The Talloires Network

MacJannet Prize 2010 Call for Nominations!

2009-10-29T15:35:00.002-04:00

The Talloires Network and the MacJannet Foundation are pleased to announce the second annual MacJannet Prize for Global Citizenship and call for nominations of exceptional student civic engagement programs at Talloires Network member institutions.

The MacJannet Prize recognizes exceptional student civic engagement initiatives based in Talloires Network member universities around the world and contributes financially to their ongoing public service efforts. It is a program of The MacJannet Foundation, committed to building a community of global citizens, and the Talloires Network, dedicated to promoting the civic roles and social responsibilities of higher education.

Eight prizes will be awarded in 2010, one (1) First Prize of $5,000, two (2) Second Prizes of $2,500 each, and five (5) Third Prizes of $1,000 each. Prize money will be used to further the goals and strengthen the impact of the awarded programs. Winning programs will demonstrate exemplary service in addressing an issue of global significance such as threats to public health in the developing world, efforts to promote literacy, or assisting the economic development of distressed communities.

Only programs originating from member institutions of the Talloires Network are eligible for the Prize. To be considered, programs must be nominated by December 15, 2009. Nominations will be accepted from students, faculty, staff, or administrators at member institutions. Leaders of higher education institutions around the world are invited and encouraged to join the Talloires Network.

To learn more or nominate a program, visit our website>>

Pres. Obama and former Pres. George H.W. Bush speak at Texas A & M forum

2009-10-20T12:02:00.003-04:00

President Obama and former President George H.W. Bush came together to promote public service on Friday at a Presidential forum at Texas A & M University. This event marked Bush's "thousand point of light" volunteer program from his time in office. Obama aims to expand and further grow the spirit of volunteerism and service in the country. In April, he signed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, tripling the size of AmeriCorps programs, and he launched the "United We Serve" campaign that ended with a national day of service on the anniversary of the Sept. 11th attacks. He vows to continue to make community service a key priority during his presidency.
See the video and transcript>>
Obama, leaders speak on service at Texas A & M>>
Presidents Obama and George H.W. Bush: Building Bridges Through Service
Obama urges people to serve their communities>>

Strathmore University Reaches out to Local School

2009-09-16T11:50:00.003-04:00

11 students and three staff members from Strathmore University's Community Outreach Program (COP) traveled to Uref Primary School in Ugenya District of Nyanza Province on 19th August for a three day work camp. The objective of the camp was to construct 70 desks for the school. The camp was sponsored by students of Retamar School in Spain.

Typical of rural Kenya, Uref has no mains electricity and piped water. But students at the school were further inconvenienced by the fact that they had no desks and were sitting on the floor during class.

Work to produce the 70 desks began promptly at 8.30am on 20th August. Carpenters were at hand to direct the apprentices from COP. After a fifteen minute crash course on how to use a saw and hammer, work began in earnest. By mid-day, the team had learnt a few tricks on how to use the tools. By lunch time, the carpentry green horns had learnt a few tricks of the craft.

The first job was to saw the timber to the necessary sizes before they were joined. Fortunately, the news of the work camp had travelled far and wide and three young men materialised at the scene with a power saw. A parent of the school who owns a timber yard put the gentlemen at the disposal of COP to assist in the work at his own cost. They sawed the wood and the task was done by the end of the day.

With the timber cut, the team hammered away, first making the vertical sides, then joining them to the horizontal sitting and writing surfaces. Giuda Taddeo and Kenneth Kariuki were at hand to polish off the surfaces.

At the end of Friday, 21st August, there were 30 units ready for varnishing and a few hammered fingers. After supper, the team retired to the tents that what would be its residence for the next two days. The villagers could not understand why the campers declined offer of accommodation in their houses. They didn't understand that sleeping in tents was part of the adventure.

The third day went pretty much the same as the second and by 5.30pm, there were 72 complete desks. A treat was in order after the task was completed. Cornelius Odhiambo, a village elder took the team to River Nzoia and explained the plans to build a hydro power plant there. The team then drove to Busia, and spent time in Uganda.

The team returned to a feast set by the school board which was very appreciative of the assistance. Speaking on behalf of the board, Mr Dickson Odhiambo gave credit to the students of Strathmore who he said were learning to be true leaders.

This article by Brian Njoroge originally appeared on the Strathmore University website>>

Disarmament Movement Needs Youth Involvement to Counter Cynicism

2009-08-06T16:20:00.000-04:00

The following article argues that it's youth-- especially those on college campuses-- that can make a difference in the disarmament movement.

Written by Johan Bergenas. World Politics Review, July 30 2009.
http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/article.aspx?id=4136

President Barack Obama's lofty pursuit of a world without nuclear weapons is off to a peculiar start. But the main reasons are not Kim Jong-il's nuclear saber-rattling on the Korean peninsula, the centrifuges continuing to spin in Iran, or even the political and technical reasons that skeptics highlight to mock President Obama's decision to recommit the U.S. to eliminating nuclear arsenals around the world.

Instead, the twin Achilles' heels of the "no nukes" quest are that patience, rather than urgency, is the prevailing attitude, and that the disarmament community has failed to engage youth movements as an antidote to the cynicism that permeates the entire debate.

While stating "clearly and with conviction" America's commitment to ridding the world of nuclear weapons, President Obama has stressed "patience" as a key component moving forward. But patience is a weak guiding principle when trying to achieve great things, and emphasizing it vis-à-vis nuclear disarmament is in stark contrast to the president's rhetoric as a White House candidate. On the campaign trail, then-Sen. Obama spoke of "the fierce urgency of now" in addressing the most pressing national and international challenges.

To ask for urgency in moving toward zero nuclear weapons is not to say that the path from where we are today to a world without these destructive arms will be short and pain-free. But if the end goal really is to eliminate global nuclear arsenals, then to accept that it will be achieved "perhaps not in my lifetime," as Obama has said, is not so far from the fatalism he warned against in his April 2009 Prague speech.

Passivity about a world without nuclear weapons is a chronic condition and often results in cynicism, which Joseph Cirincione, president of the Ploughshares Fund, calls the greatest obstacle to the goal of eliminating nuclear weapons. Cirincione recently called youth "the counter to cynicism," but the disarmament community, to a great extent, currently lacks a strong, broad and engaged youth constituency to support their work.

Cirincione is not the only high-profile authority in the field to recognize the value and need for a youth infusion. During the international Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission's concluding session in Washington this spring, Hans Blix -- former chairman of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission -- looked out over the half-empty room and noted that had the meeting been about global warming, it would likely have been teeming with younger people. Marching against global warming is fine, Blix said, but realizing that there is more then one "inconvenient truth" is crucial, he urged.

