Call for Annual Awards Nominations and RFPs for Poster Presentations and Seed Funds

• February 21st, 2014
• in News

By Kirsten J. Barnes
Center for Community-Based Partnerships

The Division of Community Affairs has announced the schedule and deadlines for its annual awards program, awards nominations, seed funds proposals and poster presentation proposals.

For the eighth consecutive year, the Division of Community Affairs will host the Center for Community-Based Partnerships Excellence in Community Engagement Awards Luncheon. The date is Friday, April 18, beginning with poster presentations at 10 a.m., followed by the luncheon from 11:30 till 1 p.m.

This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. Katy Campbell, dean of the Faculty of Extension at the University of Alberta, Canada. Campbell, an active engaged scholar who is a member of the board of directors of the Engagement Scholarship Consortium, is an expert in learning and instructional design and faculty transformation.

The Faculty of Extension at the University of Alberta has a mission “to provide leadership for social and individual betterment through community-university collaborations in learning, discovery and citizenship.”

There is no charge but attendees must RSVP to community.affairs@ua.edu or call 205-348-8376 by 5 p.m., Friday, April 11.

During the luncheon awards are given for individuals who have contributed to engagement scholarship in various ways. Nominations are currently being sought for the following categories:

• Excellence in Community Engagement, Faculty or Staff
• Excellence in Community Engagement, Student
• Excellence in Community Engagement, Community Partner
• Distinguished Community-Engaged Scholar, Faculty or Staff
• Distinguished Community-Engaged Scholar, Student
• Distinguished Community-Engaged Scholar, Community Partner

To nominate an individual for an award, to propose a seed funds project, to propose a poster presentation, or to register for the luncheon, go to http://communityaffairs.ua.edu/awards/. The deadline to submit a nomination or submit a proposal is 5 p.m., Monday, March 31.

One of the highlights of the luncheon will be announcement of seed funds awarded for research projects. Applications are being sought for awards varying in amounts from $2,000 to $5,000. More than $200,000 in seed funding has been awarded since the program began in 2007, and scholars have turned those initial funds into research grants totaling nearly $3 million.

“The programs that we celebrate on April 18 are at the heart of the mission of the Division of Community Affairs,” said Dr. Samory Pruitt, Community Affairs vice president. “As we reapply for the five-year Carnegie Foundation’s Engaged Institution Classification, these initiatives will comprise a large part of our application.” UA received the Carnegie Engaged Institution recognition in 2008.

Before the luncheon, CCBP will host the fifth annual Engaged Scholarship Poster Presentation at 10 a.m. in the Bryant Conference Center Lobby, as a precursor to the luncheon at 11:30 a.m.

Poster proposals are sought that reflect outstanding community-engaged scholarship. The emphasis of the poster should be on community-university partnership and successful civic engagement practices.

If you have questions about your nomination or proposal, contact the chairs of the various selection committees: Excellence in Community Engagement, Dr. Jeffrey Parker, associate professor of psychology, j.g.parker@ua.edu; Seed Funds, Dr. Laurie Bonnici, associate professor of library and information studies, lbonnici@slis.ua.edu; and Poster Presentations, Dr. Angelia Paschal, associate professor of health science, apaschal@ches.ua.edu.

As a member of the Engagement Scholarship Consortium, the University of Alberta will host ESC’s annual convention this year. UA was host of the same conference in 2012.

“When you come to this conference you are going to meet colleagues that see university community engagements in some different ways,” Campbell said of the conference to be held Oct. 7-8, 2014. “An international conference like this enriches you beyond what you can imagine.”

She said Edmonton, Canada, is the perfect place to host an international conference of this kind.

“We have the most parkland green space per capita in North America and it runs right along the river,” Campbell said. “We also have an incredible cultural scene in Edmonton. We have every kind of music that you can imagine… We’re very strong in ethnic food; practically every ethnicity that you can imagine is represented.”

Engaged Research Featured Prominently in 2014 Issue of Research

• February 20th, 2014
• in News

Becky Robinson
CCBP Graduate Assistant

The latest issue of The University of Alabama’s Research magazine contains many examples of engaged scholarship research, including many by CCBP Council members. Research is UA’s annual summary of cutting-edge research by University personnel and students.

