Free virtual professional development series focuses on community engagement

From: Outreach and International Affairs

Virginia Tech faculty, staff, and students are invited to participate in a series of free virtual workshops hosted by the Engagement Scholarship Consortium (ESC), a national organization dedicated to building strong university-community partnerships.

As one of about 60 ESC member institutions, Virginia Tech offers its community exclusive access to these sessions, which focus on advancing and institutionalizing community-engaged scholarship.

Registration is required for each event.

Community Engagement in Promotion: Institutional Strategies and Options
Nov. 13, 12–1 p.m.

Diane Doberneck, director for faculty and professional development with Michigan State University’s Office for Public Engagement and Scholarship, will provide an overview of promotion policies and practices that support community-engaged scholarship and share strategies for strengthening institutional policies to support the career success of community-engaged scholars and practitioners. Participants will come away with ideas, options, and key questions to ask at their own institutions. Click here to register.

From Framework to Practice: Strategies for Modernizing and Institutionalizing Engaged Scholarship in Research Universities
Jan. 28, 12–1 p.m.

How can research universities move beyond aspirational language to embed engaged scholarship in real and lasting ways? Led by national leaders in community engagement:

• Lorilee Sandmann, professor emerita of lifelong education, administration, and policy at the University of Georgia
• Lina Dostilio, vice chancellor for external relations at the University of Pittsburgh
• Andrew Furco, professor in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development at the University of Minnesota

They will explore actionable strategies — from tenure reform to leadership development — guided by “Modernizing Scholarship for the Public Good: A Framework for Public Research Universities.” This session highlights both structural change and the more profound shifts in culture and meaning that sustain it. Click here to register.

A Comprehensive Promotion and Tenure Toolkit for Engaged Universities
Feb. 10, 12–1 p.m.

Rod Williams, vice provost for outreach and engagement at Texas Tech University, will discuss the history and need for promotion and tenure (P/T) reform, scholarly vs. societal impacts, how to incorporate community-engaged learning in P/T dossiers, how to frame engagement narratives, how to evaluate engagement dossiers, and the evolution of engaged institutions. Click here to register.

Community Engagement and Impact, Impact, Impact: A Co-Curricular Model for Co-Creating Change
March 18, 1–2 p.m. 

With a 10-year strategic plan entitled “Inspiring the Future Makers,” Lehigh University is an institution increasingly dedicated to the real-world application of classroom theory. Lehigh’s Office of Creative Inquiry offers students from all majors Impact Fellowships, an opportunity to engage, over two semesters, with authentic, multiyear projects alongside faculty mentors and external partners. Khanjan Mehta, Lehigh’s inaugural vice provost for creative inquiry, and Bill Whitney, assistant vice provost for experiential learning programs, will present the Impact Fellowship program’s structure, methodology, and examples of how addressing complex global problems can translate into students taking radical ownership of potential solutions, advance knowledge and praxis, and prepare students to lead deeply rewarding lives of impact. Click here to register.

Building Capacity for New Faculty/Graduate Students for Community-Engaged Research
April 10, 11 a.m.–12 p.m.

Developing the next generation of community-engaged researchers is key to sustaining an engaged campus. This panel will explore professional development strategies that support new faculty and graduate students in conducting meaningful community-based inquiry.

Speakers:

• Drew Pearl, assistant professor of leadership and community-engaged learning at Kansas State University
• Eileen Ward, professor of higher education at Merrimack College
• Maurice Stevens, associate dean for engagement in the College of Arts and Sciences at Ohio State University

Panelists will share insights into the professional development strategies in place at their institutions. The panel will highlight which initiatives have been most effective in preparing scholars for community-based inquiry, identify existing challenges and structural barriers, and explore innovative plans for expanding support in the future. This session will offer guidance and inspiration for institutions looking to strengthen their commitment to community-engaged scholarship through targeted development efforts. Click here to register.