From the Director’s Desk

February 2017

Greetings WiCC Supporters!

We have a long newsletter this month because we’ve been busy! As everyone as now in full-swing with their semesters, I want to take a second and wish everyone “good luck” this semester.  May all your community be partnerships be reciprocal, meaningful, and impactful!

I wanted to take some time and reflect on the nature of our work in our country and this moment.  Let’s remember that we are doing meaningful work that allow our universities to be positioned as problem-solvers and dedicated partners. Our work is non-partisan.  In fact, we are working to ensure that students are not only prepared for lives of active citizenship, but also for the workforce.  What does our democracy need? Citizens who can think, communicate, problem-solve, and act. What does our workforce need? Employees who can do the same thing! Let’s lean on our partners and have them tell our stories along our side.  The more we can show people (both inside and outside higher education) that we’re doing what our society is demanding (reminder to check out the AAC&U Employer and Economic Trend Studies), the better off we will be.  Let’s have a renewed sense of purpose and move forward with our heads high!

For campuses working on their Civic Action Plans, please know that there are several opportunities for WiCC and national Campus Compact to help you with this work.  See below for more details, but know that I’m also willing to visit your campus to facilitate a discussion with people on your campus about how to move forward with your work.  There’s also an opportunity to be a part of a national study that can track the impact that your CAP has on your campus.  Finally, if your CAP includes some level of curriculum reform, let me know! National Campus Compact is putting in a grant to the Teagle Foundation for campuses looking to do this work.

Also, this is a broad call to our network to please attend the Friday, April 7 WiCC Civic Engagement Institute in Green Bay, WI.  We want you (and your community partners, students, faculty, and staff) to tell us what things you’ve been up to—community-engaged research projects, community partnerships, and service-learning experiences.  Remember, you can submit a proposal until February 10 HERE.  Is your campus or organization interested in sponsoring the WiCC Civic Engagement institute? Please let me know.  We have several options—from breaks to lunch to the overall institute! Thank you for considering it!

Please SAVE THE DATE for this year’s Thriving College Towns Summit on Wednesday, April 26, 2017 at Ripon College.  WiCC will be facilitating a session with campuses from Superior, Eau Claire, and Whitewater about how their community-based learning experiences have contributed to creating thriving college towns.

Please know that I’m always available to help you as you move your campuses forward to make them more available to working with the community! Hope to see you all soon!

Best,

Gavin