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Graduating seniors honored for commitment to postgraduate service

2015-05-22T10:00:00-04:00

One hundred twenty-four University of 91�Թ� graduating seniors embarking on a year or more of service in this country and abroad were honored during the University’s annual Service Send-Off ceremony on May 16 (Saturday) in the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center’s Leighton Concert Hall.

, president of the University of 91�Թ�, commended the seniors for their commitment to service and for living out what is at the core of the University’s mission: “… to cultivate in its students not only an appreciation for the great achievements of human beings but also a disciplined sensibility to the poverty, injustice and oppression that burden the lives of so many. The aim is to create a sense of human solidarity and concern for the common good that will bear fruit as learning becomes service to justice.”

Some of the graduates will mentor orphans in Latin America and Africa, while more than a quarter will join the or programs that share its model to serve as educators in the nation’s Catholic schools. Some will serve in Alumni Service Corps, City Year, Providence Alliance for Catholic Teachers, the Peace Corps and Teach for America. Others will live and work side by side with people with disabilities, mentor children worldwide, work to break the cycle of abuse or repair substandard housing in Appalachia. Still others will work with the rural poor and suffering in Jamaica and Haiti, foster spiritual formation in the nation’s parishes or provide a host of other services that match the mission of 91�Թ�.

Katherine Eva Maich, a Ph.D. candidate in sociology at the University of California, Berkeley, offered a reflection for the gathered students on her own postgrad service and the questions it raised that continue to shape her life. Maich’s postgraduate experience included work through the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Camden, New Jersey, with Fair Share Housing’s Ethel Lawrence Homes, an organization devoted to economically and racially diversifying New Jersey’s highly segregated urban/suburban divide.

Maich, who was an major with a minor in at 91�Թ�, said, “I didn’t quite know what was ahead for me after graduation. My minor in Catholic Social Teaching … had enabled me to develop an informed analysis of social justice, the preferential option for the poor and vulnerable, and rights of workers and the marginalized. I knew I wanted to put those politics into practice in a meaningful way, as I had in working with the , on a during the most physically demanding four hours of my life when I picked tomatoes in Immokalee, Florida, and as I had during three in South Bend, Raleigh and Durham, and Boston. But what I didn’t know was how much I would be affected by the questions Camden raised, and by the chance it offered me to show me the need to create community throughout my life.”

Maich went on to say that she learned to see herself differently through the moments of encounter lived out while in Camden and “that has affected my research practice, my teaching at Berkeley and the sense of how my work takes on questions of social justice, marginality and the rights of workers that I first seriously thought about at 91�Թ�.”

Miranda Madrid, who will serve with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest, introduced Father Jenkins. Micah Burbanks-Ivey introduced Maich, and Jaclyn Paul, who will also serve with Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest, introduced , executive director of the .

In introducing Maich, Burbanks-Ivey recalled the summer of 2012 when he participated in a Summer Service Learning Program through the Center for Social Concerns with St. Peter Claver Church in the community of Treme, New Orleans. “When I stepped into St Peter Claver Church, I thought I was there to help a community (still suffering from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina), I did not realize I was there to join one. The Center for Social Concerns and the community of St. Peter Claver taught me one of my greatest life lessons, that I was not there to help, but I was there to serve.”

Many of the attending graduates became involved in service and social action through the programs and courses of the Center for Social Concerns. They join a community of many thousands of 91�Թ� alumni who have chosen postgraduate volunteer service since the Center for Social Concerns was founded in 1983.

Contact: John Guimond, Center for Social Concerns, 574-631-3209, John.Guimond.2@nd.edu

Rev. Greg Boyle, S.J., founder of Homeboy Industries, to deliver Annual Rev. Bernie Clark, C.S.C. Lecture on Catholic Social Tradition

2014-09-05T09:00:00-04:00

Rev. Greg Boyle, S.J., founder of , will deliver the Annual Rev. Bernie Clark, C.S.C. Lecture entitled “Joy & Hope in the Hood” at 7 p.m. Sept. 9 (Tues.) in Room 101, DeBartolo Hall on the University of 91�Թ� campus. is the theme for the for the 2014–15 academic year in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Vatican II document, , regarded as one of the most significant documents of Catholic social teaching in the twentieth century. This event is free and open to the public.

Homeboy Industries traces its roots to “Jobs for the Future” (JFF), a program created in 1988 by Father Greg at Dolores Mission parish in Los Angeles, California. In an effort to address the escalating problems and unmet needs of gang-involved youth, Father Greg and the community developed positive alternatives, including establishing an elementary school, a day care program and finding legitimate employment for young people. JFF’s success demonstrated the model followed today that many gang members are eager to leave the dangerous and destructive life on the streets.

In 1992, as a response to the civil unrest in Los Angeles, Father Greg launched Homeboy Bakery, the first business with a mission to create an environment that provided training, work experience, and above all, the opportunity for rival gang members to work side by side. The success of the Bakery created the groundwork for additional businesses, thus prompting JFF to become an independent non-profit organization, Homeboy Industries, in 2001. Today Homeboy Industries’ nonprofit economic development enterprises include Homeboy Bakery, Homeboy Silkscreen, Homeboy/Homegirl Merchandise, and Homegirl Café.

The Annual was created by the Center for Social Concerns in 2009 in order to highlight the issues and themes within the Catholic social tradition, and to inspire students to live out Father Bernie’s message of promoting social justice.

The Center for Social Concerns (CSC) provides community-based learning courses, community-based research and service opportunities for students and faculty and lies at the heart of the University. It is a place where faith and action, service and learning, research and resolve intersect. Over the past 32 years, the Center has offered educational experiences in social concerns inspired by Gospel values and the Catholic social tradition so that students and faculty may better understand and respond to poverty and injustice.

Contact: John M. Guimond, Associate Director, Communications and Development, Center for Social Concerns, 574-631-3209.

Graduating seniors honored for commitment to postgraduate service

2014-05-19T09:30:00-04:00

From left, Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., Annie Selak, Terry Fitzgibbons, Rev. Ray Hammond, M.D., and Rev. Paul V. Kollman, C.S.C., join hands in prayer at the closing of the Center for Social Concerns’ Seniors Send-Off Ceremony

One hundred fifty-two University of 91�Թ� graduating seniors embarking on a year or more of service in this country and abroad were honored during the University’s annual Service Send-Off ceremony on May 17 (Saturday) in the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center’s Leighton Concert Hall.

, president of the University of 91�Թ�, commended the seniors for their commitment to service. Nearly a third of the graduates will join the or programs that share its model to serve as educators in the nation’s Catholic schools. Some will serve in City Year, the Peace Corps and Teach for America. Others will mentor orphans in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean; work to break the cycle of child abuse; or repair substandard housing in Appalachia. Still others will advocate for the rights of workers in the Southwest, foster spiritual formation in the nation’s parishes or provide a host of other services that match the mission of 91�Թ�.

, rector for Walsh Hall, whose postgraduate experience included work through the Jesuit Volunteer Corps at Alternatives for Girls in Detroit, and ‘04, rector in Duncan Hall, whose post-graduate experiences included teaching in Uganda through the Overseas Lay Ministry Program, offered the gathered students a joint reflection on how their postgrad service transformed their lives, and, if open to it, how it will transform the students’ lives.

