Community Engagement News February 14, 2022
Community Engagement Symposium to be Held Virtually on March 30, Awards on April 12
Barry’s Eighth Annual Community Engagement Symposium will be held on March 30 as a virtual event, and the Ninth Annual Community Engagement Awards has been rescheduled to April 12.
“Effectively Balancing Community Impact with Student Learning Outcomes” is the theme of the Community Engagement Symposium. The symposium will consist of four sessions, the first beginning at 9 a.m. and the fourth ending at 3 p.m.
Because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Community Engagement Symposium was held virtually for the first time last year.
The Community Engagement Awards Ceremony on April 12 will take place at the Health and Sports Complex Pavilion on Barry’s Miami Shores campus, beginning at noon.
The primary purpose of the awards is to publicly recognize participation, contributions, and achievements in various areas of community engagement. Each award is designed to encourage excellence in university–community collaboration and to inspire similar achievements by others.
Bowen Co-facilitates ACCU Community Engaged Scholar–Practitioners Conference
Dr. Glenn Bowen, executive director of Barry’s Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI), was a facilitator of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities’ (ACCU) Community Engaged Scholar–Practitioners Conference on February 5.
Conference co-facilitators were John Loggins, director of community-engaged learning at the University of San Diego, and Jordan Ermilio, director of the Center for Humanitarian Engineering and International Development at Villanova University.
The Community Engaged Scholar–Practitioners Conference was held in Washington, D.C., as part of the ACCU 2022 Annual Meeting. Participants discussed the past, present, and future of community engagement in Catholic higher education.
Students Invited to Prepare Entries for Community Engagement Poster Competition
The CCSI is inviting students to prepare entries for the Community Engagement Poster Competition, which is scheduled as part of the annual Community Engagement Symposium.
Although any student may submit an entry for the poster exhibition, the competition is open to undergraduates only. The main prizes will be awarded for first, second, and third places, with consolation prizes for the next four places.
The design and content of the posters should be based on the theme of the symposium, “Effectively Balancing Community Impact with Student Learning Outcomes.”
As stated in the guidelines, “Successful entries will specify the course or co-curricular project, the social or community issue addressed, the related activities undertaken, and the actual learning outcomes.”
The submission deadline for poster competition entries is the second Wednesday of March.
For additional information on the Student Poster Competition, contact Dr. Johnson Desiral in the CCSI via email at qep@barry.edu.
Service-Learning Faculty Fellowships Available for Next Academic Year
Former service-learning faculty fellows include (L–R) Dr. Mitchell “Mitch” Rosenwald, professor of social work; Dr. Pawena “Winnie” Sirimangkala, associate professor of communication; Dr. Pamela Hall, associate professor of psychology; Dr. Katsiaryna “Katya” Matusevich, associate professor of human resource development; and Dr. Sheila McMahon, assistant professor of social work.
The Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI) is offering service-learning faculty fellowships for the 2022–2023 academic year. Although February 14 is the priority application deadline, applications will be accepted up to March 7.
The Service-Learning Faculty Fellows Program is designed primarily to enhance the quality of service-learning courses and to promote the scholarship of teaching and learning based on the pedagogy.
Service-learning is defined as “a teaching and learning strategy that integrates relevant community service with course work and critical reflection to enrich the learning experience, foster social responsibility and civic engagement, and strengthen communities.”
Throughout the academic year, the service-learning faculty fellows attend professional development seminars and participate in the Faculty Learning Community for Engaged Scholarship.
Former service-learning faculty fellows include Dr. Pawena “Winnie” Sirimangkala, associate professor of communication; Dr. Mitchell “Mitch” Rosenwald, professor of social work; Dr. Pamela Hall, associate professor of psychology; Dr. Katsiaryna “Katya” Matusevich, associate professor of human resource development; and Dr. Sheila McMahon, assistant professor of social work.
Faculty members eligible for service-learning fellowships are those employed fulltime and who teach undergraduate or graduate courses.
University Representative Emphasizes Need to Combat Racial Violence, Embrace Diversity
Dr. Danna Demezier, assistant professor of counseling, will make a presentation on “Mental Health in the African American Community” on February 17 at a Black History Month event in Hollywood.
