From the Director’s Desk- Sept. 2017

From the Director’s Desk – September 2017 A special thanks to all the institutions who have renewed their membership to Wisconsin Campus Compact.  In a time where higher education’s purpose and broader social value is being called into question, it’s more important now than ever that we stand together as a united front.  Together, we can see to it that the culture of higher education becomes more outward-facing and entrenched in problem-solving alongside our fellow citizens. Good luck to all our higher education partners who are starting classes again for this upcoming academic year! A new year means new beginnings. …

From the Director’s Desk-August, 2017

Greetings, Wisconsin Community Engagement Champions! It’s membership renewal time! A special thanks to the following campuses for confirming their membership renewal in Wisconsin Campus Compact: Cardinal Stritch University, Edgewood College, Fox Valley Technical College, Gateway Technical College, UW-Eau Claire, UW-Madison, and UW-Parkside! I hope many more of you will be part of this list.  If you have any questions about membership, please e-mail me (gavin {at} compact(.)org). We’re fresh off our Civic Action Plan Implementation Retreat held late July in Madison.  Thirteen colleges and universities engaged in team-based discussions, learned about how to best frame their work on their campuses, and heard…

From the Director’s Desk- July 2017

Greetings Fellow Civic Engagement Champions! Summer is a time for planning, reflection, and renewal in our work.  Most students are off campus, summer classes are in full-swing, and many people take time off work.  This is a perfect chance for us to take a hard look at what we’re doing and consider how to improve what we do in the community and on campus.  WiCC will be facilitating a retreat on July 27 and 28 dedicated to implementing Civic Action Plans.  Even if you don’t have a Civic Action Plan, this could be a good time for renewal and focused…

From the Director’s Desk-6/2017

From the Director’s Desk June 2017 Greetings Civic-Minded Colleagues and Friends! As the year draws to a close, I congratulate you all on the many successes that your campuses have experienced.  I’ve traveled from Superior to Eau Claire to Northeast Wisconsin down to Southeast Wisconsin.  New centers are opening! New faculty learning programs are launching! New policies to support community engagement are passing! Civic Action Plans are drafted! Thanks to everyone who continues to make progress toward their community-engaged goals. In the spirit of celebration, I wanted to thank the WiCC member presidents who have been committed to the community…

Remembering Sister Joel Read

Wisconsin Campus Compact is celebrating the life of  Sister Joel Read, the longtime leader of Alverno College, who passed away peacefully surrounded by family and sisters on May 25, 2017. She was 91. For nearly 35 years, Sister Joel led her alma mater on Milwaukee’s south side but her influence reached far beyond campus. She was involved in local and national academic issues, ranging from education to women’s rights; she was one of the founders of the National Organization for Women in 1966. Read has been recognized internationally for education reform. She served as president of the American Association for Higher Education and on…

From the Directors Desk- May, 2017

From the Director’s Desk – May 2017 Thanks to everyone who came to our annual Civic Engagement Institute hosted by Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, co-sponsored by the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities and St. Norbert College.  There were many takeaways from the various presentations, but the main message that I walked away with was this: We need to know why we do this work and be able to articulate these visions and frameworks to people both within and outside of our institutions.  From Nadinne’s presentation, I learned that, through community engagement projects, we are working in partnership with…

From the Director’s Desk- 3/17

From the Director’s Desk March 2017 Over the last month, WiCC has been preparing for our upcoming Civic Engagement Institute, doing campus visits, consulting with Civic Action Planning Teams, meeting presidents, launching our mapping project, and working on fundraising proposals.  It has been incredibly busy month! At the same time, things in the country continue to change at a rapid pace.  The Corporation for National and Community Service is potentially on the chopping block, which certainly calls into question the kind of community-engaged work we do.  Now is the time to lift our voices and make sure that people know…

From the Director’s Desk: 2/2017

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…

FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK: 1/2017

Happy New Year from your WI Campus Compact crew! Hopefully everyone had a wonderful holiday season with family, friends, and other loved ones.  As we cross into the New Year, let us consider all the possibilities to do meaningful work on campuses across the state.  Let’s start by making a commitment to finish our Civic Action Plans-your campus’s bold vision for how to bolster your community engagement work. New Year’s Resolutions, WiCC Style: Over this last month, I have met with several business, foundation, nonprofit, and government leaders who are always pleasantly surprised to know about the work we do…

From the Director’s Desk- 12/2016

Dear WiCC Supporters, Did you enjoy our first major snowfall? Winter is basically here.  That means finals, a variety of holiday breaks, and New Year’s resolutions.  Here’s to a grant end of the semester for you all! First, welcome to our new member Concordia University-Wisconsin (CUW) in Mequon! CUW will be a great addition to our coalition! Next, thank you to Alverno College for hosting me for an all-faculty meeting where we discussed Civic Action Planning (CAP) and how WiCC can support their work.  Their approach to getting the campus involved in the CAP process was bringing the entire campus…

From the Director’s Desk: 11/2016

Greetings Wisconsin Campus Compact Enthusiasts! October was a month full of energy and non-stop activities here at Wisconsin Campus Compact! I attended several conferences—from the WI College Personnel Association to the Assessment Institute (hosted by IUPUI) to the Pen to Paper Writing Retreat (hosted jointly by 5 Campus Compacts in Lake Geneva)—and made several campus visits (St. Norbert College, Milwaukee Area Technical College, Gateway Technical College, UW-Madison).  Plus, we interviewed and hired a new staff member, Lynne Blinkenberg, in the Associate Outreach Specialist role.  We’re so pleased to have Lynne on board.  Feel free to send her a welcome e-mail…

From the Director’s Desk 9/2016

  Greetings Wisconsin Campus Compact Members! The school year is in full swing, and I hope everyone’s year has been off to a great start.  Here at WiCC, we have been planning our regional meetings, helping campuses put together civic action plans, putting together our legislative strategy, submitting a VISTA application, trying to broker new partnerships, and attending conferences so we can keep up with the field’s evolution.  First, a special congratulations to 12 WiCC members who were recognized through the 2015 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll! For more about this award, see here. After having just traveled…

From the Director’s Desk 08/2016

Where did the summer go? It has flown by here in the Wisconsin Campus Compact office! Most of the summer was spent working on funding proposals, visiting campuses, exploring strategic partnership opportunities, membership renewals, and professional development trainings. What has been most fruitful has been the time we spent with 13 of our member campuses as they worked through their Civic Action Plans. Over the sessions, I was incredibly impressed by the level of discussions happening on your campuses related to Civic Action Planning. In one of the breakout sessions, we discussed what areas of overlap exist between campuses. One…

Remembering Jack Keating

It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of a pioneer of higher education civic engagement in Wisconsin. Former University of Wisconsin-Parkside Chancellor Jack Keating passed away in May 2016. Chancellor Keating was the driving force behind the establishment of Wisconsin Campus Compact’s founding charter, which convened 27 chancellors on October 22, 2002. For years, WiCC was housed at UW-Parkside. Without his leadership, our network simply would not exist. We are grateful for his leadership and vision about a better society where higher education would be a strong partner in improving conditions across the state. With this…

From the Director’s Desk 07/2016

What a tumultuous month for the nation. We have witnessed several acts of senseless violence against members of the LGBTQ (see Campus Compact President Andrew Seligsohn’s statement), African-American, and law enforcement communities. In response, there have been many knee-jerk reactions based on fear or hate. However, there have also been many showcases of compassion, understanding, and peaceful reflection and prayer. Clearly, we have many issues as a country that we must deal with related to racial, ethnic, religious, gender, and sexuality difference. There is no better place than a college campus to have open, honest dialogue that can move us…