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January 2008 

Community Engagement Recommendations Sent to Strategic Planning

A joint sub-committee of the Academic and Student Life Task Forces was created to develop community engagement recommendations for consideration by the WVWC Strategic Planning Committee. The Community Engagement Initiative Committee, comprised of faculty, staff, students, and community partners, developed four recommendations: Formalize a Center for Community Engagement; Create a Community Engagement Advisory Council; Integrate Community Engagement into the Academic programs and; Integrate Community Engagement into Wesleyan Student Life programs. Each recommendation included a timetable and budget for implementation. The recommendations were submitted to the Strategic Planning Committee for inclusion in the Board meeting in February.

 

Mellon Grant Awarded to Wesleyan

West Virginia Wesleyan College was awarded a Mellon Fellow Community Initiative grant, as part of the International Study Program of the Salzburg Global Seminar. The winning proposal was submitted by Dr. Kathleen Long (Communication), Dr. Melody Meadows (Music), and Dr. Robert Rupp (Political Science). The grant funded GAINS (Global Awareness for Infusing Networks of Service) program that links Wesleyan’s international travel courses with the institution’s new initiative in community engagement to advance its mission of world citizenship.  In addition, WVWC will receive up to $5,000 for the initial two years of the implementation of the project.  The total value of the Mellon grant is $17,400.  Drs. Long, Rupp, and Dr. Larry Parsons, Academic Dean of the College, traveled to Austria in early January as the first team for the project.

 

2008 Martin Luther King Jr. Service Awards

In conjunction with the Chapel Office, the office of Community Engagement initiated a Martin Luther King Celebration of Service and Service Awards. The awards ceremony recognized members of the campus community who have demonstrated a commitment to service and civic engagement and positively represented the institution through actively living the mission of the college. The nomination process was open to all members of the campus community and the recipients were selected by a committee consisting of a mix of student leaders, faculty and staff. 

 

VISTAs Receive Leadership Training

The members of the Upshur County VISTA Network have had several opportunities this past year to increase their leadership skills to help support the engagement initiatives on campus. One opportunity was the Faces of Leadership 2007, held in Charleston, West Virginia, where the VISTA members attended an array of workshops ranging from topics such as volunteer recruitment, communication skills, developing community collaborations, and group facilitation to name only a few. The VISTAs also traveled to Princeton, New Jersey to the Bonner Foundation’s New Director’s meeting where they met the staff of the Bonner Foundation, learned the history and goals of the Foundation, and gained insight into how the Bonner programs and initiatives impact individual campuses within the Bonner network. 

 

 

VISTA Network Continues – Positions Open for August 2008

Evaluating the VISTA positions and the partnership needs of the community resulted in a revision of the VISTA work plans for next year. The revision supports the goals of the newly developed Community Engagement Learning Outcomes and re-emphasizes the focus on student learning. The community partners will continue to work in conjunction with Wesleyan faculty, staff and students to build strong programs that advance the mission of the agencies and increase students’ knowledge of civic responsibility.

 

Website Created to Promote Community Engagement at Wesleyan

As WVWC planned for implementation of the new initiatives of the Wesleyan Strategic Plan, the office of Community Engagement designed an updated web resource. The website was renovated to include resources and applications for faculty, staff, students, and community partners including the Site-Based Planning Model, examples for Community-Based Research courses, and information regarding Community Engagement course development grants. The website also served as a center for celebration of Wesleyan’s commitment to service. Photographs, news, and January’s MLK Awards were just some of the features listed on the website. (http://www.wvwc.edu/commservice)

 

Community Council and Service Recognition

Community Council, the student governing body of WVWC, has developed a system to capture the many service experiences that are being completed by students and student groups. Working with the office of Community Engagement, a tracking form will be added the Community Council Handbook and will allow the office of Community Engagement to gather information about service sites, accomplishments, partnerships and projects on campus and off campus.

 

 

Wesleyan’s Bonner Scholars Program, in conjunction with the office of Admission, hosted the annual Bonner Preview Day for prospective student and families. The applicants traveled from Maine, Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia to participate in a day of service, interview sessions and informational presentations. As a result of the day, seventeen prospective students will be accepted into the four-year Bonner Scholar Program at WVWC.