Selak said, “We may approach service to experience new things, to earn a master’s degree or to give to others. And while all these may happen, they really are just the filler in the margins. The real point of engaging in service is transformation. We enter into service to encounter others. And if we truly allow others into our lives … we will naturally be transformed.”

Fitzgibbons reminded the students, “This service send-off is a very nice occasion, where we should definitely celebrate. However, every day in your placements and hopefully every day afterward, there will be smaller justice send-offs. Justice, which asks the questions of why there is a need for service in the first place. Not just attending to the man on the side of the road, like the Good Samaritan did, but as Martin Luther King would say, fixing the whole Jericho road.”

Jonathan Schommer ’14, who will participate in 91�Թ�’s ESTEEM () program, introduced Father Jenkins; Jiyeon Ahn ’14, who will serve with Farm of the Child in Honduras, introduced Selak and Fitzgibbons. Yuko Gruber ’14, who will serve with the L’Arche in Washington, D.C., introduced , executive director of the .

In introducing Father Jenkins, Schommer offered that the words of Dorothy Day, “‘You love God as much as you love the one you love the least,’ have been this pestering voice of conscience as I’ve tried to build genuine relationships. As much as I can look at my experience as one of being present to the joys in my life, I think it would also be true to say that my time at 91�Թ� has been an experience of finding the things I love the least.”

In introducing Fitzgibbons and Selak, Ahn recalled an experience in Kolkata working with Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity as part of an that transformed the way she understood service. “You. Did. It. To. Me. Shortened from a passage of the Last Judgment in Matthew 25, the ‘five-finger gospel’ gives meaning to the work — to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked and visit the imprisoned. It meant that the patients I served in the home for the destitute and dying, the children I danced with in the classroom every morning, the slum children who taught me Bengali — they were all Jesus.”

In introducing Father Kollman, Gruber spoke of how blessed she has been to participate in programs offered through the Center for Social Concerns and at the University. “Learning to recognize the fruits of life in community is one of the greatest blessings I have received through my experiences in the Center for Social Concerns.”

Many of the graduates became involved in service and social action through the programs and courses of the Center for Social Concerns. They join a community of many thousands of 91�Թ� alumni who have chosen postgraduate volunteer service since the Center for Social Concerns was founded in 1983.

Contact: Mike Hebbeler, director, Senior Transitions Programs, Center for Social Concerns, 574-631-5779, Hebbeler.2@nd.edu

Howard Zehr, 'grandfather of restorative justice,' to speak at 91�Թ�

2014-04-07T16:05:00-04:00

Howard Zehr

Howard Zehr, Distinguished Professor of Restorative Justice at the at Eastern Mennonite University who is widely known as “the grandfather of restorative justice,” will speak at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday (April 8) in the Geddes Hall Coffee House. His presentation is titled, “Dream or vision? Restorative justice in the decade ahead.” The talk is free and open to the public.

Zehr began as a practitioner and theorist in restorative justice in the late 1970s at the foundational stage of the field. He has led hundreds of events in more than 25 countries and 35 states, including trainings and consultations on restorative justice, victim-offender conferencing, judicial reform and other criminal justice matters. His impact has been especially significant in the United States, Brazil, Japan, Jamaica, Northern Ireland, Britain, the Ukraine and New Zealand, a country that has restructured its juvenile justice system into a family-focused, restorative approach.

A prolific writer and editor, speaker, educator and photojournalist, Zehr actively mentors other leaders in the field. More than 1,000 people have taken Zehr-taught courses and intensive workshops in restorative justice, many of whom lead their own restorative justice-focused organizations.

Zehr was an early advocate of making the needs of victims central to the practice of restorative justice. A core theme in his work is respect for the dignity of all peoples.

From 2008-2011, he served on the Victims Advisory Group of the U.S. Sentencing Commission. In 2013, Zehr stepped away from active classroom teaching and became co-director, with Dr. Carl Stauffer, of the new .

This talk is cosponsored by the and the .

Contact: John M. Guimond, 574-631-3209, John.Guimond.2@nd.edu

Nitesh Chawla receives 2014 Rodney F. Ganey, Ph.D., Community-Based Research Award

2014-04-03T13:40:00-04:00

, Frank Freimann Collegiate Associate Professor in the and director of the Interdisciplinary Center for Network Science and Applications (iCeNSA) at the University of 91�Թ�, is the recipient of the 2014 , which is given annually by the 91�Թ� .

Nitesh Chawla

The award, in the amount of $5,000, honors a 91�Թ� faculty member whose research has made a contribution in collaboration with local community organizations. Chawla’s passion since arriving at 91�Թ� in 2007 has been leveraging big data for the common good. His research in network and data science in personalized health and wellness is translating into solutions for real problems within the community.

Chawla, who refers to himself as a dataologist, said that Americans’ health and wellness would improve if more attention were paid to the circumstances of people’s daily lives, such as access to grocery stores, recreational facilities and schools, in addition to whether they smoke or have allergies. In partnership with their doctors, people could then identify trends between their personal habits and certain diseases. Chawla said that tracking personal data on a large scale — big data — can help move people from insufficient health care to abundant health. “The health and wellness problem,” he said, is actually “outside of the setting of health care.”

Chawla said, “How can we leverage data about our lifestyles, environment, socio-economic conditions to develop an actionable and personalized health and wellness plan?” Just as Amazon and Netflix can give suggestions about the types of books and movies one might enjoy, Chawla hopes for a similar system to guide people to better health choices. “What if … all our data could be leveraged?” he asked. “If diseases are driven by lifestyle, shared experiences, similarities, behaviors and habits, we have an opportunity of doing that.”

For instance, regarding diabetes, it would be possible to explore “who are the non-diabetic, what do they look like, what are they doing, how are they similar to (you or me).” In this way people could become, Chawla said, “empowered to take the right action … That’s the power in collective data.”

Chawla said, “Practical data-driven innovations in personalized health and wellness will be transformative in our health care system. It can improve patient-centered outcomes, reduce costs and help eliminate disparities in health care. It is about leveraging population health data to drive personalized health outcomes.”

According to iCeNSA community health program manager and (CHE) program liaison , “Nitesh has a real special interest in the improvement of personalized health and health care and using data to streamline that process.”

In a recently completed local pilot project, Chawla, with his graduate student , collaborated with CHE program staff at Memorial Hospital in South Bend within its program at Heritage Place at LaSalle Square. Heritage Place is an independent living facility in South Bend.

The project was to develop a tool to improve the residents’ ability to manage their prescription medications. With the use of digital tablets, the residents tested the personalized health and wellness application developed by Chawla’s group, which provided them with personalized observations of daily living, such as reminders of when to take their medications.

According to Patty Willaert, manager of community outreach at Memorial, “The residents didn’t fully grasp that this was going to be the first use of the tool. There was a lot of frustration initially. Now, the residents have come to see that they are a part of the process and are giving valuable feedback.” They have become more active agents in their own care.

