Community Affairs Newsletter | Winter 2024 – Community Affairs

Winter 2024 newsletter

New Civic Learning Lab Opens in Crossroads

The new Civic Learning Lab (CLL) inside the Crossroads Civic Engagement Center expands opportunities for UA students to engage in civic learning.

Crossroads hosted a reception on Oct. 20 to celebrate the Lab’s official opening.

Dr. Jackson Harris, director of Community and Civic Engagement, is the director of CLL and assists students in the Lab with their research and projects. “The launch of this Lab serves as further evidence of this university’s continued commitment to fostering individual and civic responsibility as it promises in the Capstone Creed,” Harris said.

The CLL at UA Crossroads is a solution engine for educators and community leaders committed to fostering a healthy democratic society. The Lab is a collaborative, project-based learning environment where team members develop both theoretical knowledge and practical skills in the field of civic learning and democratic engagement, as Emily Adcock, a sophomore and the Lab’s content and strategy consultant, highlighted.

“Dr. Harris and I spent extensive time discussing his vision for the Lab’s culture, activities, and deliverables,” Adcock said. “Based on the conversations we had, I created procedural guides covering everything from how full team meetings will run to application advice for receiving course credit for internships.”

For undergraduate interns, the CLL gives students the freedom to expand their interest in civic engagement through practical learning.

“For me, the CLL has supported me by allowing me to expand my interests and knowledge about civic engagement and civic learning,” said Rolland Grady, a junior and undergraduate intern at Crossroads. “Through my role as a Vote Everywhere ambassador, I am able to learn about civic engagement in regard to voting. The Lab has allowed me to explore other areas of civic learning, such as learning about important civic leaders, such as Rep. Carl Elliott.”

“I’ve learned that every project we do goes out and reaches people and members of the community,” added Sam Miller, a freshman and undergraduate intern at Crossroads.

Shelton State and UA’s HomeFirst Team Up for Personal Finance 101

On September 14, students at Shelton State Community College benefited from a basic financial planning class dubbed “Financial Planning 101,” courtesy of The University of Alabama’s (UA) HomeFirst team. This collaborative effort between UA’s HomeFirst and Shelton State’s Collegiate 100^® yielded valuable financial education for the students.

James Renshaw, program coordinator for Programs and Partnerships for Community Engagement, delivered the Financial Planning 101 lecture to the students. Renshaw covered topics such as budgeting for success, credit reports and scores, and banking basics.

“I coordinate HomeFirst and work with several Shelton State Collegiate 100^® members as they volunteer with our program,” Renshaw said. “Shelton State‘s Collegiate 100^® created this idea of a Personal Finance 101 event and approached me to represent HomeFirst. The planning started earlier this year, and this marked the first time Shelton and Collegiate 100® jointly hosted this event.”

Collegiate 100^® is a student organization with a primary mission to facilitate one-on-one and group mentoring by 100 Black Men of America, Inc.^® Chapters to students transitioning from high school to college. Their initiatives encompass economic empowerment, leadership development, health/wellness and mentoring.

Toya Carter, media specialist and Collegiate 100^® advisor at Shelton State, emphasized, “Economic empowerment is one of Collegiate 100^®’s initiatives … we believed this event would be a valuable opportunity for students to learn different personal financial topics that are important to them.”

Carter said stronger knowledge of personal finance was one of the biggest things she wanted the students to get out of the event so they could take what they learned and apply it to their personal lives, for example by creating a budget.

“While this is the first event we hosted, we also conduct success seminars and provide a career resource department to support student achievement,” she said. She went on to share that Renshaw and Dr. Nicole Prewitt, director of Programs and Partnerships for Community Engagement, have helped tailor the program to fit into Shelton’s student dynamics and have provided suggestions on how to make the event better.

Rachel Cobia, accounting and personal finance instructor at Shelton State Community College, emphasized, “Personal finance matters to everyone, both in the present and for their future. I hope my students can get ahead by planning their future before their big life decisions are made. I sat with many of my students and I can tell they all enjoyed it. I hope it will continue.”

