbrighters “to adjust to what the community needs.”

Fick was able to do just that during her time abroad. Community service is not common in Serbia, so she organized service opportunities for students to help the community while building their own resumes. She involved different town members, getting university art students to draw pictures to hang on hospital walls and recruiting children to color the drawings.

Fick also drew her own illustrations of people and happenings in Novi Pazar. These became so popular she was given her own showcase to display the art before she left. The community took great pride in her depictions of them, according to Fick.
The U.S. embassy has given Fick a grant to return to Serbia, this time to the capital Belgrade, to do more illustrations of the country.

After Fick’s presentation, two more 2013-14 Fulbright ETAs made presentations about their experience abroad. Rachel Hunkler and Carolyn Bero were friends prior to their trip and were given the opportunity to travel together to Madrid, Spain. They served as English Teaching Assistants (ETAs) in bilingual middle and high schools. They were able to participate in different activities during their free time, such as volunteering for the State Department, running a marathon and taking a cooking class.

Hunkler and Bero spoke on how they addressed American stereotypes with their students, who seemed to have gleaned their ideas of America from pop culture.
“Part of your role there is being a cultural ambassador,” Bero said. “Present yourself the way you are and be proud of that.”

Fulbrighter Rachel Hunkler greets a UA student at the Global Cafe/Fulbright reception.
Fulbrighter Rachel Hunkler greets a UA student at the Global Cafe/Fulbright reception.

Hunkler helped work in a global classroom, a model UN program for students for whom English is their second language. The students improved their English skills while learning to research, write and debate international issues.

Hunkler has been given the rare honor of a renewal Fulbright for next year. She will return to Spain to be a Fulbright mentor in global classrooms, training other ETAs.
After last year’s winners spoke, three new Fulbright winners gave some tips on applying for the scholarship and the interview process, stressing the importance of beginning the application process early. Gabrielle Taylor, Jilisa Milton and Haglaeeh Contreras also briefly spoke on their excitement about getting to travel to Germany, Indonesia and Malaysia, respectively.

“I am most excited about creating relationships with the students and the people in the community,” Milton said.


Emma Fick, flanked by fellow Fulbrighters Gabrielle Taylor and Carolyn Bero, is joined by UA student Astri Snodgrass.
Emma Fick, flanked by fellow Fulbrighters Gabrielle Taylor and Carolyn Bero, is joined by UA student Astri Snodgrass.

A reception in the CCBP’s lobby followed the panel discussion. Dr. Gary Sloan, professor emeritus of microbiology and coordinator of prestigious scholarships and awards, was one of the many UA faculty and staff in attendance. “The study abroad programs are wonderful and the students learn so much when they go abroad,” Sloan said. Studying abroad can change people, he said, by bringing them out of their shells and helping them flourish. “It is wonderful for their personal growth,” he said. “Students do so well in this program. I encourage them to seek out our advice and help.”

Several students who are currently applying for a Fulbright were in attendance to learn about the participants’ experiences and get advice on their own applications.

Astri Snodgrass is completing her master of fine arts in painting degree and is currently going through the Fulbright application process.

“Listening to what other people did for their side projects was helpful, and seeing how that changed from their application,” Snodgrass said.

The Fulbright Program is sponsored by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. It “provides funding for students, scholars, teachers, and professionals to undertake graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools,” according to fulbrightonline.org.

Campus coordinator for the Fulbright Program is Dr. Beverly Hawk, who is also program services director at CCBP. Her leadership has helped UA increase its number of recipients over the last several years to eight in 2013. The Capstone International Center is a partner in this effort.

Students interested in applying for next year are encouraged to visit international.ua.edu/fulbright and us.fulbrightonline.org.

Fulbright winner Rachel Hunkler tells the Global Cafe audience of her expereinces in Madrid, Spain.
Fulbright winner Rachel Hunkler tells the Global Cafe audience of her expereinces in Madrid, Spain.
Fulbright scholar Carolyn Bero describes her role as a "cultural ambassador" during her assignment in Madrid, Spain.
Fulbright scholar Carolyn Bero describes her role as a “cultural ambassador” during her assignment in Madrid, Spain.
Dr. Samory T. Pruitt and Dr. Tersea Wise, director of the Capstone International Center discuss their partnership in the successful Fulbright advising initiative.
Dr. Samory T. Pruitt and Dr. Teresa E. Wise, Associate Provost for International Education & Global Outreach discuss their partnership in the successful Fulbright advising initiative.