Dr. Laurie Bonnici, associate professor of library and information studies and chair of the Community Affairs Seed Funds Committee, and Dr. Stephanie Maatta of Wayne State University collaborated on a project that gives researchers and students the ability to experience technology from the perspective of a person with disabilities.

“Users experience first-hand the barriers modern information technology devices pose for access,” Bonnici told Research.

The project is in its third year of funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and Bonnici hoped the project would soon be available in school library media centers.

Dr. John C. Higginbotham, Dr. Kim Bissell and Felecia Jones have partnered in an attempt to reduce obesity in the Black Belt region with an $80,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health. Higginbotham and Jones are members of the CCBP Council. Bissell is associate dean for research in the College of Communication and Information Sciences. Her research includes teens and body image perception and how media portray obese children. Higginbotham, a veteran translational science researcher with emphasis on rural health issues, is associate dean for Research and Health Policy for the College of Community Health Sciences and director of the College’s Institute of Rural Health Research. Jones is executive director of the Black Belt Community Foundation,

University of Alabama physicians Dr. Daniel M. Avery Jr. and Dr. John T. McDonald Jr. are concerned about the declining number of family practitioners who offer maternity care in rural Alabama. As of 2012, they found that only about 10 percent of doctors were practicing obstetrics. “Half of the counties in the United States have no OB provider,” Avery told Research. “That leaves some ten million women in the reproductive stage with no local access to OB services.”

According to Avery, there are many reasons for the lack of obstetric care in rural areas, including OB/GYN-related law suits, the stress of adding OB/GYN to an already heavy patient load, and the financial strain on small hospitals.

But it is in the best interests for all hospitals and rural practitioners to offer OB/GYN services, Avery said, “because having family medicine physicians do obstetrics is the only answer for addressing the obstetrics need in rural Alabama.”

CCBP Reviews Carnegie Reaffirmation and SACS Renewal Steps; Sets Plans for Excellence in Engaged Scholarship Awards Program

• February 20th, 2014
• in News

By Kirsten J. Barnes
CCBP Graduate Assistant

On February 12, the Council for the Center for Community-Based Partnerships discussed several upcoming events and deadlines, including the Carnegie reclassification application and updates on the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) renewal process and 2014 Entrepreneurship Week events.

The Council also heard details of the upcoming Excellence in Engaged Scholarship Awards nominations, seed funding applications and poster presentation proposals.

The eighth annual Awards Luncheon will be held at 11:30 a.m., Friday, April 18 in Sellers Auditorium of the Bryant Conference Center, following Research Poster Presentations in the lobby that begins at 10 a.m.

The Center for Community-Based Partnerships will accept award nominations, poster presentation proposals and seed fund application until 5 p.m. Monday, March 31, 2014. The deadline to register to attend the awards luncheon is Friday, April 11. (For more details and to participate in these events, click on http://communityaffairs.ua.edu/awards/)

Dr. Jeffrey Parker, associate professor of psychology and research social scientist at the Institute for Social Science Research, is chair of the awards committee. Dr. Angela Paschal, associate professor in the College of Human Environmental Sciences, chairs the poster presentation committee. Dr. Laurie Bonnici, associate professor in the School of Library and Information Studies, serves as chair of the seed funds committee.

“Dr. Bonnici got one of our earlier seed funds awards, and has actually turned it into external funding support,” said Dr. Samory T. Pruitt, vice president of Community Affairs, about selecting her to serve as chair of the seed funds committee. “That’s really what we want.”

Pruitt said this year the committees are pressed for time because of the weather delays. “With the snow and the holidays, it’s a tight deadline,” Pruitt said. “But we’re going to do all we can to get the information out. We want award nominations; we want poster presentations; we want applications for this year’s seed funding. We can’t give it away if we don’t have any applicants.”

Dr. Katy Campbell, dean of the Faculty of Extension at the University of Alberta, Canada, will be the keynote speaker. The University of Alberta will host ESC this year in Canada. “The awards program is early, but it’s probably going to fill up quickly. If you want to make sure you have a seat at the banquet, go ahead and RSVP,” Pruitt said. Those wanting to attend should RSVP by 5 p.m. April 11 at community.affairs@ua.edu or call 205-348-8376.

