ENGAGING LEADERSHIPoffice of experiential education and civic engagement

contentsDirector’s Comments.......1

Plus-1 Credit.........................2

bridging leadership Programs..............................3 student success series.....3

gearing up for oxfam 2012 ...............................................4

experienital learning highlights........................5-6

fall 2012 events & Publication dates...............7

Pay it forward Grant celebrated.............................8

Fall 2012, Issue 1

save the date! Wednesday, November 73rd Annual ksu-oxfam social issues banquet

Director’s Comments:

Welcome to the Engaging Leadership Newsletter of the Office of Experiential Education and Civic Engagement (OEECE)!

Fall 2012 has begun with an amazing energy! Last week, President Lefton unveiled the most exciting construction renovation plans that I have ever seen. Additionally, the newly occupied Twinsburg Academic Center is a heaven for student learning, more than 60 new faculty members have made Kent State University their professional home, and the OEECE staff is geared up and ready to support course-based scholarship through experiential learning.

The debut of the Experiential Learning Requirement (ELR) has brought a tremendous increase in related activities for the fall semester. We are encouraging faculty members to submit course proposals for consideration of ELR designation for Spring 2013. The University Requirements & Curriculum Committee (URCC) will meet on Friday, September 14, 2012 to consider these submissions. Faculty should send proposals for ELR Course designation to the URCC Chair, Dr. Said Sewell, via Barb Spencer at bspenc12@kent.edu or call 330-672-0974. The deadline for agenda items is Monday September 10, 2012 by 5:00 p.m.

The Plus-1 Credit course option is still available to students seeking to append experiential learning to a primary course. Faculty members can expect to be approached by students seeking to fulfill the ELR requirements through the Plus-1 Credit course. All participating faculty members and students will receive electronic information regarding their roles and responsi-bility. The deadline to submit faculty-approved student applications to the OEECE is Thursday, September 20, 2012. Direct all questions and comments to Tina L. Kandakai, PhD at tkandaka@kent.edu or call 330-672-8723.

The 2012-2013 academic year brings a number of other exciting projects and activities to the Kent State community. For ex-ample, the OEECE website is currently undergoing structural updates to ease navigation and access to resources. Although we are excited about these changes, we ask for your patience and that you feel free to contact the office directly should you have trouble accessing information. Secondly, the OEECE will be offering programs and workshops throughout the semes-ter that are designed to support student and faculty engagement interests. You will find updates regarding these activities posted in future newsletters, listserv announcements, and on the OEECE website. Finally, faculty and students will have an opportunity to get involved in campus-based programs such as the 3rd Annual Oxfam Social Issues Banquet. This year’s banquet theme, “Communities that need…Hands that feed,” is a reflection of the challenges brought on by today’s economy and the testament of KSU’s commitment to support the local community. The 2012 Oxfam Social Issues Banquet is scheduled for November 7th, 2012. Click on the link above and see page... for more details.

As always, the OEECE staff is here to support your experiential learning needs and interests. Feel free to stop by 207 Moulton Hall, visit the website at www.kent.edu/experiential, email experiential@kent.edu, or call the office at 330-672-7876. We look forward to working with you.

Have a Wonderful Semester! Tina L. Kandakai, PhD, Director

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Office of Experiential Education and Civic Engagement (OEECE)

www.kent.edu/experiential / 207 Moulton Hall / 330-672-7876

let’s stay connected! click here to join our listserv!

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ADD A plus-1 credit TO YOUR COURSE THIS FALLThe Plus-1 Credit course is an add-on that attaches an engaged experiential learning activity to a course that does not have one.

The course offers a great opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience! Through civic engagement and reflective activities,

the Plus-1 Credit will help students develop a greater appreciation of course content, develop knowledge and skills, while encourag-

ing a greater sense of the community.

Plus-1 Credit activities are designed to link seamlessly with learning objectives of a primary course and/or disciplinary competen-

cies. The Plus-1 Credit course has been designated as an ELR. Beginning Fall 2012, any student who successfully completes the

course will have fulfilled the ELR requirement.

The deadline to submit faculty-approved student applications to the OEECE is Thursday, September 20, 2012. Direct all questions

and comments to Tina L. Kandakai, PhD at tkandaka@kent.edu or call 330-672-8723.

The faculty of record and the OEECE must approve the application.

The process is easy; just follow the Roadmap to the Plus-1 Credit!

Applications for the Plus-1 Credit are due in the OEECE by September 20th!