These three Fulbright grantees, from left — Gabrielle Taylor, Jilisa Milton and Haglaeeh Contreras — address the Global Cafe audience about their travels to Germany, Indonesia and Malaysia, respectively.
These three Fulbright grantees, from left — Gabrielle Taylor, Jilisa Milton and Haglaeeh Contreras — address the Global Cafe audience about their travels to Germany, Indonesia and Malaysia, respectively.
Fulbright campus adviser Dr. Beverly Hawk chats with Fulbright winner to Malaysia Haglaeeh Contreras and UA student Hailah Saeed during the Global Cafe-Fulbright reception.
Fulbright campus adviser Dr. Beverly Hawk chats with Fulbright winner to Malaysia Haglaeeh Contreras and UA student Hailah Saeed during the Global Cafe-Fulbright reception.

The Fulbright Scholarship: UA Winners to Share Overseas Experience and Application Tips; Reception to Follow

  • August 6th, 2014
  • in News

fullbright


TUSCALOOSA — Recent UA Fulbright Scholarship winners will share their overseas experiences on a panel entitled “The Fulbright Scholarship: Breaking Down Cultural Barriers Through Language Education” Tuesday, Aug. 26, beginning at 2:30 p.m., at the Center for Community-Based Partnerships (CCBP), 900 Anna Avenue, directly behind Arby’s on University Boulevard.

The Aug. 26 event will double as an open house for the Global Café, established in spring 2014 by the Division of Community Affairs as a place for campus and community to pursue projects of mutual interest with an emphasis on international programs and projects.

The Fulbright presentation will be followed by a reception and refreshments at 4 p.m. to celebrate CCBP’s International Community Engagement programs. “University students from all disciplines are invited as we welcome home Fulbright grantees who have been serving overseas this year,” said Dr. Beverly Hawk, campus coordinator for the Fulbright Program and director of program services at CCBP. “These winners will share experiences and secrets to their success.”

Anyone with an interest in the Fulbright Program and Global Café is welcome to attend as the campus hears from and honors Fulbright recipients. The Fulbright Scholarship Program is sponsored by the U.S. State Department and is the largest U.S. international exchange program.

Global Café partners include CCBP staff and students, Capstone International Center, Graduate Parent Support program, Tuscaloosa’s One Place, Shelton State Community College, Tuscaloosa City Schools, Tuscaloosa County School System, and numerous community leaders. Throughout the year, the planning and implementation of programs offers students many new paths to campus leadership.

Students considering applying for next year’s Fulbright competition can learn more from the Capstone International Center, 135 B.B. Comer Hall or by going to http://international.ua.edu/fulbright/ as well as http://us.fulbrightonline.org/ and Beverly.hawk.ua.edu. The campus deadline for application is September 8.

For more about the 2013 winners see http://uanews.ua.edu/2013/08/ua-graduates-win-fulbright-scholarships/, and for 2014 winners go to http://uanews.ua.edu/2014/06/eight-ua-graduates-receive-fulbright-awards-for-study-teaching-abroad/.

There is no charge for the event, but attendees are asked to telephone 205-348-7392 so we’ll know how many to prepare for.

Farm to Food to Table Project

Some of the 150 Tuscaloosa students in grades 6-8 learning the fundamentals of small farming and local food under Dr. Margaret Purcell.
Some of the 150 Tuscaloosa students in grades 6-8 learning the fundamentals of small farming and local food under Dr. Margaret Purcell.

Dr. Margaret Purcell, a member of the New College LifeTrack faculty, has partnered with University Place Middle School in Tuscaloosa to teach 150 students from grades 6–8 the fundamentals of small farming and local food. The students have visited Katie Farms in Coker to learn about farm operations. In spring 2014, students also participated in Purcell’s food consumer workshop and her local food economy workshop.

Next year, students will learn basic planting techniques, grow their own tomato container gardens, and establish a small above-ground garden at the school. This ongoing project will extend into spring 2015. The goals of the project are for students to become well-informed food consumers, to learn the elements of a local food economy, to witness the life cycle of a food source plants, and to experience growing a food product.