The lack of involvement by young people is a significant problem because, although the leaders and experts who were born, raised and socialized in the Cold War environment possess knowledge and experience, pushing back against political inertia and fighting cynicism have historically been achieved by the world's youth.

Fueled by their optimism and even opportunism -- much to gain, little to lose -- youth populations have defied tyrants, overthrown oppressive regimes and torn down theoretically impenetrable walls. In the last few years, youth groups have been essential to put the genocide in Darfur and climate change on the political map, and most recently the cohort helped America reject the cynical assumption that an African-American would never make it to the White House.

President Obama, too, stressed the power of youth in his recent Cairo speech, where he said that "if we choose to be bound by the past, we will never move forward. . . . [Youth] more than anyone, have the ability to re-imagine the world, to remake this world." There is no reason to believe that the disarmament community -- fueled by moral conviction, confronted with a significant national and international security threat, and powered by a sitting U.S. president who himself has benefited greatly from youth movements -- cannot capitalize on this obvious source of energy to raise awareness, create political pressure and reject errant policies of the past. The success of the "zero nukes" movement is tied to its ability to reach this group.

How can this be done in practice?

Besides trying to widen and deepen nonproliferation, arms control and disarmament education on college campuses, initial practical steps that are in the hands of the disarmament movement can be taken to mobilize students.

First, George Shultz, William Perry, Henry Kissinger and Sam Nunn, who through their January 2007 Wall Street Journal op-ed revitalized the disarmament debate, could embark on a college lecture tour, bringing their message to students at college campuses all across the U.S. Their status and prestige would generate significant buzz at universities, and help move beyond the all-too-familiar political bickering currently poisoning the debate. While on the road, the four statesmen should encourage students to start local disarmament chapters and discussion groups and, in so doing, create a national network of committed activists.

Similar outreach campaigns can be carried out in other parts of the world -- for example, in Britain, where Douglas Hurd, Malcolm Rifkind, David Owen and George Robertson, wrote an op-ed on the same subject for the Times of London in June 2008. Russian leaders, including former President Mikhail Gorbachev, have also spoken out in favor of eliminating nuclear weapons worldwide and can play an analogous role to energize youth in Russia and beyond.

Second, the disarmament movement must increase youth representation -- currently largely absent -- at disarmament events, to make sure that this vital group gets a voice and a seat at the table during political, policy and educational forums. Policymakers, experts and educators must make a concerted effort to make sure the younger generation is not shut out of this process, lest it become as disillusioned about the end goal as their predecessors seem to be.

In short, the unconditional and urgent commitment to a world without nuclear weapons is the sine qua non of achieving it as a goal. Only a grassroots youth movement, one free from Cold War-era assumptions about nuclear weapons' centrality to national and international security, can power such an effort.

Student Discussion Series: Summary of Discussion 2

2009-07-29T11:01:00.004-04:00

The Talloires Network hosted another successful discussion among students from around the world, including our Student Peer Advisors. Participants read excerpts from two texts:
• The Community Tool Box: Developing a Strategic Plan
• The Citizen's Handbook: Planning

This provided a common framework and a good starting point for the discussion. Discussion participants offered their definitions of strategic planning, and suggested using frameworks such as a SWOT analysis to ensure that a project’s goals are clear and its activities sustainable.

Several students agreed that strategic planning is crucial for ensuring that a project is successful, and emphasized that the planning process works best when it is inclusive. This can be accomplished by dividing into committees, for example. Strategic planning can also be made into a fun and dynamic process by including games and group activities.

In addition to determining your organization’s vision, mission, and objectives, our Student Peer Advisors recommended:
• Conducting a needs analysis
• Setting an agenda for strategic planning meetings
• Ensuring that volunteers feel a sense of ownership over the project
• Dividing up tasks and giving volunteers responsibilities
• Creating clear objectives with deliverable outcomes and deadlines
• Collaborating with other organizations
• Asking professors for assistance and expertise

Participants found that the approaches to strategic planning suggested by the readings, such as the VMOSA strategy, are helpful. Several noted, however, that the results of strategic planning are not set in stone. Organizations and their leaders need to be flexible and willing to adapt their objectives and approaches. Using such analyses as VMOSA and SWOT is helpful, but it is the interest and dedication of the people involved in the project that are the driving forces. Planning is important, but so is action!

MacJannet Prize for Global Citizenship Honors Innovative University Service Programs

2009-07-02T10:30:00.003-04:00

On June 6, eight innovative higher education programs were recognized by the MacJannet Foundation and Talloires Network for their positive university and community impact. Leaders of universities and student representatives gathered in Talloires, France, to award these extraordinary programs the MacJannet Prize for Global Citizenship. The winners were previously announced on April 16 after careful review by a selection committee of leaders in higher education civic engagement. Video of the prize winners can be seen here. And the eight programs are listed here.

The first prize went to the Urban Health Program from Aga Khan University in Pakistan, which is recognized by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) grant for Universities in Solidarity for the Health of Disadvantaged Communities (UNI-SOL). This long-standing program provides health and socio-economic support to the residents of the squatter communities in Karachi, Pakistan.

Dr. Muhammed Yousuf of Aga Khan University commented that the “main objective is to provide teaching and learning that is important to medical students to learn about the community dynamics and social issues in Karachi.”

University students at Theewaterskloof International Community Development Project in South Africa design service projects addressing community needs.

Theewaterskloof International Community Development Project was one of the two second prize winners. The project is a cross cultural collaboration between Cape Peninsula University of Technology in South Africa and HAN University in the Netherlands.

Students from the respective universities work together to design service projects in their own area of studies after identifying certain community needs.

Student representative Fattinald Phaka Rangango described the program as one that “creates an environment where we can interact and share experiences – cultural experiences” and it had “brought in a new perspective of how institutions approach community engagement.”

The Operation 7th Day program at Université Saint-Joseph in Lebanon began providing emergency relief following the Israel-Lebanon war in 2006, before expanding into a national scale effort.

The other second prize winner went to Operation 7th Day from Université Saint-Joseph in Lebanon (USJ). The operation began after the Israel-Lebanon war in 2006 and provided emergency relief for surrounding communities in South Lebanon. Social Animator in USJ’s Social Service directorate Gloria Abdo explained that Operation 7^th Day continues “to offer health care for the displaced and education activities and civil engineering activities.” This program in collaboration with NGOs, student and faculty has expanded the initiatives beyond South Lebanon onto national scale efforts.