During the November Council meeting, the group had discussed UA’s Carnegie reclassification application and some of last year’s recipients of the C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Award and the Most Visible Progress National Degree Completion Awards.

“In November, one of the things that we talked about was the University possibly moving forward and applying for awards in the upcoming year,” Pruitt said. “One of the awards is given to people who work in the area of economic development and innovation. So, Dr. Carl Pinkert, our new vice president of research, is chairing a team that will submit an application.”

Last year, Community Affairs submitted its Parent Leadership Academy for its Magrath application. Pruitt said the committee might resubmit the program because during the past 12 months, UA has expanded the program to include parents and teachers.

“We have more of a research framework. So, we may revisit that,” Pruitt said. “We do have a Magrath application that we will send.”

This year the PLA program has partnered with Johns Hopkins University and Pruitt believes that collaboration, as well as a new research model, will make the new application for the Magrath award stronger.

The Magrath Award is given by the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities. Last year, APLU presented a new award, the Most Visible Progress National Degree Completion Award. “It is given to institutions which have done an outstanding job of recruiting and retaining underrepresented students,” Pruitt said. The award last year went to Georgia State University in Atlanta.

Dr. Elva Bradley, director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, will put together an application for the MVP Award, Pruitt said. All of the award applications are up for discussion, he said, and he was bringing these ideas to the council so that its members could provide suggestions on programs and projects, which would make good applications.

Pruitt also gave details on Community Affairs’ application for the Carnegie classification. The reaffirmation will require updates as well as the university’s explanation of what it has done that is new and different since the first application, how it has grown, and how has the culture of engaged scholarship has grown at UA, Pruitt said.

Pruitt cited the work of Dr. Ed Mullins, director of research and communication at CCBP, and Dr. David Francko, dean of the Graduate School, that identified various engaged scholarship projects conducted by faculty at UA since 2007. Their work clearly shows an increase in these types of research initiatives.

“Sixty-one tenure team track faculty have been involved in engaged scholarship activities since 2007,” Pruitt said, quoting from the findings by Mullins and Francko. “That includes publications, presentations, grants and awards. Over that same time period six out of our thirteen deans have been actively involved in engagement scholarship.”

A preliminary survey by Mullins entitled “Engagement Scholarship at The University of Alabama: A Summary” shows that since 2007 42 UA disciplines and organizations have conducted engagement scholarship projects. In all, the survey turned up more than 150 examples of engaged scholarship. The organizations/disciplines with the largest number of projects were Community Affairs, Communication, Education, Engineering, New College, and Social Work, all with 10 or more instances of published research, conference presentations, or grants received.

Mullins said he would ask for updates of his finding soon, as some scholars did not respond to his request for their work. Pruitt asked the group to review the list and to send any additional information concerning other projects to Mullins at emullins@bama.ua.edu.

Additional presentations were heard concerning UA’s SACS reaffirmation project and the 2014 Entrepreneurship Week events. “We have a good team putting together the SACS information and we expect to have a strong reaffirmation application,” Pruitt said.

This is the eighth year that UA will celebrate Entrepreneurship Week, said Tommie Syx, who works with UA’s Alabama REAL (Real Entrepreneurship through Active Learning). This years week, will feature four events, two of which will be held at The Edge, UA’s small business incubator.

On February 25, there will be a Lunch & Learn: Crowd Funding Workshop from 12-1 p.m. at The Edge, followed by a Start-Up Talks event from 5-7 p.m. at Black Warrior Brewing. On February 26 there will be Entrepreneur Speakers from 5-6:30 p.m. at the Ferguson Center Theater. Speakers will be Michael Rosato, of Finn Apparel, Brian Adams, of BA Interests, and Edward K. Aldag Jr. of Medical Properties Trust.

In addition to these presentations, Dr. George Daniels, associate professor and assistant dean in the College of Communication and Information Sciences, reviewed progress in the Oakdale Elementary School journalism project, which led to two articles, one of them by the elementary school students, in a recent issue of the Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship. Daniels, who, with the assistance of other UA faculty and students, as well as some from Stillman College, helped the students produce the newspaper, said the paper is now self-sustaining and no longer relies on outside assistance.

