As we enter into the final months of the Spring 2019 semester, I know campuses are bustling and busy with activity, including with the promise of warmer weather (hopefully soon!) and the coming spring. I’m excited that we’ve been able to partner regionally and nationally to offer several special opportunities for campus involvement over the past month, including calls for AmeriCorps VISTA hosts, Engaged Scholars Initiative participants, and National Webinar Series presenters. While the deadlines for AmeriCorps VISTA hosts and Engaged Scholars Initiative participants have passed, the National Webinar Series call for presenters deadline was extended until April 1. And please see below for more details about another upcoming opportunity, in collaboration with our colleagues from Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota, the call for Co-Chairs for 2019-2020 Communities of Practice, due April 22.

Also, don’t forget that coming up this month we have our Annual Awards Dinner and Civic Engagement Institute March 21-22 at Alverno College in Milwaukee. There’s still time to register! Registration closes Friday, March 8. We’ll be honoring colleagues from across Wisconsin at the Annual Awards Dinner on Thursday, and we’re excited to offer two new pre-institute sessions which will take place Thursday afternoon before the dinner – one focused on Deliberative Dialogue and the other on Community Colleges as Civic Power Plants. On Friday, we’ve got a series of presentations from colleagues scheduled in the morning, and Harry Boyte will be joining us as the keynote speaker in the afternoon to address opportunities and challenges for higher education civic engagement and the changing world of work.

In addition to these opportunities, this month brings a change, as I will be leaving Campus Compact as of April 5. I want to say thank you to many of you who hosted me on your campuses, invited me to speak, and who collaborated with me on events. In my time with CCWI, I have built upon the work of past Directors to leave CCWI well-positioned to continue to grow and serve its members. Over the last year, I have diligently worked to support current institutional members and bring in new institutional members, to manage moving the state office to a new host site, and to organize Regional Gatherings, the Civic Engagement Institute, the Annual Awards Dinner, and a statewide listening tour. I am also proud to have collaborated with Midwest Campus Compact colleagues to offer regional initiatives like the Communities of Practice, the Midwest Campus Compact Conference, and the Engaged Scholars Initiative. Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your Director, and I look forward to seeing many more great things to come for Campus Compact for Wisconsin.

Marisol Morales, Vice President for Network Leadership, will be overseeing the search for the next Director, which will begin immediately. Feel free to contact her at mmorales {at} compact(.)org if you have questions about the search or timeline. If you are interested or know someone who might be interested in the position, please visit www.compact.org for information on the position. If you have questions related to the Midwest Campus Compact Conference please contact Mary Ryan, Director of Campus Compact for the Great Plains at mryan {at} compact(.)org. Other inquiries can be directed to Nicole Springer, Director of Campus Compact for Michigan Director at nspringer {at} compact(.)org.

Thank you all again for your commitment to Campus Compact for Wisconsin. It has been an honor to work with you all, and I continue to be inspired by the work you are doing in our state!

Trina Van Schyndel
Director, Campus Compact for Wisconsin