Rangango from the Theewaterskloof International Community Development Project asks “Do you drop those people that you brought so much hope to and continue and get your degree and leave? Or do you actually go back and say you’re still here for them, for the purpose of sustainability?” Undoubtedly, these programs have affected students and faculty in the long-term. Dr. Yousuf said that their Urban Health Program has “laid a road to help students and expose them to community issues and problems”, and many students have been inspired to choose public health as their future careers. Student Joëlle Hobeika of Operation 7^th Day commented that the program helps them in long-term studies.

Shamsh Kassim-Lakha, founding President of Aga Khan University and a member of the Talloires Network Steering Committee discussed the value of the Talloires Network and the MacJannet Prize: “It has enabled its members to learn from each other about the value, importance and methodology of engaging with the communities in which they function. Such direct engagement in the community is an important means of universities discharging their obligations to societies that have nurtured and sustained them.”

For more information, please visit the Talloires Network and MacJannet Foundation. Keep an eye out for the Talloires 24 Student Discussion Series on July 20!

This article was written by Alice Wu and first appeared in The New Service blog.

First Talloires 24 Student Discussion a Success

2009-06-18T10:53:00.002-04:00

One June 17, the Talloires Network hosted our first in a series of student discussions on the Talloires 24 Discussion Forum. We addressed the introductory topics “What is civic engagement?” and “How can students initiate a civic engagement project?” The discussion was open to the Talloires Network Student Peer Advisors and any other interested students, with 23 students participating in this first discussion. Members of the Talloires Network Secretariat staff also contributed.

The students had a wide-ranging discussion about university civic engagement and how to implement it. Various definitions and facets of civic engagement were suggested. Civic engagement can be both individual and collective action to address a major concern for society, or to address the needs of a particular segment of the society. It should promote peace and social solidarity, a sense of belonging, and awareness among the communities served as well as those who are undertaking the civic engagement projects. The point was made that it should not just address symptoms of social problems, but root causes. Participants agreed that civic engagement may differ in practice from region to region based on local needs and resources, but that the same factors motivate civic engagement around the world, namely a sense of commitment to society and a desire to support the development of communities.

The participants also discussed things to consider when initiating a civic engagement project, including: Identifying the needs of the communities and one’s resources to address those needs, working to understand the society/community you wish to engage with, being realistic about how much time one has to devote to the project, developing a plan of action with specific goals, working with existing organizations and frameworks when possible, getting community buy-in and ownership for the project, planning for project sustainability and continuity, recruiting and training volunteers, and thinking about how to work with a community as an ‘outsider.’

This first Talloires 24 discussion was an auspicious start to the series, and we are looking forward to our next chat on July 20. Students who are interested in getting involved can visit our Student Initiative pages, Discussion Forum, Student Peer Advisor page, and Student Facebook Group. You may also contact Hannah Ayers or John Pollock with any questions.

Tapping the Greatest Resource for University Civic Engagement - Students

2009-06-11T14:22:00.005-04:00

Until recently, the Talloires Network has focused mainly on university administrations and faculty, because it is vital that these stakeholders support civic engagement as part of the mission of higher education. However, we also recognize that the greatest resource that universities have to positively impact their communities is their students. As demonstrated by the successful first year of the MacJannet Prize for Global Citizenship, student participation and initiative is critical to the success of university civic engagement programs all over the world. Therefore, the Talloires Network is now making a concerted effort to involve students at our member institutions and become a resource for students who are active in, or wish to be active in, civic engagement activities.

One of the key roles that the Network plays is to connect people from around the world with interests in civic engagement. We recognize that there are many students at our member institutions with diverse and extensive experience founding, leading, and participating in university civic engagement programs. Therefore, we have instituted the Student Peer Advisor (SPA) program to make some of our most involved students available to their peers to give advice and support. Visit our Student Peer Advisor page to learn more about these exceptional students. These students went through a competitive application process to be selected as SPAs, and they have committed to serve in this position for one year.

Students who are interested in seeking advice or exchanging ideas with like-minded peers around the world are encouraged to contact our Student Peer Advisors. To further facilitate communication and exchange, the Talloires Network has also created a Discussion Forum. With active participation from our SPAs, other interested students, and Talloires Network staff, we hope that this Forum will become a valuable resource for students eager to connect with their peers. Through our Talloires 24 Student Discussion Series, we will discuss specific topics related to higher education civic engagement each month. The first discussion in the Talloires 24 Series will be held on June 17 starting at 13:00 GMT and lasting for 24 hours, addressing the introductory topic: “What is civic engagement and how can students initiate a civic engagement project?” We encourage all interested students to take part in the discussion!

For more information on the Student Peer Advisor Program or the Talloires 24 Student Discussion Series, please contact John Pollock.

MacJannet Prize for Global Citizenship to be Presented at Award Ceremony in Talloires, France

2009-06-03T14:52:00.000-04:00

The Talloires Network and the MacJannet Foundation will present the first annual MacJannet Prize for Global Citizenship at an award ceremony on June 6 at the Tufts European Center in Talloires, France. The Prize winners were announced on April 16 after a Selection Committee of leaders in higher education civic engagement reviewed the 67 applications.

First prize is being awarded to the Urban Health Program at Aga Khan University in Pakistan. The two second prizes are being awarded to Opération 7ème Jour (Operation 7th Day) at the Université Saint-Joseph in Lebanon and the Theewaterskloof International Community Development Project at Cape Peninsula University of Technology in South Africa. The third place winners are:
• Alashanek Ya Balady (American University in Cairo in Egypt)
• Assistance Program for Local Development (Universidad Señor de Sipan, Peru)
• The Human Rights Clinic (Al-Quds University, Palestine)
• Playing for Time Theatre Company (University of Winchester, United Kingdom)
• Women Legal Leaders & Legal Feminism Clinic (University of Haifa, Israel)

The Talloires Network will be flying two representatives from each of the first and second place winners to receive their awards in person at the award ceremony in Talloires. The Urban Health Program at Aga Khan University will be represented by Dr. Muhammad Yousuf, Principal Coordinator of the UHP, and Maliha Naseer, a Community Medicine Resident in the UHP. Opération 7ème Jour will be represented by Ms. Gloria Abdo, Social Animator in USJ’s Social Service directorate, and Ms. Joëlle Hobeika, a medical student at USJ active in Opération 7ème Jour. The Theewaterskloof International Community Development Project will be represented by Prof. Lineo Vuyisa Mazwi-Tanga, Vice-Chancellor of Cape Peninsula University of Technology, and Fattinald Rangongo, a student in CPUT’s Department of Entrepreneurship and active participant in the Development Project. Also participating in the ceremony will be several members of the Talloires Network secretariat staff as well as officials from the MacJannet Foundation Board.