UA Exceeds Its 2023 United Way Campaign Goal

As the campus community prepares for the season of giving, the UA United Way Campaign leadership announced success in the 2023 campus campaign, sharing that the campus community exceeded its $400,000 goal by raising $401,643.09* to support families and individuals in need.

With Big Al leading the drum roll, Dr. Sebrena Jackson, Dr. Lewis Lee, and Carrie Turner, campaign co-chairs, along with Brie Campbell, loaned executive, revealed the total during the campaign celebration at Little Hall lawn on Thursday, Dec. 7.

“This year’s theme, ‘Supporting a Stronger World: United for Impact,’ captures the essence of the School of Social Work and our campus, as well as the importance of working together to support those in need throughout our community and the West Alabama area,” said Turner. “Thank you again for making this campaign such a success.”

The 2023 theme reflects the mission within the School of Social Work (SSW), host unit for the 2023 UA United Way campaign. Campaign leadership thanked the campus community for “supporting a stronger world” through their giving to United Way.

“United Way [of West Alabama] touches all of our lives, and fundamentally the social work profession is intrinsically aligned with these goals, mission and vision to impact lives in the community,” said Dr. Schnavia Hatcher, dean of SSW. “Individuals, both children and adults, as well as families, will be in a better position to experience enhanced living conditions because of your commitment to this campaign.”

UA President Dr. Stuart R. Bell thanked Social Work for its role in this year’s campaign and the Division of Community Affairs for its support of the campaign, also acknowledging the generosity of faculty, staff and retirees. He also thanked campaign coordinators for their leadership.

The following 11 units reached or exceeded their unit goal and were also recognized: Advancement; Community Affairs; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Graduate School; Honors College; Law School; Office of the President; School of Social Work; OTIDE; TUARA (Retirees); and University Libraries.

Jackie Wuska, CEO of United Way of West Alabama (UWWA), and Chris Gunter, 2023 UWWA campaign chair, also expressed their gratitude for the University community uniting to support individuals and families in need throughout West Alabama.

“You are the heart and soul of this campaign, and it’s such a wonderful reflection on the University and the Capstone we love so much,” Wuska said.

The campaign will continue through the end of the semester. Donations can be made through the secure online giving portal through Monday, Dec. 18. Those who prefer to give via pledge card may do so through Friday, Dec. 15. Donations of at least $60 will qualify for a donor rewards card containing offers from a variety of West Alabama businesses.

The Division of Community Affairs leads the annual UA United Way Campaign with a structure that provides opportunities for UA colleges and administrative units to host the campaign each year. The United Way of West Alabama has 30 partner agencies and plays a vital role in improving the quality of people’s lives. Partner agencies from Bibb, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Lamar, Marengo, Pickens, Sumter and Tuscaloosa counties provide a variety of education, income-related, health and emergency-response programs to citizens throughout West Alabama.

*Author’s note: At the conclusion of the 2023 calendar year, the final giving total was $406,422.09.

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PELC Fosters Community of Public Engagement in Research, Service

The newly established Public Engagement Learning Community (PELC) creates space for researchers to discuss best practices for publicly engaged scholarship as part of a yearlong fellowship that began in 2022–2023.

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. Dr. Christopher Lynn, professor of anthropology, developed the idea for PELC based on a fellowship he completed as an associate professor to help mid-career professionals and graduate students leverage public engagement strategies with their research and service.

“My goal was to come back and develop some tenure and promotion guidelines that could either be used across the University or to train people on how to develop tenure and promotion guidelines in their own departments, so that they could get recognized and get credit for these publicly engaged scholarship projects,” Lynn said.

Lynn collaborated with Tierney Jenkins, director of programming for the Graduate School, and Dr. Drew Pearl, director of Community Engagement Research and Publications, forming a partnership between the Graduate School and the Division of Community Affairs to launch PELC.