Margo DeMont, executive director of Community Health Enhancement at Memorial Hospital, said, “I feel our seniors crossed that bridge to technology and feel comfortable using technology. Nitesh opened it all up for us. He is a very dedicated, humane person.”

Chawla’s collaboration with the CHE program and Heritage Place at LaSalle Square residents will continue toward a comprehensive understanding of the impact of smart health technology in forming health and wellness. Future projects are already in discussion to model and study how to appropriately structure the incentives for the residents of aging-in-place communities in the region.

Chawla works not only in his own discipline, but also across disciplines, encouraging projects with graduate and undergraduate students from 91�Թ� in collaboration with a variety of partners in the South Bend area. In addition, according to Mikels-Carrasco, Chawla “has made himself and iCeNSA available to aspiring local high school students interested in exploring the study of network and data science and is also launching two new funded pilots with a middle school and a diabetic population."

Chawla received his Ph.D. in computer science and engineering from the University of South Florida in 2002. His research interests are broadly in the areas of big data: data mining, machine learning, network science and their applications social networks, health care informatics/analytics and climate data science. He directs the iCeNSA and the at 91�Թ�. Chawla’s multiple awards include outstanding teacher awards, outstanding dissertation award, Michiana 40 Under 40, National Academy of Engineers New Faculty Fellowship and a number of best paper awards and nominations. He received the IBM Watson Faculty Award in 2012 and the IBM Big Data and Analytics Faculty Award in 2013. He serves as a principal investigator or co-PI on more than $11.5 million of external research funding since 2007.

The Ganey Award is funded by local entrepreneur and philanthropist Rodney F. Ganey, Ph.D., and awarded by the University of 91�Թ�’s Center for Social Concerns. The center facilitates community-based learning, research and service for 91�Թ� undergraduates, graduate students and faculty. Since 1983, more than 15,000 students and hundreds of faculty have been engaged in its courses, research and programs.

For more information about the Ganey Award, visit .

Contact: Mary Beckman, Center for Social Concerns, 574-631-4172, mbeckman@nd.edu

Peter Woo named recipient of Indiana Campus Compact student community commitment award

2014-03-28T10:45:00-04:00

Peter Woo speaks at the 2014 TEDxUND event

Senior Peter Woo, Class of 2014, a and a finance and philosophy major with a minor in Chinese at the University of 91�Թ�, has been named the recipient of the (ICC) 2014 . The annual award recognizes the efforts of students from an Indiana college or university for the impact they have in their communities and on the citizens of Indiana.

This marks the third year in a row that a University of 91�Թ� student has received the Wood Award. Jon Schommer, Class of ’14, received the 2013 award and , Class of ’13, received the 2012 award.

Woo grew up with missionary parents in Thailand and was able to see firsthand how much service means to both the recipient and the people who serve. When he came to 91�Թ�, Woo grew steadily along a continuum of service from curious college student to founder of the microlending institution (JIFFI).

The summer after his freshman year, he traveled to India as part of an through the (CSC), where he worked in a nonprofit community agency, tasked with researching money-lending practices. When he came back to campus that fall, he researched predatory lending in the United States, and specifically South Bend. In final preparation for launching JIFFI, Woo spent the summer of 2012 at a microfinance organization through a from the CSC and to gain additional microlending experience.

Woo said, “I had to act, especially as a business student, and follow my philosophy of service.” He gathered a team of 12 students and together they laid the groundwork for the student-run microlending organization as an alternative to predatory lending in South Bend. JIFFI now has eight active borrowers after opening the doors last February. The staff of 12 has grown to 30, JIFFI has formed partnerships to expand its client base and the operation has an office downtown South Bend.

In recommending Woo for the award, Bonnie Bazata, executive director of , said, “Peter approached us and asked to understand how poverty works in our community and what he could do about it. He wanted to connect this effort to his growing expertise in business and finances, and he found his niche when he learned about the trap of payday lenders who can charge up to 390 percent on loans to low-income people who lack access to fair credit and face financial crises regularly. With an estimated 7,000 payday loan borrowers in St. Joseph County, JIFFI is anticipating to save the county roughly $3.5 million annually by bringing everyone out of the trap of payday loans. Now that is a lasting contribution that few students are able to make to the community where they learn and grow for four of the most important years of their lives.”

His focus is now on sustaining the business. Woo said, “When I founded JIFFI, I wanted to build an organization that would offer my peers, now and in the future, an opportunity to engage with South Bend on a deeper level than ever before. My intent for JIFFI does not end with providing tools for financial independence; I also wanted to share my philosophy of service by shaping JIFFI as a nexus at which students’ interests, passions and vocations intersect in concrete action to address real problems in the community. I am encouraged because my understanding of service as relating to others with what we have as a fellow human being is really just an attitude, a way to be human.”

Woo was recognized at a luncheon and awards program as part of the Indiana Campus Compact Service Engagement Summit on Thursday (March 27) in Indianapolis. He is one of four Service Engagement Award winners who were honored for their work at the summit. Along with the public recognition, the award winners receive a cash gift to donate to the community partner of their choice in order to further its service to the community.

Read Woo’s essay, “With What We Have,” that was part of the nomination process for the award.

Indiana Campus Compact supports higher education’s efforts to develop students into well-informed, engaged citizens. By providing programs, services and resources, ICC serves as a catalyst for campuses and communities to improve people’s lives through service-learning and civic engagement initiatives. For information, visit .

91�Թ� community of faith responds to call for peace in Syria

2013-09-05T13:00:00-04:00

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“Let us ask Mary to help us to respond to violence, to conflict and to war, with the power of dialogue, reconciliation and love. She is our mother: May she help us to find peace; all of us are her children! Help us, Mary, to overcome this most difficult moment and to dedicate ourselves each day to building in every situation an authentic culture of encounter and peace. Mary, Queen of Peace, pray for us!” — Pope Francis, Angelus address on Sept. 1 (Sunday)

The University of 91�Թ� community of faith will join Pope Francis and people of faith around the world for a on Saturday (Sept. 7). 91�Թ�’s , , Student Government Association, , and other student organizations have planned a series of events and liturgies to mark the day of fasting and prayer, and they welcome participation in person or in spirit.

, executive director for the Center for Social Concerns at the University of 91�Թ�, said, “It is only fitting that this community of faith here at our Lady’s University stand in solidarity with Pope Francis and Catholics around the world in a day of fasting and prayer on the afternoon of Sept. 7, the vigil of a holy day honoring the birth of Mary, Queen of Peace.”

The Holy Father called the world’s Catholics to the day of fasting and prayer for peace during the Angelus address on Sunday, in which he decried war and the use of chemical weapons and emphatically appealed for peace and access for humanitarian workers helping to alleviate the suffering of so many people impacted by the civil war. (Read the of the address by Pope Francis, and view a short of his words.)

The complete series of events to be held on the campus of 91�Թ� can be found .

Friday (Sept. 6)

11:30 a.m., Basilica of the Sacred Heart: Mass including special intention for Syria and day of prayer and fasting on Saturday with , presiding.
noon-5 p.m.: Lady Chapel, Basilica of the Sacred Heart: Eucharistic Adoration.
5:15 p.m., Basilica of the Sacred Heart: Mass with special prayer intention for peace with Father John Santone, C.S.C., presiding.