Members of the Talloires Network secretariat staff will also participate in the ceremony. Professor Robert Hollister, Dean of the Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service at Tufts University, Susan Stroud, Executive Director of Innovations in Civic Participation, and Elizabeth Babcock, Coordinator of the Talloires Network, will all share their knowledge of higher education civic engagement with award winners. Tony Cook, President of the MacJannet Foundation, will also engage with award winners and offer his perspective on the role of the MacJannet Foundation in promoting global citizenship.

In addition to the award ceremony, representatives of the winning programs will have the opportunity to meet and discuss ideas with one another and with the Talloires Network and MacJannet Foundation staff. The Talloires Network will be holding several capacity-building workshops on topics such as fundraising, program management, and working with students in order to help the representatives gain new ideas and skills to take back to their programs.

The Talloires Network is also pleased to be partnering with the Pearson Foundation to produce a short video of interviews with the program representatives to be shown at the award ceremony and also posted on the MacJannet Prize website. The Pearson Foundation is sending several of its staff to film and edit this video with the program representatives the day before the award ceremony. As the philanthropic arm of Pearson plc, one of the world's leading media and education companies, the Pearson Foundation extends Pearson’s commitment to education by partnering with leading nonprofit, civic, and business organizations to provide financial, organizational, and publishing assistance across the globe.

The award ceremony and the other activities for the winning programs’ representatives will take place at the Tufts University European Center, which is based at the historic Priory in Talloires, France. Located on the scenic shore of Lake Annecy less than an hour from Geneva, the Priory was given to Tufts University by Donald and Charlotte MacJannet to host students studying abroad as well as international conferences and seminars. The Priory also hosted the Talloires Conference 2005, which gave rise to the Talloires Declaration on the Civic Roles and Social Responsibilities of Higher Education and the launch of the Talloires Network.

Why do we care?

2009-05-27T14:31:00.004-04:00

The following remarks were given on April 30 2009 by Lisa Anderson, Provost of the American University in Cairo, at the Gerhart Center Advisory Board Meeting

"The underlying premise of philanthropy and of civic engagement is that it is important that we care about something beyond ourselves, that we act on that concern and that we teach others to do so.

I would wager that everyone in this room thinks those propositions are self evident. But I would also bet that, although some of us have thought about how philanthropy and civic engagement should be fostered, very few of us have reflected very deeply or long on why. Most of us refer, without a great deal of thought, to religious obligations, family traditions, cultural imperatives—all of which are important. Indeed, even now I routinely do what my mother told me to do fifty years ago, and I have no doubt that I will go to my grave honoring her dictates, as I hope my own children will do.

But why does it matter? And what investment does a university have?

Well, let us start with the fact that I identified my mother as an important animator of my own concern with the well-being of others. We begin with our families—immediate, extended, fictive, proxy, metaphorical. We care about those whom we believe to be, or can describe as, related to us.

Over the course of human history, and certainly over the course of individual biographies, the extent of those relations expands. From the relatively tiny families of early human history and of our youth, we have grown, individually and collectively, to see ourselves embedded in worlds beyond our homes and our localities, in vast and far-flung religious communities, in the “imagined communities” of print capitalism that produced nationalisms, and—increasingly—in social networks defined, or at least fostered, by new information technologies. The capacity to imagine ourselves related, in nontrivial ways, to people—and perhaps even things—we will never actually encounter is one of the essential features of the modern human experience, and it is the foundation of the concern—the philanthropy and civic engagement—to which the Gerhart Center is devoted.

What is interesting about this moment in history is how rapidly the societies that will both reflect and foster those networks of relation and concern are changing, both in scale and structure. Much of the last two centuries have been devoted to the construction and contestation of the state as the organizing mechanism of mutual concern. The welfare state--in Europe, North America, Egypt and virtually everywhere else—was a device for mobilizing concern, for realizing and activating mutual responsibilities. My responsibility to others as a citizen was a constitutive feature of that state and of the distribution of resources—time and money—that was one of the important foundations of social welfare.

The flaws, or limitations, of the welfare state—its bureaucratic bulk, its lumbering and clumsy suppression of the light-hearted, nimble, joyful embrace of human ingenuity—produced a backlash, and for a quarter century or more, we celebrated the isolated, individualistic and selfish “magic of the market.” Prosperity was to have been an externality of selfishness, and the rising tide, as the cliché went, would raise all boats. In fact, as the global crises of the last few years—the steep rise in commodity prices, the threat of financial collapse, even perhaps the looming pandemic—starkly illustrated, altruism and indeed, welfare are barely visible in the traces of the market.

Today, we are both released and unmoored—neither the state nor the market provides the anchor in social responsibilities without which we all become unfastened, from our societies and communities. At the same time, however, I think we can begin to see the faint outlines of an alternative—embedded in the new technologies which shape our daily interactions but not entirely defined by them. And here I think nodes like the Gerhart Center play a role even more important than we fully understand.

Our identities will increasingly be the elective families of what our children, and certainly our students, call “social networks,” and these communities will be both the constitutive elements of our identities, and the vehicles by which we express our concern for others—particularly those whom we will never actually encounter. These networks will have less hierarchy than states and more cohesion than markets, less anonymity than the faceless bureaucracy, and more autonomy than the intimate household, and more flexibility than any of these alternatives.

We care because we imagine ourselves related—and in novel ways in two dimensions, space and time. Globalization has shrunk the world geographically—distances are shorter. This is not a novel observation. But it is worth considering that the underlying theory of sustainable development has also transformed time, obliging us to care about not only those who are distant in space but those who are distant in time; future generations.

In this context, it is important to recognize that universities—particularly universities like AUC-- play a pivotal role, negotiating not only between places and cultures but between generations.

Universities, and again particularly, places like AUC, are nodes in an emerging cross-national, cross-class, cross-generational network of relationships, of “families” about whom we care. All of which is to say, that the Gerhart Center, perhaps even more than those of us in this room, than those of us who animate and invigorate the Center, from John Gerhart himself, to Barbara Ibrahim, and Dina Sherif, and the Board members, and the staff and interns—all of us—more than any of us realize, is constructing the future.

The future is about networks of concern, about philanthropy and engagement, about mechanisms and vehicles for sustaining our fellow citizens—those who are with us and those who have yet to appear-- in this new world, this third sector beside and beyond the worlds of the state and the market. It is a complicated time, but heady too, as we all consider the opportunities we have at universities to shape the public debates of the day and the values of future generations. The Gerhart Center’s capacity to identify, animate and celebrate these networks of commitment, concern and community represents in real time an important window into this rapidly changing world, and it is an elegant token of the actual and potential contributions AUC makes to its world.