Auburn University Schedules Second Annual Academy for Civic Professionalism

• January 13th, 2014
• in News

AUBURN — Auburn University’s College of Liberal Arts, in conjunction with its Community and Civic Engagements Initiative, has announced its second annual Academy for Civic Professionalism, to be held May 11–14, 2014 in the Auburn Arena, 250 Beard-Eaves Court.

This event includes workshops, sessions directed by AU engaged scholars, and site visits. Keynote speakers are Harry Boyte, senior fellow in the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota; Julie Hatcher, executive director of the Center for Service and Learning at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis; and Lorraine McIlrath, director of the Community Knowledge Institute at the National University of Ireland.

The academy is designed for academics and others in the arts, humanities and social sciences interested in civic professionalism and its incorporation into research, teaching and practice.

Among the academy’s purposes are: promoting civic professionalism; encouraging faculty to rethink teaching strategies with a focus on civic professionalism; to develop an emphasis on ethics and responsibility as they pertain to knowledge and application; to provide resources and support for engaged faculty.

Cost is $1,950 per person and includes instructional materials, on-site faculty coaching, access to planning tools and resources, a half-day site visit to a community partner, a reception to network with K-12 teachers and community leaders, and breakfast and lunch each day.

The ACA is limited to 25 participants. The deadline to apply is February 28, 2014. Submissions should include the application form, CV, statement of interest, copy of syllabus and letter of support. Submit applications to clacce@auburn.edu.

For more information, visit www.auburn.edu/cce/acp or contact Dr. Giovanna Summerfield, associate dean for Educational Affairs, at summegi@auburn.edu or 334-844-2890.

Saving Lives Banquet Welcomes New Members, Announces Further Expansion

• January 8th, 2014
• in News

By Kirsten J. Barnes
CCBP Graduate Assistant

On December 12 at the Bryant Conference Center, the University of Alabama and its community partners concluded a second successful year in the faith-based and wellness program known as Saving Lives with a banquet to honor participants and welcome new members.

Three new churches — Hightown Church of God, Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church and New Zion Missionary Baptist Church — attended the banquet. The three original churches in the program are Plum Grove Baptist, First African Baptist and College Hill Baptist. Each was well represented at the banquet.

By the end of the year, six churches will be involved in the program, according to program leaders.

“Many of us may not be disciplined enough on our own to take care of our personal health,” said Carol Agomo, Saving Lives coordinator and program coordinator in the Division of Community Affairs. “With the Saving Lives initiative we recognize that spiritual health and physical well-being are intimately connected and that each strengthens the other.”

Agomo said the roles of the churches and the advocates have evolved during the almost two years since the program began, creating a Saving Lives network.

“What a night this has been, what a year this has been,”said UA Vice President of Community Affairs Dr. Samory Pruitt. “As a group we’ve learned a lot together. We’ve learned from each other and we’ve done it together.”

Pruitt said the groups have benefited from educational discussions concerning diet, exercise, relaxation and simply how to talk with their doctor.

The celebration included songs from Plum Grove and College Hill choirs, as well as testimonies on the successes of the program from members of each church.

When individuals engage in improvement opportunities like those provided by Saving Lives, they can measurably improve their health, said Dr. Rebecca Kelly, director of UA’s Office of Health Promotion and Wellness, who has been one of the key instructors at Saving Lives workshops.

Dr. Pamela Payne-Foster, M.D., deputy director for UA’s Rural Health Institute for Clinical and Translation Science, said Saving Lives exemplifies UA’s efforts to help those in the African American community live more abundant lives. “This is a partnership that is intentional,” she said. “We intentionally chose faith-based communities within the larger Tuscaloosa African American community. We understand the importance of spirituality when we talk about health and really what spirituality means in our efforts to decrease high morbidity and address health disparities.”

Georgia White, an advocate from First African Baptist Church, said she was glad that her pastor, the Rev. Richard L. Morgan, accepted the challenge. “I just want to say that we have really learned a lot these last two years. It has been a rewarding experience for all of us. We’ve worked together and discussed what we want to do for the upcoming meetings. Everyone has just pulled together,” said White, a retired nurse.

