Community Affairs Newsletter | Summer 2023 – Community Affairs

summer 2023 newsletter

Summer Days in Tuscaloosa Honors UA’s Visiting Fulbright Scholars

Visiting Fulbright scholars engaged in research in a dozen departments across campus came together during the inaugural Summer Days in Tuscaloosa reception on June 5 at Capital Hall.

Hosted by the Division of Community Affairs’ Office of Global and Community Engagement, the reception invited this unusually large cohort of Fulbright scholars to learn about many options to enjoy Tuscaloosa during the summer months.

“I wanted to attend this event to meet other Fulbrighters ... and make new connections and relationships,” said Mennatallh Ali, a visiting Fulbright scholar from Egypt.

“I really like it [in Tuscaloosa],” added Tabarek Ghnaimawi, a visiting Fulbright scholar from Iraq. “It’s peaceful and quiet.”

Dr. Fran Oneal, director of Global and Community Engagement and former Fulbright scholar, created the event to acquaint visiting scholars with summer activities to enjoy while in Tuscaloosa since the campus calms down during the summer.

UA faculty who previously received Fulbright awards were also invited, along with many current international students, faculty and staff.

Visiting Fulbright scholars in attendance represented the following countries: Indonesia, Panama, Russia, Mali, Iraq, Madagascar, Bahrain, South Korea, Burma (Myanmar), Argentina, West Bank, Japan, Slovenia, Angola, Egypt, Spain, Ukraine and Morocco. The event was held at Capital Hall’s Global Café, which serves as a campus hub for intercultural learning and interaction.

Junior Swim Instructors Reflect on Swim to the Top

Swimming is a life-saving skill, and learning to swim is the most proactive way to prevent drowning. Once children learn to swim and develop confidence in the water, new challenges are required to ensure their swim skills do not diminish. To promote retention and provide new opportunities for competent swimmers in the Swim to the Top program, four junior swim instructors were recruited for the first time this June.

The junior swim instructor program was created through a collaboration among the Tuscaloosa YMCA, the Center for Community-Based Partnerships’ Emerging Community Engagement Scholars Program and Tuscaloosa PARA. The four selected junior instructors were chosen based on their age (11–14 years old), years of participation in Swim to the Top, swim ability and character. The main objective for the group is to assist the lead swim instructors with demonstrations, behavior management and water safety with the 4- to 6-year-old group and the 7- to 8-year-old group.

After supporting swim lessons, the junior swim instructors completed daily reflection questions. Through their reflections, it was evident that the junior swim instructors benefited from their newfound leadership roles. One junior instructor said, “It is great to see improvement with the little kids from the start to the end of the lesson.”

Another has thought beyond the program, saying, “Some of my family doesn’t know how to swim, and it would be fun to teach them.”

Not only did the junior instructors benefit from this opportunity, but also the swim participants and lead swim instructors. A swim participant from the youngest age group (4–6 years old) shared, “It was fun having him [the junior swim instructor]. He showed me how to float.”

A lead swim instructor said, “I feel like I can focus on someone, and if someone else needs one-on-one help, I can tell them [junior swim instructors] to go help.”

Utilizing junior swim instructors in the Swim to the Top program will help explore how peer teaching impacts leadership and content knowledge in similar community-based out-of-school time programs.

All Swim to the Top participants benefited from the addition of junior swim instructors. This was evident in their swim progression and ideas about water safety and confidence. The opportunity to serve as a junior swim instructor supports retention in Swim to the Top and at the YMCA, teaches the children about future job opportunities related to teaching or lifeguarding with Tuscaloosa PARA, and provides a way for older children to support a program they have enjoyed.

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BOA Member Partners with SEA for Aviation Day

It looked like a scene out of “Top Gun” with Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone” playing in the background as STEM Entrepreneurship Academy (SEA) students donned their aviator sunglasses and posed for pictures outside the hangar of Sanders Aviation and Sanders Flight Training Center in Jasper, Alabama, during a special aviation day of camp on Wednesday, July 12.

Held annually during July, SEA is a one-week residential camp that provides rising high schooler juniors and seniors from across Alabama with opportunities to improve their knowledge and application of STEM while developing their entrepreneurship skills during hands-on workshops and hearing from experts in the field at The University of Alabama.

New this year was an aviation day partnership made possible in part by UA alumna Jessica Sanders Walker. Walker is the vice president of Sanders Aviation and Sanders Flight Training Center, and founder of the nonprofit, Operation Aviation Foundation (OAF), which encourages youth to seek education and career pathways in aviation.