It is a privilege to be associated with institutions that play such a pivotal role in their communities, and I hope all of you are as inspired by the work of the Center and its staff as I am."

Talloires Network reaches 100 members worldwide

2009-05-18T12:23:00.002-04:00

On May 14, 2009, the Talloires Network reached 100 members when the University of Richmond signed the Talloires Declaration on the Civic Roles and Social Responsibilities of Higher Education and joined the Network. This represents an important milestone for the Talloires Network, an international association of institutions committed to strengthening the civic roles and social responsibilities of higher education, and to advancing the global movement of socially engaged universities.

In September 2005, President Lawrence Bacow of Tufts University convened the Talloires Conference 2005, the first international gathering of the heads of universities devoted to strengthening civic engagement in higher education. The meeting brought together 29 university presidents, rectors and vice chancellors from 23 countries.

These international leaders in higher education drafted the Talloires Declaration on the Civic Roles and Social Responsibilities of Higher Education. All signatories of the Declaration have committed their institutions to educating for social responsibility and civic engagement, and to strengthening the application of university resources to the needs of local and global communities. As stated by the Declaration, “Our institutions recognize that we do not exist in isolation from society, nor from the communities in which we are located. Instead, we carry a unique obligation to listen, understand and contribute to social transformation and development.”

One of the recommendations of the Declaration was to create an international network to inform and support all signatories’ efforts to carry out the Declaration. This recommendation was realized with the launch of the Talloires Network in 2005. The Network strives to build a global movement of civically engaged and socially responsible higher education institutions. The Network advocates for the expansion of civic engagement activities and promotes the most promising practices from its members and others in the field of higher education.
The Network accomplishes this in a number of ways. It gathers and disseminates the best resources and tools in the field; organizes regional and global conferences to share ideas, encourage collaboration and expand impact; recognizes and promotes members’ civic engagement activities; awards the annual MacJannet Prize for Global Citizenship to exceptional student civic engagement programs; and facilitates the creation of regional networks of universities dedicated to civic engagement in order to make its work more relevant and driven by local contexts.

Since the 2005 Conference, the Talloires Network has expanded rapidly. The 100 members represent a diverse segment of higher education around the world, based in 38 countries on six continents. Membership includes 70 public and 30 private universities, 13 religious universities, five women’s colleges and universities, and four open universities specializing in distance and e-learning. Members’ student enrollments range from the hundreds to over one million, and the combined enrollment is nearly 3.5 million.

“The 100 members of the Talloires Network reflect the great diversity of higher education around the globe,” says President Bacow, who chairs the Talloires Network Steering Committee. “What has brought our institutions together is a shared commitment to advancing our civic roles and social responsibility. Every new member of the Network brings fresh ideas and resources from which all of us can learn.”

The number and diversity of membership illustrates the growing momentum of the global movement for socially engaged universities and for civic engagement of young people worldwide. There are more than 110 million students enrolled in higher education institutions, over half of which are in the developing world. This enormous cohort of talented and energetic young people, along with the academic, financial and technical assets of their universities, can have a huge positive impact on their local, regional and global communities. Increasingly, higher education institutions and their societies are recognizing the incredible potential universities have to confront social problems and drive local development. Now is the time to capitalize on this momentum and expand investment in opportunities for engaging universities and students for meeting critical community needs.

In engaging with their societies and gearing their teaching, research and service to concrete community needs, universities can also provide students with relevant and practical experiences that will make them more competitive in today’s labor markets, as well as instilling in them a sense of civic responsibility that will inform their actions throughout life. Thus, community engagement has joined teaching and research as one of the three pillars of the university’s mission in many parts of the world. Through the efforts of the Talloires Network and its growing membership, this recognition of the civic roles and social responsibilities of higher education will continue to grow, changing communities all over the world for the better.

* * *

Innovations in Civic Participation and the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service at Tufts University serve as the secretariat of the Talloires Network. For more information about the Network and how to join, please visit the Talloires Network website or contact Elizabeth Babcock, the Talloires Network Coordinator by email (babcock@icicp.org) or phone (202-775-0290).

Charles Darwin University: “Community garden gets the green light”

2009-05-08T10:20:00.002-04:00

The following article, originally published by CDU's newsroom, highlights the latest progress made by the university's Talloires student group:

Members of the CDU Talloires student group from Charles Darwin University are moving forward with their plans to establish a community garden at the Casuarina campus.

CDU Talloires is a new student group committed to engaging with the community in interesting and innovative projects that are sustainable, ethical and forward-thinking.

Community gardens are recognised worldwide as a great way to grow food, improve health, meet people and cultivate vibrant communities.

With a current one year waiting list for the nearby Jingili Community Garden, CDU Talloires seized the opportunity to set up a garden at Charles Darwin University.

CDU Talloires member Leah Galvin said that creating community gardens was a great way to connect with community members and in turn share knowledge.

“We can learn the skills to grow food that's appropriate to our climate and reduce our reliance on importing and transporting food from all around Australia, and it’s about having fun and being outside in the garden,” she said.

Last year, former Vice-Chancellor Professor Helen Garnett met with CDU Talloires and together with Darwin City Council, approved the proposed site on Lakeside Drive. In addition, Professor Garnett provided CDU Talloires with a grant for $5000 to assist in seeding the project.

With the assistance of the CDU Horticulture Team, Grounds Supervisor, Nerida Noble and Coordinator Community Engagement, Linda Cuttriss, students have collected and tested soil samples to ensure suitability of the site and were thrilled to find they revealed that the soil is suitable for growing fruit and vegetables.

Anjea Travers, a CDU Talloires member, said they were a little worried that the soil might be too high in salinity to grow food but when they found out it was ok they were really excited.

CDU Talloires will now work towards securing sponsorship for connection of water to the site and establishing a steering committee to begin formal planning and decision making about how the garden will operate.

Local community members, CDU staff and students with knowledge of community gardens are invited to participate in the planning process.

To get involved or for further information about the CDU Talloires student group, please contact Linda Cuttriss, Coordinator Community Engagement on (08) 8946 6336 or linda.cuttriss@cdu.edu.au

For the CDU Talloires website go to: http://www.cdu.edu.au/communityandaccess/communityengagement/talloires/index.html

Congratulations to the winners of the first MacJannet Prize for Global Citizenship!

2009-04-15T14:01:00.005-04:00

First place winner, receiving $5,000:
The Urban Health Program based in Aga Khan University in Pakistan
Established by Aga Khan University in 1983, this innovative program run by Aga Khan’s Department of Community Health Sciences provides critical health and socio-economic support to the squatter settlements of Karachi.