In addition to discussions and workshops on healthy living, some of the churches have started exercise groups and even purchased equipment to be housed at the church for the use of its members.

“The Bible has so much to say about the body. We are the body of Christ. Our Lord gave his body. John admonishes us to keep healthy bodies even as our soul prospers,” said the Rev. Tyshawn Gardner, pastor of Plum Grove Baptist Church, referencing the very scripture used by the printed program for the evening — “Dear Friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” (3 John 1:2).

Gardner was one of the first pastors approached as plans were being made for the initiative. “When Dr. Pruitt called me, I was immediately on board. Not only because it is Biblical, but because it is the right thing to do,” Gardner said. “We have better informed elders now. They know what questions to ask during their monthly doctor visits. This program and initiative will not only increase vitality, energy, health and body, it also brings a sense of fellowship and wholesomeness to families striving to be obedient for our Lord.”

“I could not be more pleased with the work of the founding churches in the pilot program,” Pruitt said. “We now look forward to the new group of churches to begin participating in 2014.”

Master of ceremonies for the evening was Christopher H. Spencer, director of the Office of Community Development in the Center for Community-Based Partnerships, an initiative of the Division of Community Affairs. Spencer is also senior pastor of St. Matthew Watson Baptist Church in Boligee.

Spencer is one of the many ministers using the program to improve their own health and educating their congregations in the Saving Lives principles. Spencer has lost 25 pounds through the program and has pledged to lose 25 more this year. Others have lost even more since the program began.

“We want members to be happy physically as well as spiritually,” Spencer said. “Jesus met physical and spiritual needs, and that’s what this program does.” During each workshop, scripture is used to illustrate healthy lifestyles. “Each lesson has a spiritual background. Everything in the program is connected to scripture,” he said.

In addition to the workshops, the program requires that participants take part in health screenings and their results are tracked, showing the members how they’ve improved or failed to improve.

According to Dr. Martha Crowther, associate professor and director of clinical psychology at the University, health screenings are the first step toward a healthy lifestyle, providing a baseline for what improvements are needed.

Although the program is expanding to several new churches, pastors of the original churches will be a resource and mentors for the new churches, Spencer said.

Council Challenged to Link Research, Economic Development; SCOPE Students Report on ESC Presentations

• December 5th, 2013
• in News

By Kirsten J. Barnes

At the Center for Community-Based Partnerships Council meeting at the Bryant Conference Center on November 14, members heard a discussion about several community outreach projects, listened as students discussed the research they presented at the 2013 Engagement Scholarship Consortium October 8–9 at Texas Tech University, and saw videos of the 2013 Magrath Award winners.

Dr. Samory Pruitt, vice president for Community Affairs, opened the meeting with a discussion of the C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Award recipients. Although UA did not win an award, Pruitt highlighted the program in an effort to educate the group on the types of projects recognized and to motivate the group for future entries.

“For the first time they gave an award to institutions who used engaged scholarship to initiate programs with direct links to economic development,” Pruitt said, adding that the state is pushing higher education institutions to conduct more research in the area of economic development. “I’m interested in supporting efforts that fall into this category.”

Although the Magrath Awards are judged during the Engagement Scholarship Consortium conference, they are presented at the Associate of Public and Land-Grant Universities annual meeting, held this year Nov. 10-12 in Washington, D.C.

“Another award given for the very first time was for institutions who made a concerted effort to increase graduation rates for under-represented students,” Pruitt said. The winner in this category was Georgia State University.

Following this presentation, Dr. Melanie Miller, director of student and community engagement, discussed the presentations from Scholars for Community Outreach, Partnership, and Engagement (SCOPE) students at the ESC conference.

SCOPE was formed nearly three years ago, but has taken on new framework and increased momentum over the past year.

“We are really excited about the progress that this group is making,” Miller said. “This year we have 32 members. They are undergraduates and graduates, and include first semester freshmen to those in the last year of their Ph.D. and from all disciplines.”

The students are all involved in community-based research at some level and this year 17 SCOPE students attended ESC, making presentations alongside nationally recognized scholars.

Four students who attended the conference discussed their experience.