After the City of Hollywood in Broward County issued its proclamation of Black History Month, Barry University’s representative emphasized the need to combat racial violence and to embrace diversity.
“Black History Month offers us an opportunity to celebrate diversity,” said Dr. Glenn Bowen, executive director of the Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI).
Dr. Bowen expressed the hope that the problems of political strife, racial violence, and social injustice would be addressed.
The occasion was a meeting of the Hollywood City Commission on February 2, when the city leaders issued a proclamation of Black History Month.
Mayor Josh Levy read the proclamation and introduced both Dr. Bowen and Ms. Khadji Gregory-Faal, chair of the City of Hollywood African American Advisory Council.
In the proclamation, the Hollywood City Commission noted that Black History Month (February) “honors African American achievements and recognizes the significant role of African Americans in U.S. history.”
Noting further that this year’s theme is “Black Health and Wellness,” the commission “recognized the achievements of African Americans in their determination to practice in the medical sciences despite the societal barriers which made that endeavor very difficult."
As stated in the proclamation, “African Americans have been significant contributors to the health and wellness of our nation and the world, with Dr. Charles Drew pioneering the use and preservation of blood plasma; Dr. Daniel Williams performing the first successful open-heart surgery; Dr. Solomon Fuller publishing the first comprehensive review of Alzheimer’s disease; Dr. Patricia Bath inventing the laser probe for the treatment of cataracts; Dr. Ben Carson pioneering techniques to separate conjoined twins; and Dr. Otis Boykin inventing a control unit to regulate pacemakers.”
Now, almost 900,000 African Americans are healthcare practitioners and technicians, the proclamation said.
Mental Health Presentation on Thursday
Lindsay Syeh, a doctoral student (left) and Dr. Danna Demezier, an assistant professor of counseling.
This Thursday, February 17, Dr. Danna Demezier, a faculty member in Barry’s Adrian Dominican School of Education, will make a presentation as part of the Black History Month observance in Hollywood.
Dr. Demezier is an assistant professor of counseling. She is a licensed mental health counselor in Florida and a nationally certified counselor.
Her presentation on “Mental Health in the African American Community” will set the stage for a panel discussion on the same topic.
The panelists will include Ms. Lindsay Syeh, a doctoral student in the counseling program at Barry.
Thursday’s public event will be held in the Commission Chamber at Hollywood City Hall, 2600 Hollywood Boulevard, beginning at 6 p.m.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service: A Pictorial Report
St. Joseph Worker Program Offers Female Students Yearlong Service Opportunity
The St. Joseph Worker Program is offering yearlong service opportunities to women, 21–30 years of age; and an information session is planned for later this month.
Young women who participate in a year of service usually prepare for a lifelong commitment to social change and personal transformation, program organizers have indicated.
St. Joseph Workers live the mission of “love of God and dear neighbor without distinction.”
Participants may choose to engage in service in St Paul/Minneapolis, Minnesota; Los Angeles and Orange, California; or Queens, New York.
Female students interested in learning more about the Year of Service with the Sisters of St. Joseph may contact Antoinette Lloyd-Evans, director of the St. Joseph Worker Program, at sjwp@csjbrentwood.org. Ask about the virtual information session planned for February 23.
Contact Emmanuel Ikpuri, Federal Work-Study Community Service Program facilitator, in the CCSI at service@barry.edu.
GivePulse is the community engagement platform that supports service-learning courses at Barry.
“VOTER FRIENDLY” DESIGNATION: As Barry seeks the “Voter Friendly” designation for the second time, an action plan is being prepared.
DEMOCRATIC ENGAGEMENT: Barry Service Corps Fellow Liz Calvo reports on an immersive training experience focused on democratic engagement.
COMMUNITY IMPACT: Barry Service Corps member Genika Pratt is making a contribution to community impact.
BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS: Faculty and staff members are urged to consider a mentorship role in the local Big Brothers Big Sisters program.
Community Engagement News is a publication of the Center for Community Service Initiatives.
- Email: service@barry.edu
- Facebook: barryccsi
- Twitter: @barryccsi
- Instagram: @barryccsi