Two second place winners, each receiving $2,500:
Opération 7ème Jour (Operation 7th Day) at l'Université Saint-Joseph in Lebanon;
and Theewaterskloof International Community Development Project at Cape Peninsula University of Technology in South Africa

Five third place winners, each receiving $1,000:

Alashanek Ya Balady (American University in Cairo, Egypt)
Assistance Program for Local Development (Universidad Señor de Sipán, Peru)
The Human Rights Clinic (Al-Quds University, Palestine)
Playing for Time Theatre Company (University of Winchester, United Kingdom)
Legal Leaders & Legal Feminism Clinic (University of Haifa, Israel)

Thank you to everyone who nominated a program. We received 67 nominations from 40 universities in 19 countries around the world, and were highly impressed by the quality and scope of all of the programs.

Please visit our website (www.macjannetprize.org) in the upcoming months to view profiles and videos of our winners, and keep an eye out for next year’s MacJannet Prize competition.

Ahfad University Program Highlighted in VOSESA Bulletin

2009-04-03T16:21:00.006-04:00

It has not been without its challenges, but an innovative volunteer-based programme mobilising local communities to combat female genital mutilation (FGM) in Sudan has met with a fair amount of success.

Implemented in 2006 by the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF) and Ahfad University for Women in Sudan, there is evidence that this programme has lead to a change in attitude towards the culture of FGM. In some instances the practice is even being challenged.

Sudan’s innovative volunteer programme
The project initially set out to examine previous efforts to combat FMG in Sudan. Based on this analysis, an innovative approach was developed that involves the inclusion of all concerned in the local community through volunteerism and local community action. The project is based on three pillars: volunteering through peer and formal education, sex education, and the inclusion of males and youth among target groups.

A cooperative effort: Previous efforts to combat FGM in all its forms showed that success depends on sustainable community-based interventions that include youth of both genders. Community-based programmes that were designed and implemented by community-based organisations proved to be more sustainable over time (Bedri, 2007). UNV and the other partners capitalised on this prior knowledge and involved both international and community volunteers at different levels.

Critical success factors
The involvement of the Ahfad University for Women as a strategic partner provided technical assistance for the project and greatly contributed to the following aspects, seen as key to the success of the programme:

* the involvement of the project partners in the implementation of activities at different levels;
* co-operation with community leaders; and
* co-operation between the project’s team members and the community workers.

Project results
There were several success stories of youth and women who managed to stop the circumcision of girls in their families. Almost 30% of the girls at the target female school returned uncircumcised after the summer vacation, which is when most of the FGM practices take place.

In addition, the project successfully integrated new strategies for combating FGM that included sexual education, community mobilisation through volunteerism, and the inclusion of males and youth in the strategy.

This article first appeared in the VOSESA journal Focus, Volume 3 Number 3 (March 2009)

Study: does service learning enhance engineering education?

2009-04-01T10:30:00.003-04:00

The following article, entitled, "Do Helping Hands Make for Better Engineers?" was written by Marjorie Howard for Tufts Journal. The study could help determine if service learning activities motivate students and attract more women to the field. The text of the article follows.

Chris Swan and a group of his colleagues are studying something they have long observed anecdotally: women are more interested in engineering when their work involves a combination of academics and community service.

“Some people believe service learning distracts from hard-core engineering skills that we should be providing,” says Swan, an associate professor in the department of civil and environmental engineering. “I agree that we need to teach those skills, but we want to see if you get a benefit from doing a project for, say, a village in Guatemala. We think it may engender a stronger engineering ethic, making you more motivated and confident.”

With a three-year, $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, Swan is leading a team of students and faculty that is studying whether service learning attracts more women to engineering and whether it can enhance engineering education overall. Joining Swan are Linda Jarvin, a research associate professor and director of the Center for Enhancement in Learning and Teaching; Chris Rogers, a professor of mechanical engineering; Adam Carberry, a graduate student in the education department; and Gay Lemons, a postdoctoral associate in engineering. Faculty and students from Purdue University are also participating in the study.

A better understanding of how service learning works can be useful not only in a university setting but also in the professional world, Swan says. He notes that 40 percent of the members of Engineers Without Borders, a national student organization that works on community projects around the world, are women. Yet in the professional world, only about 5 percent of engineers are women. “There is a big attrition rate from getting a degree in engineering to practicing engineering,” he says.

In one part of the study, engineering students will be asked to design a jar opener for a one-armed person. The research team wants to find out if students will use standard engineering design processes for the task, or if designing the tool for a particular person motivates them differently in their work.

In this first year of the study, students also are being surveyed about their views of engineering, how they see themselves as engineers and how they solve engineering problems. The goal is to determine if students who participate in service learning are different from students who engage in independent research but not in service learning.

Swan points out that Tufts already has a strong service-learning component and a higher than usual number of women enrolled in the School of Engineering. Women make up approximately 32 percent of the student body at the school, compared to 15 to 20 percent at the country’s other engineering schools.

http://tuftsjournal.tufts.edu/2009/04_1/briefs/01/

"U.S. faculty: Civic engagement, diversity important goals for undergrad education"

2009-03-26T12:54:00.003-04:00

The following is an excerpt of an article from UCLA, highlighting changing attitudes among faculty about the importance of civic engagement:

Compared to just three years ago, a significantly greater number of today's college teachers consider civic engagement and appreciation of racial and ethnic diversity important educational goals for undergraduates, according to a UCLA report on teaching faculty at the nation's colleges and universities.

The majority of college faculty (55.5 percent) nationwide now consider it "very important" or "essential" to "instill in students a commitment to community service," an increase of 19.1 percentage points since the survey was last conducted in 2004–05, and 75.2 percent indicate that they work to "enhance students' knowledge of and appreciation for other racial/ethnic groups," a gain of 17.6 percentage points over three years.

The report, "The American College Teacher: National Norms for the 2007–08 HERI Faculty Survey," is issued by the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) at the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) at UCLA, which puts out the national faculty report triennially.

"Civic engagement and diversity are among the core values that many institutions articulate in their mission," said Sylvia Hurtado, a co-author of the report and director of HERI. "It is important that faculty now view this as essential in their work because they are charged with preparing students to live in today's diverse world. Students represent our best hope for social progress."

Read the rest of the article, which examines other findings from the report:
http://www.newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/greater-number-of-college-faculty-83029.aspx

Access to and Equity in Higher Education

2009-03-16T17:04:00.002-04:00

The University World News issued a special report on access of higher education by poor, disabled, indigenous, and migrant young people. The series of articles address the access and equity situation in the US, UK, France, Greece, Australia, South Africa, and Spain, focusing primarily on government policy in each case study.

