Academic Connections Action Team

Creating Academic Links

Increasingly, Bonner Programs are looking to make connections to academic study and faculty involvement via courses, trips, and even civic engagement certificates or minor programs. You may be interested in this group if you have been involved in student-initiated service with faculty/for credit, or if you are interested in exploring academic connections that could be happening on your campus and how to build involvement of faculty in service.

Student Statement

At the Congress Meeting, one AC team summarized its goals and mission with the acronym “KAA,” which stands for Knowledge, Advocacy and Action. Team representatives discussed their varying conceptions of academic connections, which might look very different from one campus to another. Therefore, it was decided that the team’s first step should be to return to our campuses and conduct further research on how to implement KAA. February 1st was set as the date for reporting back to our team. Andrea Willis was elected as the communication chair. At this time, AC team members are in touch with Zack Shaeffer, Congress Coordinator, to keep moving on next steps.

Implementing KAA objectives:

Knowledge: What does Academic Connections mean to you? What kind of academic connections would best suit your school? Some reps were focusing on getting professors involved in service trips; others wanted to implement service-learning curricula in courses.

Main points and ideas:
* Gather info on the value of Academically-based Community Service and Service-Learning
* Talk with Community Service faculty and students
* Get ready to make your point and say why it counts

Advocacy: The next step of our action plan, involving communicating and promoting our concept of academic connections to the appropriate audiences: Bonners, fellow students, professors, administrators, etc. Such communication would raise awareness of our efforts and projects, and serve as means of gathering further support as we act on our goals.

Main points and ideas:
* Spread the word and hold info sessions
* Tell students, professors, and community partners why service learning is important

Action: After researching and discussing academic connections with the campuses, each Rep can then proceed with the appropriate action. Suggestions included: info sessions, presenting proposals and possible ways to include service learning into their academic institution would show this next step of making those connections. The timeline for our group is to complete KAA by the June SLI.

Main points:
* Professors enact the plan – service-learning and academically based community service – in their courses.
* Get students as liaisons into the classrooms
* Talk with community partners to arrange these relationships.

New resources address all of these ideas—Academic Connections Action Team Implementation Guide.

Teams will touch base again by March with research they’ve gathered about the significance and applicability of academically-based community service and service-learning. E-mail Zack at Bonner Foundation with findings and testimonials. Don’t forget: You are the impetus for enacting these plans on your campuses!

Group Members

Yahoo Groups

Yahoo Groups are a forum for each Congress action group to network, discuss progress on initiatives, and communicate new ideas.Simply click on the link below to join. If you have questions email the Congress Coordinator, Susan Sytsma Bratt.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bonneracademic/

Resources

A new comprehensive set of resources has been created by Academic Connection Team Leaders Gretchen Mielke and Bev Pfluger. Click here:

Academic Connections Action Team Implementation Guide