Happy Holidays

Children in Des Moines, Iowa got a treat from Drake University students and they don't even know it. Drake puts on a holiday themed party for local area children and their families who might not be able to afford Chistmas presents this year. The Christmas Wish Tree is a way for children in need around the area to write their Christmas wish lists on ornaments that hang on a tree at the university. From there, students and faculty are able to take an ornament and get the presents that the child they picked has asked for. This seems to a great way for children to be able to celebrate the holiday season but not make them feel sad or depressed because they may not be getting as many gifts as some of the other children in their classes. But Drake is not the only univeristy trying to spread the holiday cheer. Colgate University has adopted a letter writing program to spread holiday cheer to local veterans. The blog notes that for the rest of the week, students will be able to donate items or leave cards for veterans at the Syracuse VA Medical Center. Everyone needs a little holiday cheer to brighten up their day and it is nice to know that universities and colleges around the country are giving this holiday season. For those in the Jacksonville area, the local newspaper, The Florida Times-Union has up on their web site a list of ways you can give back to your community. So give back this holiday season, even if your university doesn't have a program going on. It's time that we took the initiative and helped those around us that are in need. Happy holidays, and here's hoping it's a wonderful new year as well!!!!

Detroit Update...New Take

Rev. Gerard L. Stockhausen wrote an article on December 4, 2007 on an article I previously examined in relation to the University of Michigan reaching out to the Detroit community with its classes. A quote that I found very telling in the article states that "Community involvement at the university level provides students not only hands-on learning that complements their classroom and laboratory experiences, but also increased connections to their community and a stronger awareness of social issues." This is an ideal that needs to be recreated throughout the United States. If students are better able to understand their part in society and how what they are learning impacts society.

Stockhausen is the president of University of Detroit Mercy, Michigan's largest Catholic university. In the article he notes that UDM has actively involved in outreach methods in the Detroit area for decades. He discussed co-op experiences and large efforts that their different schools of teaching are having on the community. An area that he discussed that is in progress at Towson University and several others around the country are its classes where service learning is built-in to the class. I believe that the main purpose of this article was to note that the University of Michigan is not the only university devoting time to helping Detroit. There are universities that are always servicing the communities they're in and are getting none of the recognition.

UConn goes global

As a former study abroad student it was interesting to find an article on students that studyed abroad and took a class based on community outreach. Fifteen students from the University of Connecticut went to the Dominican Republic last spring in an effort to understand the root causes of poverty in that country. Students took a three-credit sociology course that was jointly put together by the sociology department and the Office of Community Outreach. This is a growing trend among major universities to integrate service with academics. The article goes on to discuss what the students did both in the Dominican Republic and upon their return. But this method is a good thing for students to consider. For students that are very civic minded this is an opportunity to broaden your horizons and help people in your community or even around the world at the same time.

Trauma center for Baltimore families

In a look closer to home I found an article in The Examiner about a new family-informed trauma treatment center. Several medical centers around the area are coming together with both the School of Social Work and the School of Medicine at University of Maryland, Baltimore. This kind of work is helpful to the people that are coming to seek treatment but it can also be rewarding for the students and those that work in the center. The School of Social Work is committed to helping this partnership between the center and Baltimore area hospitals as part of their dedication to the community. Family is the centerpiece of graduates of the School of Social Work as this is where they will spend the most time and focus on the social issues and welfare of families. Through this trauma center students may be able to reach out to the community and help those around them.

Insight from Towson University at the CUMU Conference

Below are two podcasts from the 13th Annual Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU) Conference held at the Renaissance Hotel in Baltimore, Md. Representatives from Universities from around the world have come to the conference to discuss community engagement and metropolitan universities. I had the chance to sit down and talk with Dr. Deb Moriarty, Vice President for Student Affairs, and Darcy Accardi, Special Assistant to the Vice President for Student Affairs; and Dr. James Clements, Acting Provost, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Vice President of the Division of Economic and Community Outreach (DECO). We spoke on topics related specifically to Towson University's goals and accomplishments on community outreach and civic engagement as well as how CUMU and the conference play into these accomplishments.

Clements podcast

Moiarity and Accardi podcast

End Lead Paint Poisoning

Coppin State University has paired with The Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning to help the hundreds of families in Baltimore City that are living with lead paint. WJZ recently reported on the affect that lead poisoning is having in Baltimore City. Lead poisoning is more prevalent in the city than most would think. Coppin has provided $243,000 for a year-long outreach program for homes in the neighborhood around the university. Coppin established the Coppin Heights Community Development Corporation (CHCDC) in order to assist and educate families in around the Coppin Heights/Rosemont area of Baltimore City. This is an important project for the university to continue because not only are the reaching out to the community but they are possibly even saving lives. If every urban university was able to have a program like this there is not telling how many lives could possibly be saved.

University of Michigan Reaches Out

University of Michigan's newest community outreach effort is utilizing the University's Detroit Center and Detroit itself as a place for students to learn. Students will be able to take classes work and live in the city. The article goes on to compare this experience to studying abroad. As a student that has studied abroad I can see the truth in this. It is a way that students can broaden their horizons and learn in a different environment enhancing their work in their chosen field of study. The University of Michigan can use this experience not only to get students involved in the community they are studying in but give them real-life experiences with the "struggles" that are on-going throughout Detroit. I think that once the university has finalized this project and students are able to go into Detroit they will see a difference in their students and the community. I look forward to seeing how this latest proposal progresses and observe the change that occurs to the community and the students involved.