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A new program for the Office of Experiential Education & Civic Engagement was launched on August 23rd. In this new initiative, Experiential Education Leaders at Kent State (EELKS) merged with the EXCEL (Explore, Careers, Education, Leadership, Living-Learning Community) program and three EXCEL Peer Mentors were trained to serve as student leaders and liaisons to faculty teaching experiential learning courses. This merger supports the infusion of experiential learning into First Year Experience (FYE) courses.

Through training for mentorship, students will share their experiences and insight from a student leader perspective, engage in service activities with FYE students to establish peer-to-peer support and facilitate critical reflection that fosters the development of knowledge, skills, and insights regarding the impact of civic engagement on the college experience.

The mentorship includes:

1.) share their experiences and insight from a student leader perspective, 2) engage in service activities with FYE students to establish peer-to-peer support, and 3) facilitate critical reflection that fosters the development of knowledge, skills, and insights regarding the impact of civic engagement on the college experience.

Pamela Jones, academic program & student development coordinator of the EXCEL Living- Learning Community is hoping to offer an experiential education opportunity to each EXCEL FYE section and believes EELKS to be an “invaluable experiential education opportunity for our new freshman students.”

bridging leadership programs

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STUDENT SUCCESS SERIES: EXPERIENITAL LEARNING - MAKING YOUR SERVICE COUNT

The OEECE will be offering experiential learning presentations for the Student Success Series this fall. This session will demonstrate how experiential learning brings class materials to life. Student can expect to engage in open dialogue about potential experiences that can put them on a path to self-discovery and professional marketability. This session will be offered per request throughout the fall semester.

Along with the Experiential Learning presentation, the Third Annual KSU Oxfam-Social Issues Banquet will be on the Student Success Series events this fall. For more information on the banquet please see page 4.

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Mark your calendars! The third Annual KSU Oxfam-Social Issues Banquet will be held on Wednesday, November 7 from 11 A.M. to 2 P.M.

Guests of last year’s event were able to partake in a hunger simulation whereby they received a meal ticket representing a socio-economic class which essentially determined the type of meal served. Reflective discussions left guests with a new perspective and understanding of the challenges created daily by world hunger.

An engaging panel discussion made up of faculty, businesses, and community organizations was also held. The panel discussion served to highlight the multitude of ways that faculty, businesses, and organizations are reaching out to support local communities. In addition, the discussion served as a platform to explore experiential learning opportunities.

gearing up for oxfam 2012

This year’s KSU Oxfam-Social Issues Banquet will be held in KSU Student Center Ballroom. Attendees will can expect more participation from individual in the community, interaction with community partners, and more opportunities to get involved!

The banquet will not only bring light to social issues such as hunger, poverty, homelessness, domestic violence, and more, but also give guests the opportunity to walk down Non-Profit Alley and make a commitment to service local organizations.

Click here to view a video from last year’s Oxfam Banquet!

Hope to see you there!

communities that need. hands that feed.

let’s stay connected! click here to join our listserv!

experiential learning highlights

The OEECE had a successful year of engagement with the local and campus community. Check out the highlights from this past summer!

the oeece reaches out to incoming freshmen at destination kent state

Incoming freshmen from all over the world were welcomed to the Kent State University community this summer through the Destination Kent State program. The OEECE in collaboration with Quality Initiatives and Curriculum (QIC) along with many other campus departments, offices, and organizations that reached out to the newcomers. Four days a week from June through the end of July, the OEECE connected with around 10-15 parents and students coming from everywhere from Africa to local communities. Students were able to get a heads up about the experiential learning requirement and how they can meet it such as the Plus-1 Credit.

A matchmaking workshop was held on May 10. This was not your average matchmaking event with individuals seeking their soul mates. Faculty and community partners came to this workshop in building relationships that would benefit the campus and its students in the premier of the Experiential Learning Requirement.

A total of 16 participants, six faculty/staff and five community partners, attended the workshop titled, “Building Experiential Learning and Partnerships” and were matched up with a faculty member or community partner based on their topics of interest. Attending community partners included Happy Trails, the Green Apple Project, Upward Bound, Portage Learning Centers, and the Campus Kitchen Project.

The workshop was eye-opening for some participants. One individual stated in their evaluation, “Before the workshop I didn’t know what to expect from experiential learning, but I found out that there are many avenues that you can take to gain that experience and learning as a student that a partner can support.”

Eighty-two percent of participants found the one-on-one with community partners and faculty as well as the development of partnerships to be the most useful aspect of the workshop.

Workshop Opens Doors for Faculty and Community Partners

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experiential learning highlights

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engaging iraqi scholarsOn July 26th, Sarah Malcolm, Director of International Partnerships in the Office of Global Education, and nine scholars from Iraq visited the OEECE. Scholars spent one hour learning about experiential education and its significance to Kent State University. Included in that hour was discussion of ELR policy, the definition of experiential learning, the role of civic engagement in student learning as well as the importance of reflection and assessment in student learning.