 

Search Committee Formed for Dean of Community Engagement Position

A search committee, chaired by President Balch, formed in March 2008 to select a Dean of Community Engagement. This newly created position is designed to promote quality community engagement experiences in the academic programs, as well as through co-curricular service opportunities.

 

Aloi Presents Findings of Community-Based Survey

Dr. Susan Aloi, Director of the Masters in Education Program, presented the results of an Upshur County community-based survey to the Buckhannon Rotary Club on March 21, 2008. The survey project, led by Aloi and 14 MBA students from the “Management for Non-Profit Organizations” course, canvassed 29 local non-profits and collected information pertaining to annual budget size, volunteer management, program administration and strategic planning. The students then analyzed the data received and compiled databases, tables and graphs to illustrate organizational strengths and weaknesses to be used by the cooperating agencies and the office of Community Engagement. The information will be available for future service-learning projects and community engagement opportunities.

The first recipient of one of the six CE Course Development Grants, Aloi noted, “Incorporating the community-based research project into the course provided these MBA students with an alternative perspective on the potential usefulness of the MBA degree in a variety of professional and community settings through their lives.”

 

 

On April 23, 2008, the Upshur County Family Resource Network (FRN) sponsored the 2nd Annual “Celebration of Service” to recognize the Wesleyan community for its dedicates support and service efforts. Wesleyan’s President Balch was among those in attendance to speak at the celebration, emphasizing the solid commitment to community engagement that Wesleyan has to Upshur County and beyond. Furthermore, Joyce Harris-Thacker, Director of the Upshur County FRN, presented President Balch with a gift in her name to the Children’s Abuse Awareness Fund, in honor of Child Abuse Awareness Month.

 

Bjorgo, Rupp Fulfill Spring CE Course Development Grants

The end of spring semester 2008 brought two Community Engagement Course Development Grants to conclusion: Dr. Kimberly Bjorgo-Thorne’s course “Natural Resource Conservation,” and Dr. Robert Rupp’s course “Parties and Elections.”

“Natural Resource Conservation,” a course taught by Bjorgo-Thorne (Environmental Science) was designed in partnership with the Buckhannon River Watershed Association. Students of the course produced a short, informational film highlighting the importance of conserving natural resources within Upshur County, which featured interviews from staff of the BRWA. The film will serve as a promotional tool for the BRWA, as well as a means to raise awareness of watershed and natural resource issues. Students also benefited from the course by engaging in the local community and receiving a hands-on approach to learning about the environment.

Rupp (Political Science) introduced his newly redesigned course, “Parties and Elections”. Rupp incorporated various community engagement components into the course for students to gain a deeper grasp of current political issues and processes as the nation prepares for the 2008 Presidential Election. In addition to studying political issues, students in the course studied research and survey methodology leading up to the West Virginia Republican Convention in February 2008. At the convention, located in Charleston, WV, students surveyed numerous Republican delegates on current economical, political and social issues, as partial fulfillment of the final research project for the course. Rupp added, “The experience allowed students to learn firsthand the theory of polling. It also allowed the students and college to receive state-wide recognition in this initiative.”

 

 

During the conclusion of spring semester 2008, a group of Wesleyan students in partnership with Oxfam American announced they would partner for the 2008 “Engaging Our World” Conference to be held on Wesleyan’s campus October 24–26, 2008. The group of Wesleyan students, supported by CCE staff, will work during the next months to plan a conference that includes workshops, activities and a keynote speaker focused on three areas of social justice: the environment, poverty and globalization.

 

Planning for Community Engagement Retreat

Planning for the 2nd Annual Community Engagement Retreat for Faculty and Staff has begun. In June 2007, the Mountain Institute service as a welcoming site for 24 Wesleyan faculty, staff, VISTA staff, campus administrators and representatives from the community. Participants will again gather to consider Wesleyan’s implementation of service and community engagement. With President Balch’s continued commitment, community engagement has become an integral part of the strategic planning process of WVWC.

 

 

Earlier this summer, the Bonner Foundation sponsored the Summit on Political Engagement for college and university administrators and students, as well as the annual Summer Leadership Institute for Bonner Congress members. The entire conference, held June 4-7th at Allegheny College, explored themes of political and civic engagement, and demonstrated through workshops and forums the possible connections found between service and politics. These connections were condensed into five pathways for political change: “elections, litigation and the courts, grassroots mobilizing, lobbying and cultural change.” 