While visiting campus this past spring, Walker reconnected with Dr. Samory Pruitt, vice president for Community Affairs, who invited her to join the Community Affairs Board of Advisors (BOA). As a BOA member, she participated in the 2023 New Faculty Community Engagement Tour that resulted in a partnership with Andrea Ziegler, director of Community Education, and Jake Peterson, assistant director of Community Education. As part of the partnership, 2023 SEA students were invited to participate in an aviation day during OAF’s first summer camp.

During the camp, SEA students heard from industry professionals, including Tim Crumbly, NASA technical fellow for software assurance, and Kathy Byars, Center Executive Officer at Marshall Space Flight Center. Campers were also debriefed on the science of flying and participated in a flight simulator. As a woman in STEM, Walker is passionate about making STEM careers accessible to youth in underrepresented areas.

“As soon as Kathy Byars from NASA stopped talking, I saw all these young girls from [STEM Entrepreneurship] Academy run up to her, and they were just elated speaking to her,” said Walker. “That really warmed my heart because I remember what it felt like to be a young woman on campus at The University of Alabama, and there weren’t that many women doing things in a lot of STEM positions and aviation positions as there are now, so it is always so exciting to get to see someone like Kathy Byars in the role that she’s in and all the women who presented today.”

The motto of the BOA is coming back, giving back, which inspires Walker to expand aviation outreach within her community.

“The Division of Community Affairs has just been incredible,” Walker said. “I would like to thank the staff from Community Affairs and Dr. Kathleen Cramer, who has constantly steered me back to the University. I am forever grateful to Dr. Samory Pruitt, and The University of Alabama because it is about coming back, giving back.”

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BLAST Academy Returns, Encourages K–8 Summer Learning

After the success of its launch last summer, BLAST (Building Leaders Through the Arts, STEAM and Teamwork) Academy returned to UA’s campus July 3–28, offering K–8 students and camp staff a unique summer learning experience.

“What I loved most was getting to connect with the campers,” said Meredith Taylor, one of the music education instructors for BLAST. “It always made me so happy to see them excited to come to music class. I love knowing that I made a positive impact on their lives that they’ll hopefully remember for years to come.”

BLAST Academy encourages children ages 5–14 to further their confidence and learning with a focus on arts education and literacy, physical education, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) and social-emotional learning. New to this year, the program was expanded to include 7^th- and 8th-grade students. Sessions were taught in UA classrooms, giving practical teaching and leadership experience for BLAST’s group leaders and instructors, many of whom were UA students.

“For instructors, it is a great way to get hands-on experience in classrooms, and for group leaders, it is a positive way to spend your time and do real good in the lives of students,” said Abraham Humphrey, one of the group leaders.

During STEAM sessions, campers conducted science experiments and learned about the role of mathematics in daily life.

“I enjoy science and wanted to get kids excited about it so more people would get involved as they grow up,” said Kris Kirby, a BLAST group leader. “I enjoyed the projects with the kids, helping them learn to think to get to a final product through many different routes.”

Outside the classroom, campers furthered their teamwork skills by playing team sports, such as soccer and volleyball. In the arts and music education sessions, campers learned about the art of storytelling.

“One of the biggest focuses we’ve had this summer is working on literacy,” said Zoe Griffin, one of the BLAST music education instructors. “They’ve had to practice reading, comprehending and expressing a lot of new words in one summer. The songs also have very few repeating lines, so they’ve had to test their memory a lot, too.”

BLAST concluded with a final showcase on July 28 where each age group performed the musical routine they learned during the camp.

“As someone who’s worked [BLAST] twice now and got a job before I graduated, I can personally attest to the value of the experience you receive with BLAST,” Griffin said. “It was thanks to BLAST that I learned how to be comfortable teaching before my internship, and thanks to that experience that I was able to thrive in my future teaching experiences afterwards.”

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Realizing the Dream Essay and Art Contest Recognizes Students’ Creativity.

Winners of the 2023 Realizing the Dream Essay and Art Contest were recognized for sharing their interpretations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy during a reception on March 30 at Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa.

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Board of Advisors Hears from Trustee Simon, Announces Upcoming Initiatives.

The Community Affairs Board of Advisors concluded its spring 2023 meeting in Tuscaloosa on Monday, April 3 at the Bryant Conference Center with a series of meetings followed by the keynote address from University of Alabama System Trustee Kenneth Simon.

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Parent Teacher Leadership Academy Celebrates 2023 Graduation.

The Parent Teacher Leadership Academy (PTLA) celebrated the graduation of its 2022–2023 class April 6 at the Tuscaloosa River Market. Parents and teachers from 35 schools joined the celebration.

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Engaged Scholarship Showcase Highlights Community Engagement Projects.