Besides the government, the other crucial actor in the access and equity debate is, of course, the universities themselves.

Tell us: what responsibility do you think universities have in ensuring accessibility to low-income and marginalized groups? What steps can they take to open their doors to these groups? What success stories can we point to as examples of best practices?

E-mail us (ayers@icicp.org) or post a comment.

Visit the University World News website>>

Ministerial Conference on Higher Education in Africa: "Engaging African Universities in the Development Agenda"

2009-03-06T10:57:00.002-05:00

Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) in partnership with the organizations listed below, convened a conference in Lusaka, Zambia on February 23-27.

On the agenda were the following topics:
1. Mobilise political commitment for increasing investments in Higher Education in Africa;
2. Facilitate networking at all levels to spur and sustain high quality Higher Education in Africa;
3. Mobilise African universities to re-engineer their human resource development programmes through proactive engagement in the continent's development agenda and to make their due contribution to research and innovation; and,
4. Highlight the importance of higher education to Africa's development.

Below is more information from the conference organizers:
"Despite significant increases in both student intake and number of tertiary institutions, Africa lags behind the rest of the world in investing in its people. There are already warnings of a 'missing generation of African scientists', and the institutions charged with capacity building themselves are in a sorry state. African innovation capacity remains curtailed, retarding progress towards attainment of the Millennium Development Goals in the Continent. The limited capacity means that Africa will not be in position to sustainably tackle the persistent problems of widespread poverty and food and nutritional insecurity, particularly in light of emerging global challenges such as climate change and increasing food and fuel prices. A recent World Bank study notes that African universities and other institutions of higher learning will ultimately be responsible for replenishing the stock of human capital, and for providing them with the required broader set of skills necessary to grow agriculture in the 21st century. Unfortunately, they are ill prepared at the present to train the continent's next generation of agricultural scientists, professionals and technicians. In realization of this, the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) notes in its Framework for African Agricultural Productivity that 'urgent action must be taken to restore the quality of graduate and postgraduate agricultural education in Africa'."

Partner organizations:
New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD)
Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA)
Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA)
Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FARNPAN)
African Network for Agriculture, Agroforestry and Natural Resources Education (ANAFE)

Click here for more information.

Eleven Talloires Network institutions receive recognition for community service

2009-02-20T14:11:00.004-05:00

Five Talloires Network members were named members of the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, and six additional institutions were named members of the Honor Roll with Distinction.

According to the website, "The Honor Roll, launched in 2006, recognizes colleges and universities nationwide that support innovative and effective community service and service-learning programs."

The Honor Roll is a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service, and is sponsored by the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation and the U.S. Departments of Education and Housing and Urban Development, in partnership with Campus Compact and the American Council on Education.

Honor roll with distinction:
Georgetown University
San Francisco State University
Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis
Tulane University
Tufts University
Syracuse University

Honor roll:
Cottey College
Defiance College
Portland State University
Southern Oregon University
University of Minnesota

Learn more here: http://www.learnandserve.gov/about/programs/higher_ed_honorroll.asp

Call for Chapters: Cultural Dynamics and Tensions within Service-Learning

2009-01-26T10:35:00.005-05:00

Title: Exploring Cultural Dynamics and Tensions within Service-Learning

Editors: Trae Stewart, Ph.D. (University of Central Florida) and Nicole Webster, Ph.D. (The Pennsylvania State University)

Interpersonal and group interactions inherently require negotiating between diverse cultural practices and ideologies. Although we navigate these differences with relative ease everyday, some instances result in more palpable cultural conflict which can create a barrier to the achievement of goals. Service-learning is no exception.

The literature on the impact of service-learning on participants' acceptance of diversity and development of open-mindedness reports mixed outcomes. Some scholars have found that a primary benefit from service-learning is the opportunity to work with and learn about people whose lives and identities are different from our own. In contrast, an equal number of scholars warn against the dangers of service-learning in reifying stereotypes and conflicts.

This interdisciplinary text will address diversity and cultural conflict in the practice of service-learning within K-12 and higher education. With this in mind, we aim to support a polyvocal approach to defining cultural conflict and discovering effective strategies for marshaling service-learning productively in courses and programs. Written to be accessible and useful to service-learning researchers and practitioners, the text will serve as a resource for all who are engaged in educating students to become active, culturally affirming, and critical participants in democratic societies.

We solicit submissions from a range of genres, including theoretical/conceptual pieces, position papers, case studies, and other traditional academic essays. Manuscripts that address the topic of cultural tensions in service-learning and that simultaneously focus on one or more of the following areas are most welcomed: theoretical, philosophical, historical, or methodological approaches to/reviews of culture and service-learning cultural impacts, assumptions, tensions, and/or conflicts related to the practice of service-learning (conscious or unconscious) pieces that include the following cultural variables - ability, religion, SES, gender, physical appearance, nationality, sexual orientation/identity, ethnicity, linguistic heritage, and health status the interplay of cultures in international or domestic service-learning programs psychosocial dynamics and outcomes connected to engagement in service-learning

Submission Procedure: Interested authors should email a 250 word abstract of their proposed chapter to nsw10@psu.edu by March 1, 2009. Invited authors will need to submit completed chapters of 5,000-7000 words (20-25 pages, including references, tables, and images) by August 15, 2009. We welcome questions about specific article ideas.
Inquiries and submissions should be forwarded electronically to: Nicole Webster, nsw10@psu.edu

Is Obama Missing the National Service Moment?

2009-01-07T11:54:00.002-05:00

The following is an article posted by Steven Waldman on the Huffington Post

The Obama administration may be about to squander a historic opportunity. By all reports, the economic recovery plan doesn't include a large-scale national service program.

Franklin Roosevelt viewed the Civilian Conservation Corps as an essential part of the New Deal, and it became one of its most popular programs. It was, Roosevelt said, "killing two birds with one stone. We are clearly enhancing the value of our natural resources and second, we are relieving an appreciable amount of actual distress."

Too often, modern politicians have viewed national service as a lovely little "worthwhile program," certainly a swell idea but not something that trumps the critical business of saving the economy.

That's the wrong way of looking at it.

First, the current economic collapse affects not only the unemployed auto-worker but his 21-year old daughter just out of college and unable to find a job. The youth unemployment rate is now more than 20%. In hard times, applications to full-time community service programs increase, as other post-college options whither. Already, two out of three people who want to serve in AmeriCorps are being turned away from full time domestic service programs.

Second, these service workers can be a critical part of meeting Obama's recovery goals. National service members can work on permanent and cost effective national improvements such as energy efficiency or improving schools.