Saturday (Sept. 7)

10 a.m., in front of the Main Building (rain location Geddes Hall Chapel): Peace Fellowship and student-led morning prayer; fasting during the day.
11 a.m.-noon, Morrissey Hall Chapel: Vigil.
noon-1 p.m., Sorin Hall Chapel: Adoration organized by Militia of the Immaculata.
4:30 p.m., Grotto: Prayer to break the fast.
5 p.m., Basilica of the Sacred Heart: Vigil Mass with special intention for peace with Father Scheidler presiding.

Students will break their fast by eating together in the dining halls. On Sunday (Sept. 8), campus residence halls will offer evening hall Masses with special prayer intention for peace.

Contact: John M. Guimond, director of communications, Center for Social Concerns, 574-631-3209, John.Guimond.2@nd.edu

Center for Social Concerns launches series on hyper-incarceration

2013-08-28T11:05:00-04:00

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“What people fail to grasp is that the issues against which African-Americans railed in 1963 were just as invisible to some of us back then as the issues of 2013 are to some of us right now. They did not see the evil of police brutality in ’63 any more than some of us can see the evil of mass incarceration now.” — Leonard Pitts Jr., Miami Herald, Aug. 27

1963 was a pivotal year in this country’s civil rights movement. In April of that year, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” On June 12, civil rights activist Medgar Evers was assassinated. On Aug. 28, 50 years ago Wednesday, King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. And on Sept. 15, the Ku Klux Klan bombed the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., killing four young girls.

Fifty years past that tumultuous time, there is growing recognition of a significant civil rights challenge in our midst: hyper-incarceration, which disproportionately targets minorities.

In response, the University of 91�Թ�’s has announced a new fall Social Concerns Seminar titled “” and will launch a yearlong series of events in collaboration with other campus units focused on the issue of incarceration. This series will include documentaries, lectures and opportunities for dialogue about the rise of the prison system, the war on drugs, the school-to-prison pipeline, the effects of incarceration (on the incarcerated, their families and their communities) and productive alternatives. Speakers and panels will comment further on issues addressed by the documentaries and lectures, and related discussions will bring students and community members together to explore themes and consider implications.

According to , a member of the Center for Social Concerns staff who focuses on restorative justice, “We want to raise awareness of hyper-incarceration and its effects. But awareness is not enough. It is important also to think critically about the practice of incarcerating massive numbers of black and brown people, and about the values and systems that practice reflects. We need to examine how we are responding to wrongdoing — both in our own choices as community members and in what we ask our institutions to do in our names. We need to ask whether and how we might be using criminal justice policy to preserve white privilege.”

, chair of the Center’s Justice Education Committee, explained, “The goal is to promote critical thinking about crime and about criminal justice policy and offer Catholic Social Teaching as another lens through which to consider these issues so that together we foster responses based on the principles of dignity and justice.”

The series will kick off at 7 p.m. Sept. 9 (Monday) at the Annenberg Auditorium in the , with a lecture by Wilson Fallin Jr., professor of history, University of Montevallo, titled “Spirituality, Birmingham Bombing and Birmingham Civil Rights Movement.”

For a complete listing of events, visit .

Center for Social Concerns institute helps faculty integrate community engagement into scholarly portfolio

2013-06-18T09:00:00-04:00

The second annual , held May 29 through May 31 (Wednesday through Friday) at the University of 91�Թ�, was designed to help faculty deepen their understanding of the theory and practice of academic community engagement. Eighteen faculty and graduate students from numerous University organizations participated in the Faculty Institute. More than 40 campus and community experts presented over the three-day institute, augmenting daily readings on the scholarship of engagement, service learning, the pedagogy of reflective writing and community-based research.

“Last year there were more than 170 community-based learning courses offered across disciplines at 91�Թ�, with more courses being added every year,” said , assistant director of the Center for Social Concerns and director for social concerns seminars and community-based learning. "Our continuing goal for the institute is to inform faculty on how to integrate community engagement into their scholarly portfolio. Academic community engagement draws on faculty’s existing expertise, but it also requires the additional knowledge and support the Center for Social Concerns has developed in its 30 years of connecting academic and community partners to impact positive social change.”

The three-day faculty institute was itself a model of engaged learning, featuring a mix of lectures by faculty and experts from several community partners on the theory and practice of community engagement, along with travel into the local community to learn with community partners who address a range of social concerns, such as poverty, health care and education.

, assistant professional specialist in the Institute for Educational Initiatives and assistant professor of Africana Studies, said, “The Faculty Institute was a reminder of the abundance we are surrounded with at 91�Թ� and in the local community. To learn that we have over 65 community partnerships, see so many wonderful community leaders in action on our immersion experiences, and hear from community members of all walks of life was thought-provoking and inspiring. The three days at the institute certainly challenged me to think hard about the connections we can make and facilitate for our students, community members and ourselves in our teaching and research practices. We are blessed to have so many community partners willing to welcome 91�Թ� into their work. I am excited for the creative and innovative space that community-based learning embraces and encourages in faculty. The ‘blank slate’-required collaboration holds promise that I don’t even know yet. What a great space to teach and research in with others!”

According to Mick, the Center for Social Concerns focuses on sustainable engagement that helps student, faculty and community development. Building strong, reciprocal relationships is key to sustainable engagement. The institute is designed to foster campus-community partnerships through site visits to partner organizations and by welcoming community partners on campus to discuss their role in community-based learning. Faculty learned from community partners about the care they take in facilitating strong orientation, placement, supervision and reflection as students work at their organizations. Faculty and staff with expertise as theorists and practitioners of engaged teaching and research underscored the importance of intra-campus dialogue and partnerships.

, associate director of the , said, “It follows 91�Թ�’s mission that the infrastructure to intellectually and logistically support community-based work exists on campus, but I had no idea of the many resources available until I participated in the Community Engagement Faculty Institute. The sessions presented practical advice on how to develop a community-based course, and the speakers gave testaments to the impact such courses have on the students and faculty involved, as well as the community partners. The institute had at its core a respect for the community agencies and their clients and a belief in the transformative power of community engagement across the disciplines. I left with many ideas on how to improve upon my students’ and my own experiences in my science CBL course and community projects.”

Mick said, “Our goal was to leave faculty feeling renewed and inspired in their teaching and research objectives even as they left with a concrete sense of the material and human resources that can sustain their engaged scholarship long after the Institute.”

Faculty and students who attended came from the Center for Social Concerns, the , the , the Spanish program and French and Francophone studies in the , , , and the departments of Africana studies; chemistry and biochemistry; classics; education, schooling and society; English; physics; political science; psychology; peace studies; theology; and sociology.

For more information on the Faculty Institute, visit . Faculty interested in joining the Institute next year should contact Mick at cmick@nd.edu.

Graduating seniors honored for commitment to postgraduate service

2013-05-20T16:00:00-04:00

One hundred sixty-nine University of 91�Թ� graduating seniors embarking on a year or more of service in this country and abroad were honored during the University’s annual Service Send-Off ceremony on May 18 (Saturday) in the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center’s Leighton Concert Hall.