Students and faculty got together for the Engaged Scholarship Showcase at the Student Center Ballroom on April 20. A complement to the 2023 Annual Excellence in Community Engagement Awards Luncheon, the showcase shares community-engaged work and inspires others to develop as engaged scholars.

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Council hosts 17th Annual Excellence Awards.

The Council on Community-Based Partnerships recognized University of Alabama students, faculty and staff, as well as community partners, for their achievements in community-engaged scholarship during the 17th Annual Excellence in Community Engagement Awards on April 20 at the UA Student Center Ballroom.

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New Faculty Community Engagement Tour Inspires Community Collaborations.

The 2023 New Faculty Community Engagement Tour introduced University faculty, staff, students and community members to areas of community-engaged partnerships across various counties in the Black Belt region, Wednesday through Friday, May 10–12.

Learn more.

From the Division of Community Affairs

Join us in welcoming Tara Jimerson, who joined Community Affairs as the Administrative Assistant.

In this role, she will provide high-level and confidential administrative support; will manage our office in Rose 250; and will serve as our office liaison to other UA administrative offices, faculty, staff, students, parents, alumni, donors, community partners and key stakeholders.

Join us in welcoming Paige Rentfro, who joined the Community Affairs team as a program coordinator for Community Education.

In this role, she supports the Vision Days Program, our K–12 summer programs and other existing and emerging Community Education programs.

As students return to campus and fall courses begin, Crossroads Civic Engagement Center staff will be engaged in collaborations with several campus partners, including Housing and Residential Communities and the Women and Gender Resource Center, to include civic themes in several back-to-school programs and activities for UA students.

The ongoing “Crossroads on the Road” initiative continued with visits to the Energizers Club in Headland (Henry County), the Rotary Club in Demopolis (Marengo County), and the National Alumni Association Chapter in Barbour County.
These visits to community organizations are a chance for Crossroads Civic Engagement Center representatives to share the story of civic education and engagement efforts at UA, while also learning about the evolving civic challenges and successes across Alabama communities.

In June, Dr. Lane McLelland, executive director of Crossroads Civic Engagement Center, and Dr. Jackson Harris, director of Community and Civic Engagement, presented research at the Civic Leadership and Democratic Engagement conference in Boston.
Additionally, the summer months provided the Crossroads team an opportunity to make progress on research projects in the areas of dialogue-based learning experiences, as well as civic education theory.

Dr. Nicole Prewitt, director of Programs and Partnerships for Community Engagement, and James Renshaw, program coordinator for Programs and Partnerships for Community Engagement, presented at the annual International Town and Gown Association Conference on June 7–9 at Colorado State University.

Emerging Community Engagement Scholars

The Emerging Community Engagement Scholars (ECES) program is an intensive professional development opportunity for advanced graduate students, postdocs, or early- to mid-career faculty or staff members. In this program, participants will work throughout the academic year to develop a proposal related to a community-engaged scholarship project in which they are currently engaged, or are interested in implementing.

The 2023–2024 members of the ECES program are:

Dominic Combs, assistant professor, Department of Educational Studies in Psychology, Research Methodology, and Counseling
Tiffany Marcantonio, assistant professor, Department of Health Science
Jessica Wallace, assistant professor, Department of Health Science/Athletic Training
Kristina L. McDonald, associate professor, Department of Psychology
Leigh Ann Bray Dayton, assistant professor, Capstone College of Nursing
Janet Brown, assistant professor, Capstone College of Nursing
Carrie Henry, assistant professor, Capstone College of Nursing
Ozioma Omah, graduate student, Department of Communication Studies
Jennifer Baggett, graduate student, Department of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics
Ashley Heinrich, graduate student, Department of Human Nutrition and Hospitality Management
Venus Watson, graduate student, Department of Educational Studies in Psychology, Research Methodology, and Counseling
Austin Lee, graduate student, Department of Anthropology
Anna Thrash, graduate student, Department of Health Science

Community-Engaged Learning Fellows

The goal of the Community-Engaged Learning Fellows (CELF) program is to provide participants with a deeper understanding of the theoretical foundations and existing literature related to community-engaged learning, practical recommendations and resources for building partnerships and implementing community-engaged learning in their courses, and suggestions for centering community engagement in their professional work.