Anna-Margaret Yarbrough described her research on “how we can better engage with community partners,” adding that it was refreshing to meet so many students from other schools working on engaged scholarship. “I felt so fortunate being a part SCOPE knowing that I have the support of faculty and staff.”

Yarbrough recently had a manuscript accepted by the Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship, published at UA.

Adriane Sheffield, a third year doctoral student in educational psychology and ESC Fellow, presented for the second year at the conference, this time twice. She presented a poster presentation Navigating the “Space Between” in a Community-Based Partnership” with Ryan Alverson, Cody Carter, Cecil Robinson and Brittney Brown. And she conducted a workshop Connection Instruction, Professional Development and Student Achievement: Partnering for Change,” with Dr. Sandra Colley Nichols of UA’s College of Education and Dr. Elizabeth Davis of the Tuscaloosa Public Schools System.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of SCOPE,” Sheffield said. “It allows me to focus on my passion, which is engaged research. I have become a cheerleader for SCOPE in the College of Education.”

The University of Alberta in Canada will host the 2014 ESC and Dr. Katy Campbell, dean and professor of Extension Faculty at the University of Alberta, will be the keynote speaker at the CCBP Awards program scheduled for April 18, 2014.

Additionally, Dr. Sherry Nichols of the College of Education made a presentation on creating a Makerspace Coalition in Tuscaloosa. Makerspaces allow people to come together to create things using tools provided by those working in the space. They can be anything from sewing and quilting spaces to painting and woodwork.

“They try to bring in tools that people may not have ready access to,” Nichols said, adding that she plans to partner with the Tuscaloosa Public Library to create a Makerspace that will teach students about bugs.

Finally, there was discussion regarding the charge of the 2013-14 UA Carnegie Reclassification Team to come up with a systematic way to collect data related to engagement.

“Our application is only going to be as good as the information we receive from you’ll,” Pruitt said. “Carnegie focuses on how institutions engage the community. We need to decide how we systematically come up with a way to collect this information.”

Global Café Celebrates International Education Week

• November 28th, 2013
• in News

By Sirui Shao and Kirsten J. Barnes
Staff Writers, Center for Community-Based Partnerships

In celebration of International Education Week (November 12–18), UA’s Center for Community-Based Partnerships hosted its first Global Café, showing an hour-long documentary called “The Dialogue,” which explores international interpersonal exchange. The film was created by Crossing Borders Films and co-produced by Michigan State University.

“International Education Week offered a chance for us all to pause and appreciate the learning opportunities offered by international study. That means U.S. students traveling abroad and international students coming here,” said Dr. Beverly Hawk, CCBP’s director of program services and campus advisor for the Fulbright Program. “International study offers us many opportunities to make friends from around the world.”

Global Café, in the Hillard Building, 900 Anna Avenue, opened at 6:30 p.m., November 14. About 30 students, faculty and community members attended. Among the attendees were a Chinese professor, international friends, students working with the Heart Touch pen-pal program, and CCBP staff and student leaders.

The film, “The Dialogue,” followed eight students – four American and four Chinese –as they traveled throughout China, experiencing its culture. Along the way, the students visited Hong Kong and Southwest China. The film captured their shared travel adventures, emotions of culture shock, honest confrontations, and discoveries.

After the film, the Global Café attendees were separated into three groups and asked to discuss the film.

Xia Ping Li, a UA student, said what struck her most about the movie was the diversity and the culture shock experienced by the eight students. “As an international student you experience things differently,” Li said.

Other attendees were impressed that the film discussed misconceptions about cultures and how they influence our relationships.

“Being a Muslim student here, when I talk to people sometimes I am the first Muslim student they have met,” said Hailah Saeed. “The film was very powerful because it made me realize that I make a difference. People have a lot of crazy ideas about Muslims, but just by interacting with me they understand more about what it means to be a Muslim.”

Danielle Noland, who served as her group’s leader, said she was interested in the communication issues that the film brought out.

“Somebody might say something in general, but someone from another culture may interpret it differently. Also, after seeing the film, I think interaction with international students makes us more accepting of one another,” Noland said. “After this experience, people may not be as hesitant to talk with people from other cultures.”