, president of the University of 91�Թ�, commended the seniors for their commitment to service. Nearly a quarter of the graduates will join the (ACE) or programs that share its model to serve as educators in the nation’s Catholic schools. Others will serve in the Peace Corps and Teach for America. Still others will mentor AIDS orphans in South Africa, cultivate sustainable agriculture in the South Pacific islands, foster spiritual formation in the nation’s parishes, or provide a host of other services that match the mission of 91�Թ�.

Elizabeth Moriarty, Class of 2000 and 2007, whose postgraduate experiences included work in an addiction recovery program, in the Catholic Worker program offering hospitality to homeless families, and as a jail chaplain, offered the gathered students: “You and I are called to go out from here … to practice the works of mercy. This is not service. This is sharing life. What I mean is that these are not to be reduced to things we do for a year or two and then get back on track with the real plan. These are the first steps of the rest of your life. This is a path for meeting and loving Jesus. These choices will define who you are now and who you will become as teachers, mothers, fathers, priests, nuns, business people, community organizers, artists or doctors. It is not a retreat or a chance to take a step back for a year off from the real world. It’s a year on."

Graduating senior Gabriela Hernandez, who is undecided on her postgraduate service experience, introduced Father Jenkins. Graduating senior Carl David Jones II, who will serve with ACE in Jacksonville, Fla., introduced Moriarty, and graduating senior Abigail McCrary, who will serve with the Dominican Volunteer Corps in New York, introduced , executive director of the (CSC).

In introducing Father Kollman, McCrary spoke of how blessed she has been as a student at the CSC and at the University. “Father , a 91�Թ� professor of theology, writes, ‘The crossing over and coming back are the greatest spiritual adventures of our time.’ Service allows individuals the opportunity to engage with others in a new context and gain insight and perspective. I have been immensely blessed in my four years at 91�Թ� to have the opportunity to cross over multiple times — from South Bend elementary schools to Westville Prison to India to Uganda — and these experiences have come to define me and my time at this university.”

Father Kollman, in addressing the graduates, said, “You are embarking on something that shows your openness to learn and grow, give and receive. You enter a new university, which L’Arche founder Jean Vanier calls ‘the university of the poor.’ You embrace an internship of sorts, an internship in vulnerability. And you will continue to grow, of that we can be sure. Whether you head to Tanzania or Toronto, into a classroom or a boardroom, whether you teach or learn or pray or listen or fold laundry, or all of these things, you will grow. Lonely or rich in companions, you will grow. Happy or sad, sick or well, you will grow.”

Among the service programs in which this year’s 91�Թ� graduates will participate are ACE, which provides teachers for understaffed parochial schools in dioceses across the United States; 91�Թ�’s , which trains and provides religious educators for Catholic parishes; the Peace Corps; AmeriCorps; Nuestro Pequenos Hermanos, which cares for orphaned and abandoned children in Latin America and the Caribbean; Jesuit Volunteer Corps; and Teach For America.

Many of the graduates became involved in service and social action through the programs and courses of the Center for Social Concerns. They join a community of more than 4,000 91�Թ� alumni who have chosen postgraduate volunteer service since the Center was founded in 1983.

Contact: Mike Hebbeler, director, senior transitions programs, Center for Social Concerns, 574-631-5779, Hebbeler.2@nd.edu

Indiana Campus Compact recognizes Center for Social Concerns

2013-05-07T13:00:00-04:00

Representatives from the University of 91�Թ�’s (CSC) swept three of the four 2013 Service Engagement Awards given at the 20th anniversary dinner held recently in Indianapolis .

, director of community partnerships, received the Community Service Director Award. , a member of the CSC Student Advisory Council, VOICE, received the Richard J. Wood Student Community Commitment Award. , a CSC community partner, received the Outstanding Community Partner Award.

Indiana Campus Compact advances the public purpose of colleges and universities by deepening their ability to improve community life and educate students for civic and social responsibility. This work is accomplished at many levels by engaging faculty, staff, students, university administrators and community partners in this work. In 2012, ICC supported nearly 50,000 individuals through grant programs, professional development opportunities, resources and networking.

, president emeritus of 91�Թ� and one of the founders of Indiana Campus Compact, attended the awards dinner along with the award recipients.

Contact: John Guimond, director of communications, Center for Social Concerns, 574-631-3209, guimond.2@nd.edu

Center for Social Concerns to celebrate 30th anniversary with open house

2013-04-26T16:50:00-04:00

The University of 91�Թ�’s (CSC), founded in 1983, is celebrating its 30th anniversary with an open house on Monday (April 29) from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in the Geddes Hall Coffee House. The event, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 5 p.m.

The CSC is 91�Թ�’s community-based learning, research and service center, a place where faith and action, service and learning, research and resolve intersect. Over the past 30 years, the CSC has grown to offer hundreds of community-based courses, community-based research, and service opportunities that allow students and faculty to better understand—and respond to—poverty and injustice grounded in the 2,000 year-old Catholic social tradition. A recent study conducted by the Center showed that nearly 70 percent of 91�Թ�’s undergraduate alumni are engaged in some form of service 10 years after graduation, a testament to the lasting influence of the Center’s programs, which also can be seen in numbers.

In the CSC’s first 30 years:

More than 18,050 students have taken a one credit seminar;
4,800 students participated in the ;
6,892 students took the ;
7,841 students completed an ;
534 students participated in the ;
More than 4,200 graduates have entered full-time post-graduate service; and
Millions of hours of service have been contributed to communities worldwide.

Beyond its own courses and programs, the Center also reaches out to faculty across disciplines to assist in community-based learning courses and community-based research. Last year, the Center facilitated 172 community-based courses and saw 240 students and 27 faculty engaged in community-based research.

All three executive directors of the CSC, founding executive director Rev. Don McNeill, C.S.C.; , and , will attend the open house.

Contact: John M. Guimond, director of communications, Center for Social Concerns, 574-631-3209, John.Guimond.2@nd.edu

Judith L. Fox receives 2013 Rodney F. Ganey, Ph.D., Community-Based Research Award

2013-04-10T15:00:00-04:00

, clinical professor of law at the University of 91�Թ� , is the recipient of the 2013 , which is given annually by the 91�Թ� . The award, in the amount of $5,000, honors a 91�Թ� faculty member whose research has made a contribution in collaboration with local community organizations. Fox has practiced consumer law for 20 years and has an extensive record of scholarship and community-based work in foreclosure law and debt collection.

Fox has worked with both undergraduate and law students from 91�Թ� in collaboration with the United Way of St. Joseph County and other community partners to address the issues of foreclosures, debt collection and predatory lending in St. Joseph County.

The results of Fox’s research have been felt locally, statewide and at the national level. To date, the city of South Bend has used the results of her community-based research to obtain several million dollars in Housing and Urban Development grants. Funds are addressing abandonment and vacant property issues locally.

In partnership with Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller, Fox provided testimony on her mortgage foreclosure research findings at state hearings in Indianapolis. That testimony contributed to a bill providing those in foreclosure the right to a mortgage settlement conference. “This means that if you are in foreclosure,” said Fox, “you are now entitled to sit down with bank representatives and discuss your situation.” Facilitators meet with those holding the loans and the homeowners in an attempt to reduce abandonment and help people remain in their homes.