Dr. Margaret Purcell, New College
Dr. Margaret Purcell, New College

The research purpose of the project is to address the high correlation between low income and poor nutrition. Three deterrents — lack of resources, limited access to stores selling more nutritious foods, and unreliable transportation — make it nearly impossible for low-income families to get nutritious foods.

“Nutrition education can begin at a young age,” Purcell says, “and providing this education at a young age can help build adults who have healthier eating habits, according to Hatice Başkale and Zuhal Bahar in an article in Pediatric Medicine in 2011. After having been taught simple food basics such as healthy food options and portion control, the children made better food choices, including more fruits and vegetables and healthier snacks. Baskale and Bahar make it clear that providing nutritional guidance and education to school age children can help them make healthy food choices that can last a lifetime.”

This project was selected by The University of Alabama SACS Public/Community Service Compliance Certification Committee to be used in the SACS certification report affirming UA’s compliance with the SACS public service requirement. It is one of six projects selected for the report from all projects conducted at UA.

SEED FUND RECIPIENTS 2014

SCOPE fellow Adriane Sheffield, a graduate student in Educational Psychology, describes her research at the 2014 CCBP research poster display. Sheffield also was recognized as a Seed Funds recipient to conduct further research.
SCOPE fellow Adriane Sheffield, a graduate student in Educational Psychology, describes her research at the 2014 CCBP research poster display. Sheffield also was recognized as a Seed Funds recipient to conduct further research.
Dr. Laurie Bonnici, School of Library and Information Studies, described the Seed Funds Program and introduced the 2014 fund recipients at the luncheon.
Dr. Laurie Bonnici, School of Library and Information Studies, described the Seed Funds Program and introduced the 2014 fund recipients at the luncheon.

Principal Investigator: Adriane Sheffield(SCOPE Fellow),Educational Studies in Psychology, Research Methods and Counseling

Project Title: Developing S.T.A.R.S. (Strengths, Talents, and Resources in Students)

Community Partners: University Place Elementary School, University Place Middle School, Westlawn Middle School, and Stillman College

Project Summary: This project will provide additional support to two elementary schools and one middle school by providing human reso  urces and expertise to address the needs of students not meeting their potential in school, including those with mild behavioral issues that hinder them from being successful both academically and socially. The goal is to identify and focus on students’ strengths and facilitate their use of these strengths to enhance their engagement with school, set and accomplish goals, and expand their beliefs about their future. This project will also create a space for college students who have a desire to connect with students through individual and small group interactions, providing a valuable resource to the schools, while giving UA students practical, hands-on experience.

Principal Investigator: Calia A. Torres, (SCOPE Fellow), graduate student in psychology, supervised by Dr. Beverly Thorn, professor and chair

Project Title: Toward a Cultural Adaptation of Pain Management Treatments for Hispanics with Chronic Pain

Community Partners: Whatley Health Services (Maude L. Whatley Health Center)

Project Summary: Research shows Hispanics are more likely to report pain but less likely to receive appropriate pain management compared to other ethnic minorities. Hispanic patients face additional medical barriers due to language and cultural differences. The Department of Psychology, in partnership with Whatley Health Services (WHS), seeks to improve our understanding of the pain needs of Hispanic patients. WHS serves medically underserved residents with a mission of increasing the breadth of services and improving the care of chronic pain patients. In our efforts to examine cultural differences in pain management among Spanish-speaking patients, our research group has been conducting focus groups and key informative interviews to assess the pain needs and likelihood of incorporating pain management as a treatment option among this population. Our preliminary findings provide evidence to continue our collaboration with WHS and start working toward ensuring that cultural adaptations are part of the established pain management treatment of Spanish-speaking patients.