• WVWC staff in attendance: LeeAnn Brown; Evey Hepinger; Brooke Rawson

• WVWC students in attendance: Chaz Barracks ’11; Nisha Nadcar ‘11

 

The 2nd Annual Community Engagement Retreat for Faculty and Staff

For the 2008 Community Engagement Retreat, the Mountain Institute served again as the site for the strategic planning of West Virginia Wesleyan College’s community engagement initiatives. In attendance, 23 Wesleyan faculty, staff, campus administrators and representatives from the community teamed together to consider Wesleyan’s future implementation of service and community engagement initiatives.

With President Balch’s commitment to community engagement becoming an integral part of the strategic planning process, the second annual retreat provided a venue for all participants to exchange ideas and develop a common vision for our campus. The Vice Presidents of Finance and Student Development, the Dean of the Chapel and newly hired Dean of Community Engagement, as well as faculty representing multiple disciplines, such as biology, communication, education, nursing, religion, and sociology were in attendance. The staff in attendance also represented different departments, such as Advancement, Bonner Scholars, Campus Life, Greek Affairs, Housing and Residence Life, and the Library. Community partners from the Family Resource Network and the Upshur County Cooperative Parish were also present and assisted in the planning process.

At the forefront of the agenda, members discussed the implementation of community engagement initiatives within Academics, Student Life, and the infrastructure of Wesleyan as a whole. Retreat participants collaborated to design and initiate a comprehensive plan for implementation of such initiatives on campus. At the bottom of this page, you will find documents associated with the retreat agenda, as well as comprehensive notes taken during the retreat.

 

 

Dr. Kimberly Yousey accepted the position for the Dean of Community Engagement at West Virginia Wesleyan College. Yousey has a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from New York University, a Master of Education from Kent State University, and a Bachelor of Music Education from Baldwin-Wallace College. Yousey began her position at the newly created Center for Community Engagement on July 1, 2008.

 

Wesleyan VISTA Stays On, Buckhannon-Upshur Renews Three Positions

Wesleyan VISTA Brooke Rawson opted to serve another year-long appointment to focus on faculty training, curriculum support and resource development for the CCE.

The Buckhannon-Upshur community also renewed three VISTA positions during this time at the Upshur Literacy Volunteers, Upshur Cooperative Parish House and the Stockert Youth Center. Wesleyan graduates Kristi McDaniel, Lesle Sites and Sarah Fincham filled these positions, respectively.

 

Wesleyan Faculty and Staff Members Apply for REAP Grant

On July 1, 2008, Dr. Kimberly Bjorgo-Thorne (Environmental Science), Evey Hepinger, and Brooke Rawson organized and wrote a grant for Wesleyan’s recycling program through the Department of Environmental Protection. The grant funding will provide needed resources such as new recycling bins, liners and promotional material for campus.

 

 

On Tuesday, August 26, the Center for Community Engagement held its first annual Volunteer Service Fair, featuring a variety of community partners hosting tables at the French A. See Dinning Center to inform Wesleyan faculty, staff and students of their local organizations and causes. Before the Service Fair began, community partners took time to attend a short workshop led by Dr. Kimberly Yousey and Brooke Rawson. The workshop presented information regarding the newly formed Center, ways to access student volunteers on campus, and best practices of community engagement and service-learning. 

• Buckhannon-Upshur Community Organizations in attendance: William R. Sharpe, Jr. Hospital; Young Life; Stockert Youth Center; Stonewall Jackson Lake; Head Start; Lewis/Upshur Community Corrections; Literacy Volunteers of Upshur County; Opportunity House; Upshur County Family Resource Network; Upshur County Parish House; Buckhannon River Watershed Association; United Way of Gilmer, Lewis and Upshur Counties; Buckhannon River Habitat for Humanity; 4-H; Army Corps of Engineers (Pittsburgh)

 

Web 2.0 Resources Created for CCE

In response to the Political Summit attended in June 2008, the newly formed CCE created a series of Web 2.0 resources to promote community engagement to a new generation of students who use internet technology to communicate and organize. These online technologies include blogs, wikis, social media, online document editing and others. Not only will these new resources create a new medium for communicating service activities, but also to promote and celebrate Wesleyan’s commitment to service.