“Professor Fox has really been a great asset for the state of Indiana, particularly in my office. The clinic she runs focuses on some of the cutting-edge issues in consumer protection. Her work is about real people’s problems and she serves in areas where people are in real need,” Zoeller said.

Fox’s recent research in debt collection, as presented in her article “” in the Loyola Consumer Law Review, is now having an impact at the national level. She has been asked to provide her data to a newly created federal agency, the Consumer Federal Protection Bureau, charged with writing federal rules on debt collection.

“Judy is one of the best advocates for working and low-income families that this community has,” said Dawn Chapla, director of Labor and Financial Stability at the United Way of St. Joseph County. “This kind of research changes lives in the community — it’s leveraging dollars, it’s gaining help for people, it’s allowing us to put in more programs to build better community — it’s just immeasurable.”

Paul Mickan, a 91�Թ� junior who began working with Fox during his first year of college, said, “I was thrilled by the opportunity to assist a well-respected law professor at such an early stage in my academic career. Our collective work aimed to expose — and combat — the very real and growing problem of foreclosure fraud. Professor Fox’s work will help the vulnerable, the struggling, and others who often cannot afford to fight the false charges brought against them. She allowed me the incredible opportunity to actively participate in a high-powered research project at the onset of my 91�Թ� career.”

“Seeing one client whose house we saved because we got an illegal garnishment corrected — that’s a huge reward,” said Fox. “There’s a double blessing in being able to do it with students.”

Fox received her J.D., magna cum laude, from 91�Թ� in 1993. Prior to joining the law school faculty in 1997, Fox was the deputy director of Berrien County Legal Services in St. Joseph, Mich. She serves on the advisory board of the Indiana Foreclosure Legal Assistance Program and on the predatory lending committee of the Bridges Out of Poverty Initiative, and is a member of the National Association of Consumer Lawyers. She has received numerous awards for her work in consumer protection law, including the Bellow Scholar Award from the American Association of Law Schools and the St. Joseph Valley Project Community Achievement Award for Social Justice. She was also named Crutchfield Professor of the Year by the .

The Ganey Award is funded by local entrepreneur and philanthropist Rodney F. Ganey and is awarded by 91�Թ�’s Center for Social Concerns. The center facilitates community-based learning, research and service for 91�Թ� undergraduates, graduate students and faculty. Since 1983, more than 15,000 students and hundreds of faculty have been engaged in its courses, research and programs.

For more information about the Ganey Award, visit .

Contact: Mary Beckman, Center for Social Concerns, 574-631-4172, mbeckman@nd.edu

Inside-Out: Rethinking crime and justice

2013-03-26T08:00:00-04:00

“‘People believe that God used to be able to turn sinners into saints. He could save Saul of Tarsus on the Road to Damascus, but it’s like they don’t seem to think He can do that anymore. Like today’s criminals are just so bad that even God can’t touch them. It’s sad.’* If we still believe that even Saul on the road to Damascus could turn his life around, if we believe that we can be forgiven and redeemed for our transgressions, then we have to believe that all people can turn their lives around and be redeemed. And this belief that a person’s life is never beyond reclamation is powerful, because it calls us to act like we believe no one is a lost cause.”

David Willcutts, senior biology major, outside student

In spring 2012, the University of 91�Թ�’s added a new course, “,” as part of the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program, a national program based in Philadelphia that creates a dynamic partnership between an institution of higher learning and a correctional facility.

Susan Sharpe, adviser on Restorative Justice, and Ed Kelly, adjunct faculty in the , created the course in collaboration with administrators at Westville Correctional Facility.

Many Inside-Out practitioners see the program as a creative link between two of the largest and most highly funded institutional and social structures in our country: universities and prisons, structures oriented respectively toward the most privileged and underprivileged people in our society. Through their classes, they attempt to deepen the conversation about those structures and transform student thought and attitude regarding crime and justice issues. Adds Kelly, “Our course aims to bridge the gap between two disparate groups of people. We hope that by studying and working together, students will recognize their common humanity and develop the respect and affection that can lead them to effect positive personal and societal change.”

The Inside-Out program was established in 1997 by Lori Pompa, a professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at Temple University, to bring college students and incarcerated men and women together to explore and learn about issues of crime and justice from behind prison walls. It was founded on the simple hypothesis that incarcerated men and women and college students might mutually benefit from studying together as peers.

The three-credit 91�Թ� course, which was held again this past fall, meets once per week for the semester with 15 students from campus — outside students — and the same number of incarcerated people — inside students — attending class together inside the Westville Correctional Facility. As part of the class, all participants read a variety of texts, write several papers and discuss issues in small and large groups. In the final weeks of the semester, inside and outside students work together in small groups on class projects.

“Our goal was to offer 91�Թ� students the opportunity to go behind prison walls and reconsider what they have been assuming or believing about crime and our criminal justice system,” said Sharpe. “At the same time those inside the prison — inside students — have a chance to place their life experiences in a larger framework.”

Kendrick, an inside student, said the course has given him the courage to speak out with his friends and family on the outside against senseless violence and crime and to begin to serve as a positive role model. “I got little brothers too. So they look up to me. I’m their role model and I’m just thankful that they haven’t followed in my footsteps. So, I just want to go back out there and just be productive. And this class is teaching me some pointers on how to do that. I feel proud that I can tell my son I took a class with 91�Թ� students. When I talk to him about going to college, maybe I can inspire him to go and just do it.”

“Both inside and outside of this institution,” observed David Willcutts, “every person seeking to change is deserving of our help should they need it; every person is worthy of our human kindness as we can give it. Let’s remember we’re all in this together, a community of mankind, and no life is worth leaving behind.”

“Rethinking Crime and Justice: Explorations from the Inside Out” will be offered again in fall 2013.

*Shadd Maruna’s “The Rituals of Redemption”

Contact: John Guimond, Center for Social Concerns, guimond.2@nd.edu

Center For Social Concerns to host international experts on peace and justice

2013-03-15T12:00:00-04:00

The University of 91�Թ�’s will host leading international scholars in the on campus March 21-23 (Thursday-Saturday) for a conference titled “.’” The conference will kick off with a viewing of the film “Monseñor: The Last Journey of Oscar Romero” at 7 p.m. March 20.

The conference will explore the thematic peace and justice issues that have been addressed by modern Catholic social thought, especially those within Pope John XXIII’s encyclical “Pacem In Terris” including human rights, political structures, ecumenism and environmentalism. Speakers from around the world, who represent the international and interfaith approach to peacemaking and promotion of human rights that has profoundly affected Catholic teaching and practice, will address the weaknesses or gaps that exist within “Pacem In Terris” as well as how the Church of today can move forward in the promotion of peace and justice in our pluralistic world.

“Fifty years after its release, Pope John XXIII’s encyclical ‘Pacem in Terris’ remains a profound and meaningful document,” said , executive director of the Center for Social Concerns. “This conference rightfully places the University and the Center at the heart of thoughtful and reflective conversations by church and academic leaders on peace and justice issues raised in ‘Pacem in Terris’ that continue to challenge the church and our world today.”