Principal Investigator: Dr. Michele Montgomery and Dr. Paige Johnson, Capstone College of Nursing

Project Title: Assessing Community Readiness for and Attitudes to Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in Pickens County

Community Partners: Belinda Craig, Pickens County

Project Summary: Success of health promotion and disease prevention programs relies on the collaborative efforts of partner organizations, communities, and individuals. Feedback from Belinda Craig indicates there is a need for health promotion programs. However, there is limited understanding of community members’ readiness for or attitudes toward specific health promotion interventions. The purpose of this project is to determine Pickens County’s attitudes toward health promotion campaigns and stage of readiness to prevent obesity. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time this type of research has been undertaken in the Black Belt region of Alabama. The project will contribute to the scholarship of engagement in the following ways: 1) data collection for the project will provide senior UA nursing students with a service-learning opportunity designed to gain a better understanding of the importance of community engagement for health promotion; 2) data will serve as a foundation for a longitudinal program of community-based participatory research in Pickens County; and 3) results will enable the investigators to develop tailored interventions to improve the health of the community.

Research Posters at CCBP Ceremony Draw Enthusiastic Audience

  • May 1st, 2014
  • in News

By Kirsten J. Barnes
CCBP Graduate Student

Emily Broman, Honors College, describes her research,, Art to Life: Preservation of Personhood, at the CCBP 2014 Poster Presentation.
Emily Broman, Honors College, describes her research,, Art to Life: Preservation of Personhood, at the CCBP 2014 Poster Presentation.

The Fifth Annual Poster Presentation April 18 in the Bryant Conference Center, a preliminary to the Eighth Annual Center for Community-Based Partnerships Community Engagement Awards Luncheon, drew an enthusiastic and appreciative crowd.

This year’s chairperson for the Poster Presentation Committee was Dr. Angelia Paschal, associate professor in College of Human Environmental Sciences.

“This year we had 16 posters that represented various community engagement projects,” Paschal said. “We had a good distribution of faculty, staff and graduate students and each of these projects included community partners.”

Several of the students who presented posters are graduate students who also are members of SCOPE or Scholars for Community Outreach, Partnership, and Engagement, several of whom have also presented posters at recent Engagement Scholarship Consortium conferences.

Andriane Sheffield is one of those scholars and her poster, “West Side Scholars Academy: Building Rapport and Relationships with Community Members,” discusses her efforts to engage students in the program. The enrichment program already existed. However, the organizers sought assistance from UA for curriculum development and program evaluation.

“I started working with them in the fall and immediately recognized I was an outsider from their view,” Sheffield said. “The poster explains how I developed a rapport with them so we could have an effective partnership.”

Sheffield, an educational psychology doctoral student, said she had to educate herself about the participating students’ schools and communities. “I had to figure out where each student was academically,” she said so together they could focus the goals of the program, which originally had been very broad.

Graduate student Antonio Gardner explains the Division of Community Affairs' Saving Lives program. Gardner and Carol Agomo prepared the poster.
Graduate student Antonio Gardner explains the Division of Community Affairs’ Saving Lives program. Gardner and Carol Agomo prepared the poster.

Although this scholarly endeavor is completely separate from her doctoral research, Sheffield said the experience has helped her develop research questions for her dissertation.

Coddy Carter, also an educational psychology doctoral student, created a poster about research he conducted with Dr. Sara McDaniel from the College of Education, on TEAMS+ (Tuscaloosa Encouraging Adolescents through Mentoring and Support).

The project works with students who are transitioning from detention facilities and returning to school. “My role was to make sure they were setting goals for the day and to see if they needed extra help with their academics,” Carter said. “The goal was to get everybody an individualized education plan to deal with their at-risk factors, which included mental health and academic issues.”

McDaniel received a CCBP Seed Grant for this project, and the poster shows how the funds were utilized.

Carter’s research shows that students coming out of detention struggle to become integrated back into their school. “So either they don’t go back to school at all, or they have a hard time succeeding when they do go back when they don’t have extra supports in place. This is kind of a new model to try to help them,” he said.

McDaniel partnered with Tuscaloosa One Place, which already was providing case management and electronic monitoring for the students involved with TEAMS+. “We added the educational advocacy and mentoring component,” she said. “We are very appreciative of the seed fund grant that funded this project.”

Social work doctoral student Fan Yang, presented her “Heart Touch” program, which also received seed funding from CCBP. “Heart Touch is a cultural enrichment program,” Yang said. “We go to three elementary schools and collaborate with Tuscaloosa’s One place. We do fieldtrips and letter writing exchanges with students in China.”

The 16 posters reveal a great variety, Paschal said, including health, leadership, educational, advocacy and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). “We are really pleased to see the former seed funded projects present posters. We definitely applaud the presenters for their work in community engagement.”