 

 

September 2008

CCE Holds Open House for Wesleyan and Buckhannon-Upshur Communities

At the beginning of the 2008-2009 academic year, the Center for Community Engagement held an open house for faculty, staff, students and community partners to familiarize members of the surrounding community of the Center’s strategic plan and the various projects and events to be implemented that year. All groups were represented well, including a visit by President Balch.

 

 

October 10, 2008 marked Wesleyan's Founders Day when the campus community remembered the founding vision and mission of West Virginia Wesleyan College. At this year’s ceremony, Rev. Wayne Meisel, President of the Corella and Bertram F. Bonner Foundation, delivered a Founders Day address to the Wesleyan campus community. Following the ceremony, Meisel met with Wesleyan Bonner Scholars to discuss their service within Buckhannon, WV and beyond. 

 

Schoffler Presents CE Grant: To Kill A Mockingbird

This fall, during Wesleyan's Homecoming Weekend, Professor Thomas Schoffler (Theatre) presented his grant project "The Mockingbird Project"; a theatrical adaptation of Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird staged on the porches of Central Avenue in Buckhannon, WV. With assistance from Wesleyan student actors, Buckhannon Community Theatre actors, guest artist Mary E. Hill, and the whole neighborhood block of Central Avenue, the play introduced a unique forum for dialogue about the real racial tensions faced in the past, and those of today.

 

Wesleyan and Oxfam Host 2008 “Engaging Our World” Conference

This fall, West Virginia Wesleyan College and Oxfam America co-hosted the 2008 Engaging Our World Conference in conjunction with the 2008 Bonner Scholars Fall Congress Meeting. 300 students, administrators and organization representatives from 65 campuses and 20 organizations came to Wesleyan’s campus October 24-26, 2008 to attend workshops and events centered on social justice, as well as the keynote speaker on Saturday evening, Raj Patel.

Friday, October 24th, the conference began with a welcoming session - both to welcome everyone to West Virginia Wesleyan and to the engaging conference starting that evening. Student leaders on the EOW Planning Committee introduced themselves, as well as a short video to discuss EOW and Bonner Congress as one event. Also, Dr. Eric Waggoner (English) sang and performed songs for the audience centered around political engagement.

Saturday, October 25th, the workshops began in the morning covering topics from homeless voting rights to fair vs. free trade, and social media to mountain top removal. At lunch and in the late afternoon, organization representatives set up their tables in French A. See Dining Hall to energize students in social justice topics like political research, Ugandan genocide, mountaintop removal and legislation to end poverty. Following the Organizational Fair, EOW attendees ate an “Eat So They Can” dinner in which campus groups donate and cook food, and the admission for the dinner goes toward one international and one local non-profit.

That evening, Kitty Correal, a junior International Studies major, and Dr. Kimberly Yousey welcomed on stage Raj Patel as the 2008 EOW Keynote Speaker. Patel, a journalist, food policy expert and author of the book Stuffed and Starved, spoke to a large crowd in Wesley Chapel about the systems in the world food market that negatively affect the distribution of food, as well as its by-products: quality/quantity of food, the global economy, poverty, the environment, fuel, consumerism and so on. Following his talk, the students in the audience engaged in a dynamic Q&A session.

Immediately following Raj’s talk, three female Wesleyan students - Cara Clark, Jennifer Jones and Emily Zahn - performed their rendition of Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues”. Zahn commented, “‘Vagina Monologues’ helps to raise awareness on abuse and injustice so it was important to do this show at a social justice conference. ” The show is also a part of the charity “V-Day”.

Sunday, October 26, signaled the closing of the EOW conference with guests Wayne Meisel, President of the Corella and Bertram F. Bonner Foundation, and Senator John Unger II, West Virginia State Senator, speaking to a crowd of attendees in Wesley Chapel. Both Meisel and Unger addressed how students can impact civic and community engagement on their campuses and beyond. Furthermore, both stressed the importance to not only vote in the upcoming presidential election, but to also hold whichever candidate accountable for actual, positive “change” after November 4th.

 

CCE Staff Attend Poverty Training

LeeAnn Brown, Evey Hepinger and Brooke Rawson attended a poverty training sponsored by the Region VII Aging Services at Stonewall Jackson Resort. The training was Dr. Ruby Payne’s well-known “Framework of Poverty”, which discusses the characteristic patterns and indicators of modern American poverty.