The nine scholars then traveled with two OEECE representatives and two representatives from Kent’s Office of Global Education to Happy Trails Animal Sanctuary in Ravenna, Ohio. Happy Trails is a non-profit organization that recues, rehabilitates and provides an adoption program for abused, abandoned and neglected farm animals. While at Happy Trails, the scholars learned about the history of the organization, its funding sources, its volunteer base and the backgrounds of the professional staff.

The visit included a tour of the farm which was a lead by a volunteer guide who provided details about the animals’ abuse histories and current states of health. After the visit, we traveled back to the OEECE and engaged in reflection & evaluation of the site visit. One of the Iraqi Scholars commented in the evaluation, “Now I believe that engagement with community issues is useful for my students.”

stay connected! click here to join our listserv!

fall 2012Upcoming Events

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Campus Kitchen Project Every Wednesday at 2 p.m. (Beall Hall Kitchen, 2nd Floor)

KSU Super Service Saturday Program Fall 2012 Semester Dates: Sept. 15, Sept. 22, Oct. 6, Oct. 13, Oct. 20, Nov. 3, Nov. 10, Nov. 17,

Dec. 1, Dec. 8

Contact Liz Bosworth at eboswort@kent.edu with any questions.

Volunteer/Experiential Learning Fair Tuesday, September 13, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. (KSU Student Center)

Immersion Trips For more information, contact Ann Gosky at agosky@kent.edu

Cleveland Urban Plunge Friday, Oct. 19 - Sunday, Oct. 21

Explore one of Cleveland’s inner-city neighborhoods by interacting with local residents and the agencies that serve

those in need.

Appalachian Immersion Trip Friday, Nov. 2 - Sunday, Noc. 4

Learn about Appalachian culture and take a tour of a mountain top removal site.

National Society for Experiential Education 2012 Annual Conference October 3 - 5 (Milwaukee, WI)

KSU Oxfam-Social Issues Banquet Wednesday, November 7 (Student Center Ballroom)

Social Issues Dialogue Thursday, November 15 (Location TBA)

Community Service Activities Sponsored by QICContact Ann Gosky (agosky@kent.edu) for more information.

Publication Dates

Engaging Leadership Newsletter:

Friday, September 7

Tuesday, November 20

Discover Experiential Learning Listserv Announcement:

Wednesday, September 17

Friday, October 5

Monday, November 5

Wednesday, December 5

pay it forward grant celebrated

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pay it forward grant celebratedWhen Denise Harrison walked into the classroom she told the class that they would actually be writing a grant. “You couldn’t hand pick a better group of people,” said this University lecturer of the Pan-African Studies English Writing Program.

In the recent spring semester Kent State University participated in Ohio Campus Compact’s Pay It Forward program where, according to the Campus Compact’s website, each participating course receives $2,000 to award up to three local non-profits [501(c)3] chosen by the class.

Harrison has received the grant twice and has utilized it in her College Writing II course where the main focus is hunger. Students this year actually wrote the grant, served at least 15 volunteer hours with a non-profit agency, evaluated the various organizations, decided which three organizations should receive the funds, and prepared a reception to award the three award-winning organizations.

Harrison’s College Writing I class supported the program by taking pictures, creating slide shows, and putting on the third canned food drive to support KSU’s Campus Kitchen Project. “I would like to see this campus-wide,” Harrison said.A reception took place on April 24 and awarded to two different community agencies were awarded. One of the recipients was a food pantry serving Marion County, a farming community known as one of the poorest counties in Ohio. The other recipient was a woman in Ravenna building a backpack program. The money was awarded to help foster the program because 11 percent of students in Ravenna schools are homeless.

“Students will have a sense of food once they leave this class,” said Harrison.

stay connected! click here to join our listserv!

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The OEECE serves as a central office to promote and support faculty and students interested in experiential learning.

Who benefits?

• Faculty members expand scholarship from having the support required to enhance the student learning experience.

• Students engage in unique opportunities to collaborate with diverse organizations while getting an early start to showcase and strengthen skills in real settings.

• The community obtains skill support from our students to provide technical support and manpower to serve the organizations’ mission and vision.

• Kent State University gains increased visibility and awareness of our institution in supporting agencies that provide integral services to our community.

the office of experiential education & civic engagement (oeece)creating hands-on engagement

Office of Experiential Education and Civic Engagement (OEECE)

www.kent.edu/experiential / 207 Moulton Hall / 330-672-7876