Keynote Address at the Eighth Annual CCBP Excellence in Engagement Awards Program

Dr. Katy Campbell
Dean of the Faculty of Extension
University of Alberta — Canada

Dr. Katy Campbell, dean of the Faculty of Extension at the University of Alberta, Canada, addresses attendees as the keynote speaker for the eighth annual CCBP Excellence in Engagement Awards Luncheon.
Dr. Katy Campbell, dean of the Faculty of Extension at the University of Alberta, Canada, addresses attendees as the keynote speaker for the eighth annual CCBP Excellence in Engagement Awards Luncheon.

Congratulations to this gathering (and celebration) of engaged scholars! My colleague Professor Lois Gander and I are very honored to be part of this event and intend to liberate the idea for the University of Alberta. Just before we came, we got an apologetic email about the cold weather — only 20 degrees with the possibility of rain. We left snow flurries, wind, and a pretty bleak landscape in Edmonton. In fact, it is too early to swap out my winter wardrobe for my summer wardrobe — and we’re talking six full wardrobe boxes kept in a storage container — so it wasn’t that easy to pack for two days in Alabama.

Dr. Pruitt invited us to talk about engaged scholarship in Canada. In our university, the University of Alberta, we have devoted almost eight years defining Canadian engaged scholarship, although our own faculty, the Faculty of Extension, has been doing it for over 100 years. In Canada, much of what we now characterize as engaged scholarship, or even engagement scholarship, is supported by or contained in units of continuing education.

In 1908, a young professor of mathematics from McGill University in Montreal was invited to the Wild West of Alberta to create a research university. As it turns out the professor, Henry Marshall Tory, was also a Methodist minister. For him, access to higher education was a matter of social justice. Access not just for the sons of the wealthy, or the political elite, but “for the whole people.” Tory said, “The modern state university is a people’s institution. The people demand that knowledge shall not be the concern of scholars alone. The uplifting of the whole people shall be its final goal.”

He didn’t say “the university alone shall be for the uplifting of the whole people,” or “the University of Alberta will produce knowledge that we will then share with the whole people”; he very specifically said that knowledge is produced not only in the laboratories and hallways of the university, and its purpose shall be for the “uplifting of the whole people.” And four years later, in 1912, he created us, the Department of Extension, to exemplify this conviction and promise.

Canada, just like the United States, cannot be neatly described as one culture. All of the New World is a fabulous, complex, multi-layered composition of innumerable cultures and histories. So, while in Western Canada many departments like ours were created in a sort of homage to the American land-grant university or, in our case, the Wisconsin model, community-engaged scholarship across Canada blossomed in many different models that were, and are, socially, culturally, politically, economically, and historically situated. In maritime Canada, for example, engaged scholarship flourished though the Antigonish Movement, based on the conviction universities had to go to the people, and not the other way around. It worked through study circles in which people in exploited communities of fishing, farming, and other small industries of the region critically examined their problems and sought collective solutions, and on the traditions of economic cooperation. However, the Movement did more than start study clubs and distribute information about how to start and manage co-ops. The most difficult task was to peacefully resolve local conflicts and to persuade people about the benefits of working together towards a common goal, breaking old patterns of passivity and dependence.

Dr. Samory Pruitt presents the Distinguished Special Achievement in Engagement award to keynote speaker Dr. Katy Campbell of the University of Alberta – Canada.
Dr. Samory Pruitt presents the Distinguished Special Achievement in Engagement award to keynote speaker Dr. Katy Campbell of the University of Alberta – Canada.

In northern Canada, I am very ashamed to admit, engagement has for the most part resembled colonialism. What characterized us, though, for many decades, was a belief in, and passion for, the idea of accessible learning for social action and community capacity-building. For example, my colleague Lois, has devoted her life to the development of the globally unique domain of public legal education, including access to information, and recently, concern for tenant rights and representation that is affordable.

In 1912 President Tory charged his newly graduated student E.F. Ottewell, to “take the university to the people.” This began with English professors taking a horse and buggy, then a Model T Ford, out on muddy lanes into rural Alberta to give lectures on Shakespeare. Over time, outreach was accomplished through provincial radio, bookmobiles, a traveling film library, holding a summer Mud Camp (the beginning of the oil sands), creating a summer arts school in the Rocky Mountains, using the telephone, the television, then the Internet. Sponsoring arts councils and adult education coalitions, creating and locating websites in grocery stores for abused women to find out about their legal rights.