The groups discussed the film for about 20 minutes before reconvening together to share their responses.

“We can’t change the whole world, but it starts with your classmates in the university and through this you can create a global change,” Saeed said.

As the name suggests, Global Café provides the space for people to share traditions, learn languages together and make new friends. It welcomes people from across our community and around the world. As part of the Division of Community Affairs, the Global Café brings together student energy, community wisdom, and scholarly expertise to accomplish shared goals.

“I was inspired by the film and the conversations. It was really a powerful film. The students in the film shared their responses quite honestly and courageously. I think it set a good foundation for the conversations that followed,” Hawk said.

The topics for discussion brought forward students’ personal experiences and related them to the issues raised by the film, and students developed suggestions for building community on our campus.

Jin Wang, a mechanical engineering graduate student who participates in the Heart Touch program, said he was glad he attended.

“I think Global Café is a good activity for international communication. Together, we can watch an interesting movie concentrating on different cultures and have a small discussion to share ideas,” Wang said. “I can talk to different people from various countries and get to know more international culture.”

Wang said before coming to America, he did not know how much he would love football, but attending UA allowed him to embrace the sport that is so much a part of Alabama culture.

After the student discussion groups came back together, they were asked to write a sentence describing what they learned that evening. The sentences were posted on the wall to share, and they said things such as: “I have learned the importance of communicating diversity.”

“The participants enjoyed that chance to meet new people and share experiences, and next time we will expand the conversation time.” Hawk said, “Together with our campus and community partners, we will host more Global Café programs in spring semester.”

Global Café: Response to Growing International Population on Campus

• November 11th, 2013
• in News

By Sirui Shao
CCBP Editorial Assistant

“The Dialogue,” an hour-long documentary championing international culture, will be shown at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14, at the Global Café, an initiative of the Center for Community-Based Partnerhip (CCBP), 900 Anna Ave., directly behind the Arby’s on University Boulevard.

As the number of international students increases on the UA campus, organizations are expanding their cultural activities. With 5 percent of its population coming from 90 foreign countries, the CCBP is responding to the needs of native and international students by creating Global Café, a venue for bringing about greater international cultural communication, understanding and exploration.

This year during International Education Week, November 12–18, UA will host several events related to other cultures. They include a Mango Languages (Central Sudan) Demonstration; an Apwonjo (meaning “I teach” in Luo [Uganda] Bake Sale for Kiva (an organization that makes low-income loans to underserved entrepreneurs); and African Display (display on different African tribal concepts of beauty compared to Western notions of beauty), a World Soccer Tournament, with teams representing countries from around the world; and the film at Global Café.

Partners for the program include the Capstone International Center, Heart Touch (a pen-pal project for U.S. and Chinese elementary school students), and the Student Enrichment Experience Team (a CCBP program that connects undergraduate and graduate students, from all disciplines, to the work of community engaged scholarship).

“International Education Week is a chance for us all to pause and appreciate the learning opportunities offered by international study. That means U.S. students traveling abroad and international students coming here,” said Dr. Beverly Hawk, CCBP’s director of program services and the advisor for the Fulbright Program. “International study offers us many opportunities to makes friends from around the world.”

As the name suggests, Global Café provides the space for people to share traditions, learn languages together and make new friends.

A highlight of this year’s event is the screening of a documentary entitled “The Dialogue,” which follows eight students as they travel to China.

This year Capstone International selected Chinese culture and “The Dialogue” as an example of Chinese students sharing their culture with American students. The film was created by Crossing Borders Films and co-produced by Michigan State University. It follows four American and four Chinese university students as they travel together through Hong Kong and Southwest China, capturing their shared travel adventures, emotions of culture shock, honest confrontations and discoveries.

These experiences become doorways that deepen their understanding of the world and themselves. “It is an interesting movie,” Hawk said. “Lots of students around the world have watched it, and we want our students to have an opportunity to experience it as well. If people are interested in other cultures, for example Japan, Ireland and Spain, Global Café will meet the demand.”

All are welcome to attend and there is no charge. Food and conversation will follow the film.