A major national service program would also boost the struggling charitable sector, which is facing its own economic catastrophe: in many places, need for services is rising as donations are falling. Full-time national service workers are an in-kind subsidy to the non-profit sector. Most AmeriCorps members do not work for the government, they work for charities like Habitat for Humanity or Red Cross, often helping to manage unpaid, occasional volunteers. Last year, 75,000 AmeriCorps members recruited more than 1.7 million volunteers, according to the Corporation for National Service. National service is a force-multiplier.

Most important, a national service program could help achieve another Obama campaign pledge that otherwise may prove too vague and ephemeral. He's talked about building bridges among Americans. That's nice but he can't do that just through speeches.

Common action breaks down barriers better than talk. Conservative churchgoers and secular liberals end up respecting the sincerity of each other's beliefs when they work together to feed the hungry. Race relations improve more when black, white and brown together save a drowning city than when they attend sensitivity workshops. Interfaith dialogue is less effective than interfaith house-building. And those from military families and those raised by, say, environmental activists will find mutual respect by working together to care for veterans or solve other critical problems.

In fact, the call for service shouldn't be limited to AmeriCorps. Imagine, for the first time ever, a national recruitment drive for all forms of service. Unlike past efforts, this significant recruitment effort - including YouTube videos, Facebook applications, mobile phones etc -- should call people to serve in the military, the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, senior corps, as well as private or faith-based service programs such as the Jesuit Volunteer Corps.

Oh, and by the standards of this economic recovery package, national service is dirt cheap. According to press reports, the economic recovery will cost around $800 billion and create 3 million jobs. By contrast, fielding a full-time AmeriCorps member costs the government somewhere between $11,000-$20,000 including an $4,725 educational scholarship, substantially cheaper than the infrastructure jobs.

So for a miniscule fraction of the recovery plan, we could field roughly 250,000 national service corps members (what Obama promised to do in the campaign, by the way). Add a few billion more, and wrap together military, overseas and private service, and Uncle Sam could finally make a simple, historic, transformative statement: "anyone who wants to serve their country or community in full time service - and then earn money for education - can do so."

A massive, voluntary national service program would accomplish both hard goals -- trees planted, houses weatherized etc -- but a soft goal as well: planting forever the idea in the minds of most young people (and many seniors) that one of the most fulfilling and useful things they could do is serve their nation for a year or two. We're in a crisis. Rather than the government just stepping in, shouldn't we be giving idealistic young people the chance to help solve problems?

This idea may not seem as concrete as a bridge project but in its own way it could be even more durable.

KAAYIA Award Now Accepting Applications

2009-01-06T11:46:00.001-05:00

“The King Abdullah II Award for Youth Innovation and Achievement (KAAYIA) began accepting applications on January 4 from young Arab leaders who are currently heading development efforts in the region. The KAAYIA will provide each of the winners with a $50,000 grant which will support the scaling up of a successful project, founded or co-founded by the award winner, that has demonstrated positive social impact. In addition, part of the grant will be allocated to education and training for award winners, in order to help them meet their specific learning needs as young leaders.

The KAAYIA seeks young leaders who are working to embody the concept of Active Citizenship: "a process that enables citizens to exercise both their rights and responsibilities in a balanced way, guided by moral and social responsibility, political literacy and community involvement." As explained on the KAAYIA website, "Active Citizenship amongst youth is expressed through the initiatives of individuals and groups in finding innovative solutions that contribute to social development through the skills of enquiry and communication, participation and responsible action."

Applicants should be between the ages of 18 to 29 and a citizen of an Arab country. In addition, they should have founded or co-founded an existing venture or project that has demonstrated a positive social impact within the local community over the last six months. The KAAYIA Award winner will be announced at the 2009 World Economic Forum.

Please visit kaayia.org for more information on the award, eligibility criteria, and instruction on how to apply.”

MacJannet Prize Nomination Deadline Extended

2008-12-22T11:57:00.002-05:00

The new MacJannet Prize for Global Citizenship will serve to recognize and encourage exemplary university programs which have contributed both to addressing needs of the local or global community, as well as helping to develop and support innovative, committed student leaders who will go on to join the community of global citizens.

Eight prizes will be awarded in June 2009, one (1) First Prize of $5,000, two (2) Second Prizes of $2,500 each, and five (5) Third Prizes of $1,000 each. New deadline for nomination: January 15th.

Visit our website for more information and to nominate a program!

La Universidad, en busca de aportes

2008-12-09T17:06:00.000-05:00

El ministro de Educación y cuatro intelectuales internacionales coinciden en que no sólo debe haber financiamiento del Estado

En una mesa redonda organizada por la Fundación LA NACION y el Banco Galicia, investigadores e intelectuales internacionales de acreditado prestigio debatieron durante dos horas sobre las deudas pendientes del sistema universitario de la región, que hoy exhibe pobres rendimientos de los alumnos, alta deserción y una escasa dedicación y producción científica de sus profesores, entre otros signos externos de debilidad.

Haz click aquí para leer el articulo>>

Financial Literacy program at the University of Western Sydney

2008-12-05T11:01:00.004-05:00

When people think about financial literacy, they tend to think of individuals having the ability to make informed decisions in managing their money. However, financial literacy is equally important for business owner-managers who need to make informed decisions to manage and grow their enterprises. Research reveals that poor financial management is one of the key reasons for small business failures. Small businesses are important to modern economies because they are the drivers of economic growth through their contribution to employment, innovation and growth. Within Australia, 1.8 million small businesses employ 3.6 million people, contribute to 30% of economic activity and have a total capitalisation of $4.3 trillion.

To address these financial literacy needs and increase the engagement of our students in community issues, the University of Western Sydney is developing SMExcellence – a partnership project that provides the business community with free online interactive financial skills tutorials and a portal to information resources about business finance in Australia. More than 300 UWS students from business, computing and media fields interviewed small business owners, learned about the owners’ financial literacy needs and then used that data to develop tutorial content and build the web infrastructure. Evaluations show that participation in the SMExcellence initiative improves students’ knowledge, skills and confidence through their interactions with business owners and participation in team projects. Students from many disciplines will continue to support and grow the program by adding additional modules on other areas of business management and operations.

SMExcellence is guided by partnerships between UWS and more than 20 industry associations ranging in membership size from several hundred to several thousand. The program distinctively positions UWS and its partners as key contributors to the small business community while also enhancing student learning and engagement. UWS students and faculty will continue to build and update learning modules with a goal of reaching 90,000 businesses across Australia by 2011.

Article from the University of Western Sydney. Visit the SMExcellence website here>>