But then the ’70s and ’80s changed the game for all of us and we became increasingly pressured to generate revenue for the university — revenue-generation became a goal, rather than an outcome or a tool, and that brings me to the current age where, if we are not seen to be doing what leads directly to employability, we are wasting taxpayers’ money. In Canada, as in the rest of the Western world, the public is demanding evidence that a university education is worth the investment; in particular that university administrations reallocate resources from education, liberal arts, and the humanities to engineering and technology, especially in resource-rich Alberta.

Okay, what’s the Canadian landscape? This is the project we set out on around 2006, when many factors encouraged us to define, as precisely as possible, what our intellectual domain was and why we were an academic unit and not just a revenue generator. I did my annual Dean-ly walkabouts and we all brought our communities to the table and we consulted our constituencies and our stakeholders, and we had a failed Dean, an External unit review, fought off a lot of predatory Deans, and re-imagined ourselves, from outreach to … engagement. And then we had it! Working with adult learners, or marginalized learners, and offering credentials on weekends, and recovering our costs: These were things we did in the service of learning as a public good, or learning as social action, or learning as capacity-building. And we started studying how that looked around the world, and Canadian ways to practice and understand and talk about it, and value and encourage it. We rethought faculty tenure and promotion. We encouraged subversion in many other shocking ways. And we believe that the more we include our colleagues in the traditional disciplines and community sectors, the more relaxed we will all be about the moral obligations of higher education to the public. And, very fortunately, we have a provost who is a fierce champion and advocate and has carved out and protected space for us to grow this domain.

So, where are we going in Canada? Culturally speaking, or perhaps politically, we tend to be identified with social democracy — so historically we put less emphasis on the individual than the collective, whereas Australia might put relatively more emphasis on industry partnerships, and the UK might put the emphasis elsewhere. As a country, we are defined by great, unpopulated spaces and related challenges, two of which are climate and access to natural resources. Like Australia, we have had to address inequitable physical access to education and have therefore a rich research history related to learning at a distance. We are a plural society, with nations within nations. While community-engaged, or service-learning might look the same across cultures, it is in fact driven by different understandings of power, who has it, who should have it, and for whom it should be used.

Taireez Niswander, a native of Canada, introduces keynote speaker Dr. Katy Campbell of the University of Alberta – Canada.
Taireez Niswander, a native of Canada, introduces keynote speaker Dr. Katy Campbell of the University of Alberta – Canada.

Finally, how are we trying to disrupt the culture of the traditional, inward-looking, globally ranked research university? Let me tell two very quick stories. We are just undertaking a presidential search. The chair of the Board of Governors came to a Council of the Deans on Wednesday. He was distressed that the external search consultants had come back from a conversation with the deans over breakfast, scratching their heads. Apparently, they were uninspired and downright confused. They said that while the university aspired to be among the great publicly funded research intensive universities, among the top 100 in the world etc., the deans did not seem universally seized of this vision. So we went around the table — were we in or out, faculty by faculty? When it got to me, I said, “You know, we get that and we’re a team player, but we want to know why. Why should we aspire to be in the Top 100? Who does this help? Lots of eye-rolling, which I’m used to, frankly.

Second, when I am challenged to rationalize why we have tenure-track faculty paid to just sit around and think about communities, and talk about a discipline that everyone (i.e. scientists) think is flaky, not only can I point to how we exemplify the kind of transdisciplinary, multisectoral work essential to the global challenges of health, poverty, food security, peace, and environmental degradation, but I can also point to the absolutely passionately networked tsunami of change agents like you, around the world, who are leveraging university community engagement to disrupt a culture of helplessness and despair that things will never change.

So, thank you again for welcoming us to this fabulous, connected university. We are learning so much!

CCBP Recognizes Top Engagement Scholars, Awards Seed Funds

  • May 1st, 2014
  • in News

By Kirsten J. Barnes
CCBP Graduate Assistant

Part of the large crowd that attended the eighth annual CCBP Community Engagement Awards Luncheon April 18, 2014.
Part of the large crowd that attended the eighth annual CCBP Community Engagement Awards Luncheon April 18, 2014.