UA Delegation Has Big Impact on ESC 2013

• October 13th, 2013
• in News

Dr. Hiram Fitzgerald, associate provost, University Outreach and Engagement, Michigan State University, speaking at the ESC conference in Lubbock, Texas.	Dr. Samory T. Pruitt, UA vice president for Community Affairs, speaking at the Engagement Scholarship Consortium, explained differences between engaged research and traditional research.	JCES editor Cassie Simon, center, chats with visitors at the JCES reception in Lubbock
This poster was presented by Dr. Jeffrey Parker and his students who have been instrumental in building momentum for progress in the Holt community and schools.	Paige Johnson, along with Michele Montgomery, presented research entitled “Engaging Community Health Nursing Students in Community Assessment and Intervention.”	The research journal editors panel once again filled the room.

A mariachi band and dancers, all Texas Tech students, entertain ESC conference delegates.	Dr. Valerie Holton, ESC delegate from Virginia Commonwealth University, talks with UA’s Dr. Ed Mullins about the research journal JCES, published at UA.	Margaret Purcell presents her research entitled “Beyond the Classroom: Community and Students Engaged in Nonprofit Partnerships.”	Dr. John Wheat of the College of Community Health Sciences and colleagues presented this poster on behalf of the Hale County Health Scholars.

University to Present Documentary on Integration of Crimson Tide at Ferguson Theater

• October 13th, 2013
• in News

By Kirsten J. Barnes
Graduate Assistant

The University of Alabama will present “How Integration Turned The Tide: Three Days at Foster,” a documentary film by UA alumnus Keith Dunnavant. 7-9 p.m. October 17 at the Ferguson Center Theater. The program is sponsored by the UA National Alumni Association, the College of Continuing Studies, and Division of Community Affairs.

In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the integration of UA, this story brings to life stories of civil rights pioneers who shattered the athletic color barrier at The University of Alabama.

In a recent interview with BamaHammer.com, Dunnavant said:

“ ‘Three Days at Foster’ reflects my point of view that the athletes who shattered the color barrier at the University of Alabama – including the unknown Bama football walk-ons of 1967 – deserve to be recognized as civil rights pioneers. They weren’t just gifted athletes; they were brave young men who attacked and ultimately destroyed the last bastion of segregation in the state.

“Even in George Wallace’s Alabama, even as the state was deeply divided by the explosive matter of race, there was a force more powerful than hate ready to be tapped. Alabama football played a significant role in healing the festering wounds of the Sixties – helping us as a culture see beyond black and white,” Dunnavant said.

The largely heretofore untold story will feature the barrier-shattering athletes who maneuvered in the shadow of Gov. George Wallace’s 1963 stand in the schoolhouse door, including Wilbur Jackson, Dock Rone and Wendell Hudson.

Jackson, who was a 1974 NFL first-round and ninth overall draft pick in 1974, would go on to play for the San Francisco 49ers and the Washington Redskins. Rone joined the Crimson Tide in 1967 as a walk-on. In the film Rone says he felt he could break the color barrier by going to talk to Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant and telling him he wanted to play football.

Hudson, the former UA women’s head basketball coach, played basketball at UA from 1969 to 1973. He began his coaching career as an assistant men’s coach before going on to coach at North Alabama, Rice, Ole Miss and Baylor.

In the film Hudson said although he thought about quitting the team, he knew he could not leave because if he left the program it would be hard for other minorities to be accepted on the team. In 1986 Hudson switched from coaching men’s basketball to coaching women’s basketball, first at McLennan Community College in Wao, Texas, before returning to Alabama as head coach of women’s basketball from 2008-2013.
The film will show how these athletes and coaches navigated the minefield of social change. After the event there will be discussions with UA personnel who experienced these turbulent days of change at the Capstone.

Dunnavant, the best-selling author of the Bear Bryant biography Coach as well as The Missing Ring, began covering Alabama football as a teenager.

“Three Days at Foster” is an official selection of the Sidewalk Film Festival in Birmingham and became the first historical sports documentary to launch through Vimeo On Demand in August.

In his BamaHammer.com interview, Dunnavant said: “The world is changing, so we are releasing this film in a cutting-edge way that makes it easily accessible by Alabama fans everywhere.” To download the film for $4.95, visit: www.threedaysatfoster.com.