“A highlight of PELC lies in our commitment to fostering interdisciplinary collaboration,” Jenkins said. “By bringing together participants from diverse disciplines, collaboration becomes integral. This approach promotes the exchange of ideas and approaches, enhancing the overall learning experience.”

PELC members typically meet monthly from 12:30–2:30 p.m. on Fridays in the Student Community Engagement Center at Capital Hall. Lynn facilitates the monthly workshops, and participants have the option to meet with the program coordinators individually after workshop sessions.

“It was a great opportunity to break out of our disciplinary silos and discuss various research methodologies and dissemination strategies with other researchers,” said Dr. Maura Mills, associate professor in the Department of Management.

“Through the PELC program, I was able to establish genuine relationships with researchers and community leaders from various fields, all working toward a common goal of enhancing our community,” said Jessica Santos Martins Nunes, a doctoral student in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics. “I wholeheartedly encourage anyone to take part in this transformative experience.”

Application to PELC is open to all interested faculty, staff and graduate students. For more information, please contact Lynn at cdlynn@ua.edu.

From the Division of Community Affairs

BOA Talks Power of Connectivity During Fall 2023 Meeting.

The Community Affairs Board of Advisors concluded its fall 2023 meeting with a dinner and gala in the Diamonds Direct Ballroom at Regions Field in Birmingham, where members discussed new initiatives and learned the importance of connectivity from keynote speaker, Birmingham City Attorney Nicole King.

Learn more.

UA sent a large delegation to the 2023 Engagement Scholarship Consortium Conference hosted by Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. The delegation included multiple presenters and panelists, as well as representation across all pre-conference workshops and the conference planning committee.

A total of 392 high school freshmen visited campus during the four 9th-grade Vision Days sessions held throughout the fall. Fifteen high schools from 10 counties throughout Alabama attended. Six hundred forty-one seniors visited during the seven senior sessions, representing 25 high schools from 19 counties throughout Alabama.

The Council on Community-Based Partnerships held its first off-campus Council Meeting on Thursday, Nov. 2, at the New Heights Community Resource Center as part of a commitment the Council made last year to begin meeting once a semester in the community. The meeting was well-attended, with more than 40 in attendance to hear from campus and community partners about the work they are doing.

Spring calendar snapshot

January 12 Realizing the Dream Banquet

January 14 Realizing the Dream Concert

January 18 Parent Teacher Leadership Academy

January 19 Community-Engaged Learning Fellows

January 23, 24, 30, 31 Vision Days

January 23 Tuscaloosa’s Many Voices Summit

January 23 SCOPE Leadership Academy

January 30 Global Café

February 3 STEM Showcase

February 7, 15, 22 Vision Days

February 8 Council on Community-Based Partnerships

February 13 SCOPE Leadership Academy

February 14 Spring Neighborhood Partnership Committee

February 15 Parent Teacher Leadership Academy

February 16 Community-Engaged Learning Fellows

February 20 SCOPE

February 27 Parent Teacher Leadership Academy on the Road

February 29 Parent Teacher Leadership Academy on the Road

March 1 Global Café

March 1 Emerging Community Engagement Scholars

March 1 Winning Grants & Sustaining Communities

March 5 SCOPE Leadership Academy

March 5 Parent Teacher Leadership Academy on the Road

March 6 Get Out the Vote Collaborative Meeting

March 7 Parent Teacher Leadership Academy on the Road

March 18–April 1 Realizing the Dream Essay and Art Contest Art Display

March 21 SCOPE

March 26 Global Café

March 28 Council on Community-Based Partnerships Meeting

March 28 Realizing the Dream Essay and Art Contest Winners Reception

April 5 Community-Engaged Learning Fellows

April 11 Excellence in Community Engagement Awards

April 11 Parent Teacher Leadership Academy Graduation

April 16 Global Café

April 18 You Make UA Great

April 21–23 Board of Advisors

May 8–10 New Faculty Community Engagement Tour