 

 

As part of the strategic plan to incorporate community engagement in curricular and co-curricular settings, meetings with individual academic departments were conducted between November and February. These meetings talked about defining community engagement, what fits into current circulum and how the Center can help support faculty in their community engagement efforts. In addition, a proposal was introduced to various academic departments that fully integrates community engagement into every students experience at Wesleyan.

 

Bonner Directors Meeting Attended by CCE Staff

In November, LeeAnn Brown and Evey Hepinger attended a Directors Meeting for the Corella and Bertram F. Bonner Foundation. At this meeting, directors of Bonner Scholars from varying schools across the United States were trained in new Serve 2.0 initiatives, as well as new collegiate initiatives.

 

Survey Designed for Stockert Youth Center

In an effort to assist City Council’s strategic planning effort, Dr. Kimberly Yousey and Brooke Rawson designed and organized a survey for local parents of elementary-aged children to assess various elements, both programmatic and logistical, of the Stockert Youth Center in Buckhannon, WV. This survey will help evaluate SYC’s programs and physical space in order to serve families and children better in Upshur County.

 

 

December 2008

Popson and Lee Conclude 2008 CE Course Development Grant Series

In December 2008, the final two out of the original six CE Course Development Grants were completed by Dr. Shauna Popson (Nursing) and Dr. Kevin Lee (Communication). Popson's grant project partnered with local pregnancy organizations to provide a community baby shower for low-income or at-risk mothers. At the shower, Wesleyan nursing students from various family health oriented courses assisted in the presentation of pre-natal care information and resources. Lee's grant project focused on a marketing plan for the local Buckhannon River Watershed Association. Students within his course, "Public Relations, Principle and Practices", worked with the Watershed towards specific public relations goals. The students developed four different proposals and presented them at the end of the semester to both the BRWA's boardand the CE Course Development Grant Committee.

 

Five New CE Grants Accepted for 2009

This December 2008, Dr. Kimberly Yousey announced the availability of the second series of six course development grant opportunities for faculty members at West Virginia Wesleyan College.  Continuing from the first year, the grants were available to faculty designing a new course or revising an existing course to include a community engagement component. Each course selected will involve faculty and students interacting directly with community partners and local organizations.  During the course, students draw lessons from their experiences, and learn the skills set out by the Community Engagement Learning Outcomes.

Members of the Selection Committee for the grant series accepted three $1,000 proposals and one $3,000 global proposal from Wesleyan faculty for 2009. Accepted faculty represented a wide array of departments, including Biology, Communication, Exercise Science and Theatre Arts. The courses will be implemented starting January 2009.

 

REAP Grant Awarded to Wesleyan for Recycling Program

Faculty and staff members that applied in July 2008 for a REAP Grant, funded by the Department of Environmental Protection, were notified in December 2008 that they had received $6,500.00 for Wesleyan’s recycling program. Dr. Kimberly Bjorgo-Thorne, Assistant Professor of Biology, Evey Hepinger and Brooke Rawson traveled to Kanawha City, WV to receive the award from Governor Joe Manchin. The funding will assist in the purchase of new recycling bins and liners for campus, as well as promotional materials to encourage the Wesleyan community to increase current recycling efforts.

 

Strategic Planning Retreat Held for CCE Staff

On December 17, 2008, staff of the CCE held a day-retreat to assess their accomplishments within the Community Engagement Strategic Plan, and to brainstorm new priorities for the spring semester of 2009. Some of these priorities include the continual enhancement of community partner relationships, as well as the use of technology and support for faculty development.

 

Plans Begin for 2nd Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Service Awards

In January 2008, the Chapel Office and office of Community Engagement initiated the first annual Martin Luther King Jr. Service Awards to recognize members of the Wesleyan campus and Buckhannon-Upshur community who had demonstrated a commitment to service and civic engagement. With positive feedback received in 2008 by both the Wesleyan and Buckhannon-Upshur communities, the Chapel Office and the CCE partnered again to initiate plans for the 2nd Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Service Awards to be held January 21, 2009 at 7pm in Wesley Chapel. The nomination process will be open to all members of the campus community, and recipients will be selected by a committee consisting of Wesleyan student leaders, faculty and staff.