, chair of the Archbishop Romero Trust in England and former director of CAFOD, the official Catholic aid agency for England and Wales, has been invited to offer the annual Romero Lecture titled “Oscar Romero: The Martyrdom of an Apostle for Peace and a Vatican II Champion.” It will also serve as the conference keynote address and will take place at 8 p.m. March 22 (Friday) in the McKenna Hall Auditorium.

, associate director for Catholic Social Tradition at the Center and convener of the conference, stated: “We are excited to be at the heart of a dialogue between leaders in higher education, the nonprofit sector and the Church as they seek to develop practices, grounded in our Catholic social tradition, that address the most pressing issues of our time.”

The conference is being convened by the Center for Social Concerns, the , , the Henkels Lecture Series of 91�Թ�’s , as well as 14 other sponsors to foster dialogue between scholars, Church leaders and practitioners in the church and nonprofit sector. The lectures are free and open to all students, faculty and the public.

The Center for Social Concerns facilitates community-based learning, research and service, informed by the Catholic Social Tradition.

91�Թ� named with distinction to 2013 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll

2013-03-12T14:00:00-04:00

The University of 91�Թ� has been named with distinction to the 2013 in recognition of its commitment to volunteering, service-learning and civic engagement.

91�Թ� is one of four Indiana colleges and universities to be selected with distinction. The releases the Community Service Honor Roll annually.

“91�Թ� students and employees play a vital role in solving community problems and achieving meaningful, measurable outcomes in communities around the world,” said , 91�Թ�’s president. “Community service is an integral component of our mission to educate the heart and the mind, which we see borne out in our record of placing students on a lifelong path of civic engagement.”

Community service and community engagement efforts at 91�Թ� range across University units and are integral to the academy. Last year, the University offered 172 community-based learning courses and had 240 undergraduate students engaged in community-based research. Community service and engagement efforts include mentoring by student-athletes; teacher professional development in science, technology, engineering and mathematics; tutoring and arts programming at the ; and service through student clubs and organizations.

Last year alone, 91�Թ�’s (CSC) estimates that some 3,500 91�Թ� students gave more than 150,000 hours of service at local community agencies, and nearly 3,800 students participated in courses that had a community-based learning component.

Nationally, 1,139 students took part in service-learning courses at more than 331 sites as part of the CSC or the . All of these efforts would not be possible without the insight, expertise and commitment of community partners locally and nationally.

The award was inspired by the thousands of college students who traveled across the country to support relief efforts along the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina. Launched in 2006, the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll annually recognizes institutions of higher education for their commitment to and achievement in community service. The President’s Honor Roll increases the public’s awareness of the contributions that colleges and their students make to local communities and the nation as a whole.

Contact: Jay Caponigro, director of community engagement, 574-631-9423, caponigro.2@nd.edu

91�Թ� ranks on Peace Corps’ annual list of top volunteer-producing schools

2013-02-06T16:00:00-05:00

Peace Corps volunteer Lisa Floran with her host family in Senegal

For the 13th year in a row, the University of 91�Թ� has earned a spot on Peace Corps’ annual list of the across the country. With 23 alumni currently serving overseas as Peace Corps volunteers, the University ranks No. 18 and remains a solid source of individuals committed to making a difference at home and abroad. Since the agency was created in 1961, 865 91�Թ� alumni have served as Peace Corps volunteers. 91�Թ� is the only Indiana school to make the Peace Corps’ rankings this year.

“Every year, graduates of colleges and universities across the United States are making a difference in communities overseas through Peace Corps service,” says Acting Peace Corps Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet (Peace Corps volunteer, Western Samoa, 1981-83), who visited 91�Թ� in 2011. “As a result of the top-notch education they receive, these graduates are well-prepared for the challenge of international service. They become leaders in their host communities and carry the spirit of service and leadership back with them when they return home.”

Peace Corps volunteer Lisa Floran, of Valparaiso, Ind., graduated from 91�Թ�’s in 2009. As a health volunteer in Senegal since 2011, she has helped develop a life skills curriculum that has reached more than 5,000 young people across the country and is being replicated by other organizations. She says her experience at 91�Թ� prepared her well for international service.

“91�Թ� follows the Catholic social teaching tradition, emphasizing service through compassion, love, respect and intellectual curiosity, and I think those ideals align well with the Peace Corps’ approach,” Floran says. “It’s important to strive toward making a difference, but a willingness to learn from others is even more important here.”

, director of student leadership and senior transitions for the at 91�Թ�, says, “When students graduate from 91�Թ� and enter the Peace Corps, then learning really does become service to justice. We are extremely grateful for our continued partnership with the Peace Corps.”

In 2010, 91�Թ� introduced a Peace Corps in the area of nonprofit administration within the . This unique graduate program offers Peace Corps volunteers who have completed their service the opportunity to attend 91�Թ� to earn a degree, with financial assistance and the chance to use their knowledge and skills in community internships as part of the program’s requirements.

Peace Corps recruiter Rok Teasley, a returned volunteer who served in Moldova, advises and interviews 91�Թ� candidates and can be reached at rteasley@peacecorps.gov. He is working with the Center for Social Concerns to plan a special panel presentation and volunteer Skype event in March.

Graduating college students are encouraged to apply by Feb. 28 (Thursday) for remaining assignment openings for 2013, and the chance to be considered for programs in early 2014.

Approximately 121 Indiana residents are currently serving in the . Overall, 3,121 Indiana residents have served since the agency was created by President John F. Kennedy by executive order on March 1, 1961, with more than 210,000 Americans serving in 139 host countries. Today, 8,073 volunteers are working with local communities in 76 host countries in agriculture, community economic development, education, environment, health and youth in development. Peace Corps volunteers must be U.S. citizens and at least 18 years of age. Peace Corps service is a 27-month commitment, and the agency’s mission is to promote world peace and friendship and a better understanding between Americans and people of other countries. Read about the work and experiences of currently serving Midwestern volunteers at .

Peace Corps service makes a difference not only to the communities served, but also to the volunteers themselves, who return home as global citizens with cross-cultural, leadership, language, teaching and community development skills that position them for advanced education and professional opportunities in today’s global job market. Ninety percent of volunteer positions require a bachelor’s degree. Volunteers receive paid living expenses and full health and dental coverage while overseas, and upon completing their 27-month service they are eligible for graduate school programs and federal hiring benefits.

Faculty Institute blends scholarship and community engagement

2012-06-06T14:00:00-04:00

The University of 91�Թ�’s hosted its inaugural May 30 through June 1 to help faculty deepen their understanding of the theory and practice of academic community engagement.

Sixteen faculty and graduate students from the , the , , the in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, and the departments of anthropology, English, physics, political science, theology and sociology participated in the Faculty Institute.

More than 30 speakers presented during the event, which featured daily readings on the scholarship of engagement, service learning, the pedagogy of reflective writing, and community-based research, augmented by guest lectures from campus and community experts.