The 2023–2024 members of the CELF program are:

Serena Blount
Assistant Director of Undergraduate Studies and Senior Instructor
Department of English

Alessandro Martina
Instructor of Italian
Department of Modern Languages and Classics

Andrea L. Dobynes
Graduate Student
College of Communication and Information Sciences

Edwin Lee
Graduate Student
College of Communication and Information Sciences

Diana Quito
Graduate Student
Department of Educational Studies in Psychology, Research Methodology, and Counseling

James Renshaw
Program Coordinator for Programs and Partnerships for Community Engagement
Division of Community Affairs

Public Engagement Learning Community

The Public Engagement Learning Community is an intensive professional development opportunity for graduate students and mid-career faculty and staff members. Public engagement includes the many ways the activities and benefits of higher education and research can be shared with the public in a two-way process of interaction and listening.

The 2023–2024 members of the Public Engagement Learning Community are:

Courtney Helfrecht, assistant professor, Department of Anthropology
Jiaqi Gong, associate professor, Department of Computer Science
Christina J. Ezemenaka, assistant professor, Capstone College of Nursing
Jeremiah Carter, graduate student, Department of English
Arianna Injeian, graduate student, Department of Anthropology and Department of Health Education and Promotion
Felicia Smith, graduate student, Department of Curriculum and Instruction
Chalandra Gooden, graduate student, Department of Curriculum and Instruction
Ruchie Pathak, graduate student, Department of Geography
Kevin Shaw, graduate student, Department of Biological Sciences
Cho Rong Won, graduate student, School of Social Work
Mairin Odle, associate professor and director of graduate studies, Department of American Studies
Aidan Nettles, assistant professor, Department of Theatre and Dance
Mallory Harrison, graduate student, School of Music
Reba Williams, postdoc, College of Communication and Information Sciences
Raghu Ganugula, assistant professor, College of Community Health Sciences

We are pleased to welcome our new and returning graduate assistants back to campus!

Chloe Barnette

Christopher Brewster

Hannah Corbin

Tiffany Green

Emily Locke

Jigisha Lokhande

Ella Maggio

Preston McGee

CJ Patton

Xiangyan (Sophia) Xiong

fall calendar snapshot

August 11 HomeFirst Participant Info Session

August 16 Winning Grants and Sustaining Communities

August 18 HomeFirst Participant Info Session

August 18 Emerging Community Engagement Scholars

August 18 Public Engagement Learning Community

August 19 Greene County HomeFirst Coaches Retreat

August 21 Community-Engaged Learning Fellows

August 21 Public Engagement Learning Community

August 28 Women's Equality Day Celebration and Dialogue

August 29 Vision Days Legacy

August 30 Fall Neighborhood Partnership Committee

August 31 United Way Partner Agency Volunteer Recruitment (Get On Board Day)

September 1 HomeFirst Coaches Retreat

September 1 Public Engagement Learning Community

September 5 SCEC Leadership Academy

September 7 Vision Days Senior Session

September 8 Emerging Community Engagement Scholars

September 12 SCOPE

September 12–14 Vision Days Senior Sessions

September 14 HomeFirst Financial Wellness Event at Shelton State

September 14 Parent Teacher Leadership Academy

September 15 Community-Engaged Learning Fellows

September 19 Global Café

September 19 National Voter Registration Day

September 19 UA United Way Campus Coordinator Training

September 19–21 Vision Days Senior Sessions

September 22 Emerging Community Engagement Scholars

September 22 HomeFirst Coach Check-in

September 26 United Way Agency Tour

September 26 Vision Days Legacy

September 28 Council on Community-Based Partnerships

October 2–6 Roll the Vote and Voting Matters Week

October 3 Global Café

October 4–5 Engagement Scholarship Consortium

October 6 Public Engagement Learning Community

October 10 SCEC Leadership Academy

October 11–12 Vision Days Freshmen Sessions

October 12 UA United Way Campaign Kickoff

October 13 Emerging Community Engagement Scholars

October 13 HomeFirst Coach Check-in

October 17 SCOPE

October 17 Global Café

October 17–19 Vision Days Freshmen Sessions

October 19 Parent Teacher Leadership Academy

October 20 Community-Engaged Learning Fellows

October 22–24 Board of Advisors Fall Meeting

October 24 Vision Days Legacy

October 27 Emerging Community Engagement Scholars

November 2 Council on Community-Based Partnerships

November 2 UA United Way Campus Coordinator Check-in

November 3 Community-Engaged Learning Fellows

November 3 Public Engagement Learning Community

November 3 HomeFirst Coach Check-in

November 7 United Way Agency Tour

November 7 SCEC Leadership Academy

November 10 Emerging Community Engagement Scholars

November 14 SCOPE

November 14 Global Café

November 28 Vision Days Legacy

November 29 Winning Grants and Sustaining Communities

November 30 Parent Teacher Leadership Academy

December 7 UA United Way Campaign Celebration