The University of Alabama’s efforts to engage communities and change lives, the motto of the Center for Community-Based Partnerships, was evident during the Eighth Annual CCBP Community Engagement Awards Luncheon held April 18 at the Bryant Conference Center.

“We all know that to change the world you have to start the change in your part of the world,” said Dr. Samory Pruitt, vice president for the Division of Community Affairs. “I think what we’ve seen in the projects that have been recognized today are efforts to change our part of the world. I want to congratulate all of the people who received awards, all of those who presented posters and all of those who have received seed funds. You are indeed engaging communities and changing lives.”

Dr. George Daniels of the College of Communication and Information Sciences praised the work of two important community engagement organizagions, the CCBP Council and SCOPE.
Dr. George Daniels of the College of Communication and Information Sciences praised the work of two important community engagement organizagions, the CCBP Council and SCOPE.

The annual luncheon is a celebration of engagement scholarship, which involves public universities providing educational support to community organizations and municipalities as a means to create sustainable solutions to real community problems in partnership with the communities, which play significant roles in the collaboration.

Before lunch, researchers who will receive seed funds for their projects for the upcoming fiscal year were announced. Three awards were presented. The first was to Adriane Sheffield, an educational psychology doctoral student. Sheffield partnered with University Place Elementary School to create a program called “Developing S.T.A.R.S.: Strength, Talents, and Resources in Students.”

Another doctoral student, Calia Torres, in clinical health psychology, was awarded funds for “A Cultural Adaptation of Pain Management Treatment for Hispanics with Chronic Pain.” Torres partnered with Whatley Health Services to help their workers gain a greater understanding of the pain needs of Hispanic patients.

The last award was presented to Drs. Michelle Montgomery and Paige Johnson, both assistant professors in the Capstone School of Nursing. The two partnered with Belinda Craig in Pickens County to create “Assessing Community Readiness for and Attitudes to Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in Pickens County,” which focuses on obesity.

For the eighth year in a row, Dr. Edward Mullins served as emcee for the CCBP Awards Program on April 18, 2014 at the Bryant Conference Center.
For the eighth year in a row, Dr. Edward Mullins served as emcee for the CCBP Awards Program on April 18, 2014 at the Bryant Conference Center.

This year’s Seed Fund Committee Chair was Dr. Laurie Bonnici, an associate professor in the School of Library & Information Studies, who knows first-hand the power of a seed fund. “Dr. Bonicci is the poster child for this program,” said Dr. Ed Mullins, emcee of the awards program. Mullins is a retired dean of the School of Communication and Information Sciences and currently CCBP’s director of research and communication. “A few years ago we gave her a few bucks – and I mean a very small number of dollars – and she turned them into almost nine hundred thousand dollars.

Bonicci received her award five years ago, after reading about the Seed Funds Program in a university announcement. She applied for the initial grant to fund a program targeting senior citizens for computer literacy training.

“Let’s face it, at 40 it all starts going downhill,” said Bonnici who took her $5,000 and evaluated the disconnection between seniors and technology. “My students went out into the community and taught seniors computing. This allowed them to stay connected with their children and grandchildren.”

Bonicci took her data and turned it into a proposal for a larger project and her efforts were rewarded with the 2014 Association of Library and Information Science Education Research Grant.

Dr. Samory T. Pruitt closed out the ceremony by congratulating the award winners, seed fund recipients and poster presenters and thanking Dr. Katy Campbell, the keynote speaker.
Dr. Samory T. Pruitt closed out the ceremony by congratulating the award winners, seed fund recipients and poster presenters and thanking Dr. Katy Campbell, the keynote speaker.

“We would not have been able to do that had it not been for the seed funds,” Bonicci said, adding that several of her former students have since graduated and begun similar projects in their individual communities, all of which proves that “My university believes in me and is investing in me.”

In addition to the award presentations, one of the highlights of the event is a keynote speech from an expert on engagement scholarship. This year was no exception, featuring Dr. Katy Campbell, dean of the University of Alberta Faculty of Extension, where the 2014 Engagement Scholarship Consortium Conference will be held.

“Much of what we characterize as engaged scholarship is really supported by units or department or faculty or continuing education,” Campbell said, explaining how her university operates.