“Last year there were more than 120 community-based learning courses offered across disciplines at 91�Թ�, and the number is growing,” said , assistant director of the Center for Social Concerns and director for Social Concerns Seminars and Community-Based Learning. "Our goal for the Institute was to inform faculty on how to integrate community engagement into their scholarly portfolio. Academic community engagement draws on faculty’s existing expertise, but it also requires the additional knowledge and support the Center for Social Concerns has developed in its nearly 30 years of service.”

The Institute was itself a model of engaged learning, featuring a mix of lectures by faculty and community experts from several community partners on the theory and practice of community engagement, along with travel into the local community to learn with community partners who address a range of social concerns, such as poverty, health care and education.

“Community-based learning (CBL) and community-based research (CBR) are fantastic ways to break down the traditional disconnected class and instead offer our students the real world as their laboratory," said , an associate professional specialist in the who participated in the Institute. "CBR provides students and faculty with meaningful opportunities to impact both themselves and the larger community through research. I feel lucky to be at an institution that not only values CBR and CBL, but provides opportunities like this Faculty Community Engagement Institute as only part of the many resources and support available to help with community engagement.”

“I came to the Faculty Institute to learn more about the supporting infrastructure for Community Engagement offered at the CSC," said , a professional specialist in the Department of Physics. "Community-based research activities supported through the CSC are complementary to but have not always been well-connected with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) outreach efforts at the University. The potential for greater collaboration and new synergies became much clearer during our three days together at the Institute.”

According to Snyder Mick, the CSC focuses on sustainable engagement that helps student, faculty and community development. Building strong, reciprocal relationships is key to sustainable engagement, so the Institute was designed to foster campus-community partnerships through site visits to partner organizations and by welcoming community partners on campus to discuss their role in community-based learning. Faculty learned from community partners about the care they take in facilitating strong orientation, placement, supervision and reflection as students work at their organizations. Faculty and staff with expertise as theorists and practitioners of engaged teaching and research underscored the importance of intra-campus dialogue and partnerships. Faculty from STEM to the humanities shared knowledge and inspiration that crossed disciplinary boundaries.

“Our goal was to leave faculty feeling renewed and inspired in their teaching and research objectives even as they left with a concrete sense of the material and human resources that can sustain their engaged scholarship long after the Institute,” Snyder Mick said.

For more information on the Faculty Institute, please visit blogs.nd.edu/community-engagement-faculty-institute/. Faculty interested in joining the Institute next year should contact Snyder Mick at cmick@nd.edu.

James Schmiedeler receives 2012 Ganey Award for community-based research

2012-04-11T16:05:00-04:00

, associate professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering at the University of 91�Թ�, is the recipient of the 2012 , which is given annually by the University of 91�Թ� .

Schmiedeler has an extensive record of research and scholarship in several fields including robotic-assisted rehabilitation and the dynamics of bipedal walking motion. The award, in the amount of $5,000, honors a 91�Թ� faculty member whose research has made a contribution in collaboration with a local community organization.

Schmiedeler and his 91�Թ� colleagues in collaboration with the therapy staff at Memorial Hospital in South Bend have developed a technological innovation called “WeHab,” which uses the Nintendo Wii Fit platform to assist individuals who, as a result of strokes, accidents or illness, experience weakness, paralysis or impairments in balance and mobility. Already, more than 60 local individuals have benefited from this innovative, low-cost tool that provides biofeedback and data monitoring during balance therapy.

According to Schmiedeler, the WeHab system facilitates common rehab activities and measures patient performance in real time. In the clinic, it helps therapists improve rehab effectiveness and objectively assess patient progress without taking time away from rehab activities. Once patients go home, the low cost makes individual access affordable; the WeHab system can provide biofeedback during prescribed at-home activities and monitor patient compliance through progress reports.

The results of the work are currently in use in Memorial Hospital’s inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation setting. As development progresses, the product will become available for private use clients and on a commercial basis, so other health care facilities will be able to use the application at their sites.

“I think the ability of WeHab to take rehabilitation into the patient’s home is most exciting,” says Dr. Johan Kuitse, director of rehabilitation services at Memorial. "As therapy visits become more limited due to payor restrictions and cost concerns, the need for effective home programs becomes more important.”

According to Schmiedeler’s 91�Թ� colleague and co-investigator , associate professor of psychology, “WeHab has the potential to revolutionize stroke therapy for patients, both in the clinic and at home … The utility of this technology may be extended to other rehabilitation domains involving orthopedic problems resulting from injuries, amputations or aging, applications that currently are being explored.”

Crowell notes, “Professor Schmiedeler’s groundbreaking work on WeHab has set the stage for a truly impactful and widespread rehabilitation service, not just for our local community, but also for communities all around the world.”

Schmiedeler received his Ph.D. from Ohio State University in 2001. His current work focuses on biped robot locomotion, human recovery from stroke and spinal cord injury, robot-assisted rehabilitation, prosthetic devices, mechanical energy storage for vehicles and the design of shape-changing mechanisms.

The Ganey Award is funded by local entrepreneur and philanthropist Rodney F. Ganey, and awarded
by the Center for Social Concerns. The Center facilitates community-based learning, research and service for 91�Թ� undergraduates, graduate students and faculty. Since 1983, more than 15,000 students and hundreds of faculty have been engaged in its courses, research and programs.

For more information about the Ganey Award, visit .

Contact: Mary Beckman, Center for Social Concerns, 574-631-4172, mbeckman@nd.edu

91�Թ� named with distinction on 2012 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll

2012-03-27T14:40:00-04:00

The University of 91�Թ� has been named with distinction to the 2012 in recognition of the role it plays in solving community problems; achieving meaningful, measurable outcomes in the communities it serves; and placing students on a lifelong path of civic engagement.

91�Թ� is one of four Indiana colleges and universities to be selected with distinction. The Corporation for National and Community Service releases the Community Service Honor Roll annually.

“At 91�Թ�, we consider community service an integral component of our mission to educate the heart and the mind,” said , 91�Թ�’s president. “I am always impressed by the numerous ways our students and employees choose to serve others both in the local community and across the world.”

Community service and community engagement efforts at 91�Թ� range across University units and are integral to the academy. Last year, the University offered 119 community-based learning courses and had more than 200 undergraduate students engaged in community-based research. Community service and engagement efforts include mentoring by student-athletes; teacher professional development in science, technology, engineering and mathematics; tutoring and arts programming at the Robinson Community Learning Center; and service through student clubs and organizations.

Last year alone, 91�Թ�’s (CSC) estimates that 3,436 91�Թ� students gave more than 188,000 hours of service at 60 local community agencies, a 3 percent increase in the number of students from the previous year. Nationally, 1,139 students took part in service-learning courses at more than 331 sites as part of the CSC Summer Service Learning Program or the Social Concerns Seminars. All of these efforts would not be possible without the insight, expertise and commitment of community partners locally and nationally.

Launched in 2006, the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll annually recognizes institutions of higher education for their commitment to and achievement in community service. The President’s Honor Roll increases the public’s awareness of the contributions that colleges and their students make to local communities and the nation as a whole.

Contact: Jay Brandenberger, director of research and assessment, Center for Social Concerns, 574-631-5293, jbranden@nd.edu