However, unlike many American universities, the first president of the University of Alberta, Henry Marshal Tory, redefined the purpose of his public university in 1912. “Tory was a passionate Methodist minister, and for him access to higher education was a matter of social justice,” Campbell said. “Access not just for the sons of the wealthy or the political elite, but for the whole people. He said the modern state university is a people’s institution. The people demand that knowledge shall not be a concern of the scholars alone, but the uplifting of the people shall be its final goal.”

Dr. Jeffrey Parker, Department of Psychology, served as chair of the awards nominating committee.
Dr. Jeffrey Parker, Department of Psychology, served as chair of the awards nominating committee.

Campbell said that at Alberta the faculty has always been charged with “creating knowledge for the people to help the people” and has operated under the premise that educators should go to the people with information instead of waiting for the people to come to the university for knowledge.

She said proof of the value of the movement started by Tory can be seen throughout the province, because the university’s knowledge has been used to solve problems in exploited fishing and farming communities and in many other ways.

In Alberta, Campbell said engagement scholarship does more than share information and teach people to start and manage crops; it is the engine of a social movement.

“The most difficult task (the first educators) found was to peacefully resolve local conflict and to persuade people about the benefits of working together toward a common goal, breaking with the old patterns of passivity and independence,” Campbell said.

This is why she knows that engagement scholarship can change lives in other areas of academia. For instance, in Alberta, the university is now developing programs in legal aid and other areas. “People need access to what their rights are, and what the next steps are in the process,” Campbell said challenging the audience to take on all types of problems throughout the community.

This year UA recognized students, faculty and staff members who have developed engaged scholarship projects that encompass education, healthcare, economics, science and culture.

“Much of the success of this annual program and CCBP in general can be credited to Community Affairs Vice President Dr. Samory T. Pruitt,” Mullins said after the program. “Dr. Pruitt has been vice president now for 10 years. He also holds the position of vice president of the Board of Directors of the Engagement Scholarship Consortium and will assume the role of president in 2016. That is a special honor because Dr. Pruitt will succeed the legendary Hi Fitzgerald of Michigan State, the only president the organization has ever had. Of the many distinguished community-engagement leaders who could have been selected, the board chose our Dr. Pruitt.”

Dr. Angelia Paschal of the Department of Health Science chaired this year's research poster competition.
Dr. Angelia Paschal of the Department of Health Science chaired this year’s research poster competition.
From left, Christopher Spencer, Tommie Syx, Antonio Gardner and Carol Agomo talk with guests at the CCBP Awards program.
From left, Christopher Spencer, Tommie Syx, Antonio Gardner and Carol Agomo talk with guests at the CCBP Awards program.

CCBP Students Recognized at Student Employee Event

  • April 25th, 2014
  • in News

By Sirui Shao
CCBP Student Assistant

From left: Ashley Loftis, Tera Johnson, Antwon Key and Adam Bonertz nominees for the Outstanding Student of the Year Award from CCBP.
From left: Ashley Loftis, Tera Johnson, Antwon Key and Adam Bonertz nominees for the Outstanding Student of the Year Award from CCBP.

Four of the Center for Community-Based Partnerships’ most outstanding student employees were among 54 students recognized on April 15 at the Student Employee of the Year awards luncheon at the North Zone in Bryant-Denny Stadium.

The awards recognize students who best represent the contributions and achievements of students who performing services with enthusiasm and dedication while balancing work with academics.

CCBP’s student employees recognized were Adam Bonertz, a freshman majoring in nursing from Fort Collins, Colo.; Ashley Loftis, a freshman in psychology from Marion, N.C.; Tera Johnson, a freshman in biology from Waynesboro, Miss.; and Antwon Key, a senior in advertising from Birmingham.

“Once again CCBP was well represented in this important event,” said Dr. Edward Mullins, one of the CCBP directors. “These four students play key roles in CCBP’s many successful projects. Congratulations to them.”

Each year UA employs over 4,000 students, offering students quality employment and professional development experience while providing faculty and staff with needed assistance in numerous areas, including office and administrative support, customer service, sales and marketing, hospitality, program and event planning, library support, research, web design, technical support and more.

The overall winner was Tyler Williams in the Department of Health Promotion & Wellness.